R&B legend Patti LaBelle was born Patricia Louise Holt on May 24, 1944, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the youngest of five children, LaBelle began singing in the church choir, and under the advice of a teacher, she formed a singing group.

In 1958, LaBelle formed an all-girl quartet called the Ordettes. The group landed an audition with Blue Note Records, whose president at the time didn’t feel that LaBelle possessed the right looks of a lead singer. Once LaBelle belted out her first tune, the president was singing a different one, and the group was signed. The Ordettes were instructed to first change their name to the Bluebelles, and the lead singer was christened Patti LaBelle.

In 1962, Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles hit the Top 40 with their single, "Sold My Heart to the Junkman." Also that year, they performed at the Apollo Theater. By 1966, the group had switched to Atlantic Records, and LaBelle was engaged to Temptations singer Otis Williams; however, the engagement was later called off. The following year, Bluebelle member Cindy Birdsong left the group to replace Florence Ballard in The Supremes, causing an eighteen-year rift between Birdsong and Labelle.

The beginning of the 70s saw Patti and the Bluebelles moving across the pond to England, and then returning to the U.S. one year later with a new name, Labelle. The group’s style, voice inflection, and lyrics had also changed; becoming more powerful and politically charged. In 1974, the group released their hit record, Nightbirds, which featured the #1 hit, "Lady Marmalade," which was later covered by Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mya, and Lil Kim for the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack.

1n 1977, LaBelle released her self-titled debut on Epic, beginning a successful solo career that would gain momentum in the 80s. By 1989, LaBelle was still going strong and now collaborating with Diane Warren to release the Top 10 single "If You Asked Me To," which was later covered by Céline Dion. In 1991, LaBelle released the critically-acclaimed album Burnin', which helped her win her first Grammy Award for Best R&B Female Vocal Performance.

Although the early 90s were positive professionally for LaBelle, she encountered pain in her personal life when she lost her third sister to cancer. LaBelle’s two older sisters had also lost their lives to cancer. Around the same time, LaBelle also lost her brother, father, and mother, leaving LaBelle the last remaining member of her immediate family.

In 1995, LaBelle was diagnosed with diabetes, and subsequently became a spokeswoman for the American Diabetes Association. She has also written two cookbooks for diabetics, including low-sugar and low-fat recipes.

In 2000, LaBelle divorced her husband, Armstead. She continued to release new albums into the new millennium, and in 2005, announced on Martha Stewart’s show that she is reuniting with her group, Labelle.

YUDDY