When Patti LaBelle takes the stage, there is a certain awe that comes over her audience. It is no wonder that she commands such respect as she as found success in pop groups and as a solo act for more than 40 years and has dabbled in a variety of genres. LaBelle was born as Patricia Holt in 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She started singing at a young age in her church choir, and had formed her first girl group in her teens called the Ordettes with Cindy Birdsong. The group added Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx and changed their name to the Blue Belles.

The Blue Belles hooked up with producer Bobby Martin and it didn't take them long to find chart success. Their 1962 R&B hit, "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman," put their name out there, followed by their versions of "Danny Boy" and "You'll Never Walk Alone." The band was now Patty LaBelle & the Bluebelles, and they signed with Atlantic Records in 1965. They had some name and lineup changes over the next few years and by 1970 had a more rock and funk sound and had switched to Warner Bros. It was the early 1970s that also saw the start of futuristic costuming by LaBelle.

The group broke up in the mid 1970s, leading to LaBelle releasing her first solo album in 1977. By the 1980s, LaBelle was trying her hand at acting as well as releasing many hit singles like "If You Only Knew," "On My Own" and "Stir It Up." Although LaBelle slowed down her pace somewhat in the 1990s, she still continued to release new material and even released an autobiography. She has released many greatest hits albums as of late along with a Christmas album in 2007 and a live album in 2008.