caption associated_acts years_active alias label article_title name background birth_date genre image origin birth_name occupation
labelle in 2008 . labelle j. blige , mariah carey , aretha franklin , cissy , houston , whitney houston michael mcdonald , yolanda adams , mary 1958 -- present patricia edwards epic def soul classics , umbrella , bungalo , resolution , philadelphia int ` l , mca , patti labelle
 patti labelle solo_singer 24 may 1944 r rock , gospel & b , soul , pop , soft pattilabelle2.jpg philadelphia , pennsylvania , u.s. patricia louise holte singer-songwriter , actress
patti labelle

patricia louise holte-edwards -lrb- born may 24 , 1944 -rrb- better known under the stage name patti labelle , is an american singer , author , and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry .
she spent 16 years as lead singer of patti labelle and the bluebelles , who changed their name to labelle in the early 1970s and released the iconic disco song `` lady marmalade '' .
patti labelle and the bluebelles were the first african-american vocal group to land the cover of `` rolling stone '' magazine .
her solo career began shortly after the group disbanded in 1977 with the release of her self-titled and critically acclaimed debut album .
in 1984 she achieved her first number one r&b hit with `` if only you knew '' , while later in the year , she crossed over to pop music with singles such as `` new attitude '' and `` stir it up '' , both becoming pop radio staples .
her success continued with the number one single `` on my own '' , a duet with michael mcdonald which was taken from her platinum selling album `` winner in you '' as well as 1989 's `` if you asked me to '' -lrb- which was later covered by celine dion for her 1992 eponymous album -rrb- .
labelle 's tenth album `` burnin '' ' earned her first grammy .
she maintained commercial appeal and gained a younger audience with albums such as 1994 's `` gems '' and 1997 's `` flame '' .
in 1998 , labelle earned her second grammy award for her `` live !
one night only '' cd .
her 2004 release `` timeless journey '' earned her another top five rnb album .
in 2008 , the group reunited after more than 32 years releasing the acclaimed `` back to now '' which was followed by a successful reunion tour .
more of labelle 's most notable songs include , `` you are my friend '' , `` love , need and want you '' -lrb- which was famously sampled on the # 1 song `` dilemma '' by rapper nelly and destiny 's child member kelly rowland -rrb- , `` somebody loves you baby -lrb- you know who it is -rrb- '' , `` when you 've been blessed -lrb- feels like heaven -rrb- '' and `` the right kinda lover '' .
the singer has been inducted into the grammy hall of fame , the hollywood walk of fame , the apollo hall of fame , and the songwriters ' hall of fame .
in 2005 , the world music awards presented her with the coveted legend award .
labelle has sold more than 50 million records worldwide .
`` rolling stone '' has included her in its 100 greatest singers list .
she possesses the vocal range of a soprano .
labelle is commonly identified as the `` godmother of soul '' , she has also been referred to as the `` high priestess of good vibrations '' , and the `` queen of rock 'n' soul '' .
labelle is also a noted actress having a supporting role in the oscar nominated drama `` a soldier 's story '' as well as being a recurring character in the acclaimed sitcom `` a different world '' .
she guest-starred in the fourth season of the emmy award winning `` american horror story '' , subtitled '' '' .
she also competed on abc 's `` dancing with the stars '' .
