If Patti LaBelle never sang another song after “Lady Marmalade,” she’d still be a legend.
But her legacy goes way beyond that funky 1974 hit with the immortal refrain “Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya, da-da.” Last year, the powerhouse Philly singer launched her “8065” tour to mark her 80th birthday and 65 years of singing gospel, soul, jazz, pop and R&B.
Later this spring, she’ll resume her joint tour with Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan and Stephanie Mills. But before that, she’ll headline her own shows, including a May 1 concert at the Majestic Theatre.
I spoke with “Miss Patti” (as fans call her) by phone from her home near Philadelphia. Here are excerpts from the conversation.
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You grew up singing gospel before you moved into R&B in the early ’60s. Who inspired you early in your career?
I grew up on jazz … Gloria Lynne, James Moody, and I loved Nina Simone. I loved her voice and started singing her songs. And that’s when I said, “OK, that’s good! You can sing!” Before she passed (in 2003), Nina became one of my best friends. When I started singing, I was about 15. And I had no clue that I would be Patti LaBelle, still singing at 80.
Your voice is still remarkably strong today. What’s your secret?
Well, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t even drive because I might hurt my voice by having an accident. I don’t take anything for my voice, or do any exercises. I’m just blessed with it. I usually sing in the morning if I’m (recording). I just wake up and pray that I can sing.
In your 1996 memoir Don’t Block The Blessings, you write that all three of your sisters died of cancer at relatively young ages. How did those losses affect your life and your career?
Oh, it put me in a low, low, low place. They all were in their early 40s when they passed, so I just thought, “OK. It’s my turn.” When I made it to 50, I was thinking “Something’s gonna happen to me.” But I’ve been lucky and blessed that I made 80. I found out (in the mid ’90s) that I’m a diabetic, and so therefore, my diet had to change. So I eat no fried foods, and I do what a diabetic is supposed to do, although I might cheat. I love cheesecake. That’s my guilty pleasure. But basically, I live a clean life. There’s no drugs in my system. I’m not an alcoholic. I’m just living.
There’s a famous video of you at the 1996 National Christmas Tree Lighting, when everything goes awry and you keep saying “Where are my background singers?” You’ve parodied that moment on A Black Lady Sketch Show. How’d you decide to embrace it?
Whatever happens, I’m always gonna be myself. Security had kept my background singers backstage for some reason, so I’m just gonna talk about it. It wasn’t shameful. I didn’t have anything to hide. The background singers just weren’t there!
You’ve sung many different styles of music, but you always sound unique. How do you maintain that consistency?
I’m a Black girl with a Black voice, and it’s just the way it is. But just because you’re Black doesn’t mean that’s all the music that you sing. I am a soul singer — I love soul because it’s true — but I love to sing other music, like gospel, even some opera back in the day.
What’s been the hardest lesson the music industry has taught you?
To not depend on the music you make to sell, or to be a hit. You might know you’ve recorded a special song, and it should be number one. But sometimes, the “suits” don’t think the way you think, so they don’t (promote) that project. It’s a lesson so many entertainers have learned, that the suits are just not gonna be there for you sometimes. You have to work your way through, by yourself. Right now, I’m working on my first R&B album in about 20 years, and I’m praying this one is triple platinum. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
What’s one thing you hope the world remembers about you — as a person or an artist?
That I was honest. I never went onstage with background dancers or machines or anything false to enhance my performance. I’ve never used backing tapes. It’s always been musicians playing live instruments and singers singing. Some people have to use (tapes) to make their show better. I don’t fault them for that. But I’ve never had to do that myself. I’ve never had to pretend.
Patti LaBelle performs at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 1 at the Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm St. Dallas. $59 and up. axs.com.
Thor Christensen is a former pop music critic for The Dallas Morning News and The Milwaukee Journal whose work has appeared in The New York Times and several books. He’s interviewed two Beatles, a pair of Rolling Stones and hundreds of musicians from Beyoncé to Bono to David Bowie. He’s a Chicago native and a longtime resident of East Dallas.
Patti LaBelle on the hardest lesson she’s learned in music – Dallas News
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