Patti LaBelle who began her career singing in the choir at Beulah Baptist in Southwest Philadelphia, took the 43,916 in attendance at the MLB All Star Game on Tuesday (7/14) to church.
As the sun was setting and the fighter jets made their approach for a flyby, the 2x Grammy winner surrounded by the Military District of Washington Joint Chorus and the West Point Band nailed a unique performance of "The Star Spangled Banner."
The 82-year-old "Godmother of Soul" was in rare form as she used original phrasing, held notes, and reached octaves much younger singers wish they could hit.
In an era where entertainers feel like they need to wow audiences with skimpy outfits, bad behavior, and posturing, it was refreshing to watch a performer make a difficult tune her own.
Forty years ago this summer the singer topped the charts with "On My Own," a duet with Doobie Brothers' keyboardist Michael McDonald. But that was just one of her many hits.
Through her career she has had eight Top 40 smashes: “I Sold My Heart to the Junkman” (#15, 1962), “Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)” (#37, 1963), “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (#34, 1964), “Lady Marmalade” (#1, 1975), “New Attitude” (#17, 1985), “On My Own” (#1, 1986), “Oh, People” (#29, 1986), and “Superwoman” (#26, 1991).
Her first chart-topper came in the '70s when her group LaBelle (featuring Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash) introduced the world to “Lady Marmalade” from their album Nightbirds (1974).
The wild tune with naughty French lyrics peppered in it went to #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B charts in 1975. Later the song returned to #1 when Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa and Pink remade it for the film Moulin Rouge! in 2001.
You know you're the real deal when your contemporaries and fellow legends, praise you and hold you as a peer. In 1998 Whitney Houston presented her with a special Essence award and literally sang her praises.
So it was no surprise that when Major League Baseball put together Philadelphians they would consider to perform at Tuesday's All Star Game at Citizens Bank Park, both Jennifer Hudson and Patti would be at the top of their list.
Now for some, soul, R&B, gospel, jazz, or pop music might not be their cup of tea. Patti has something for those people too. While some may become Uber drivers or sell Tupperware as a side hustle, in 2015 the singer began selling her sweet potato pies at Walmart under the Patti's Good Life moniker.
Walmart reported that more than 65 million of the $4 pies were sold in the first five years of their relationship. At its peak they were moving more than 36,000 pies a day or about one every two seconds.
You better get moving if you want to hear Patti in person this year because she only has nine more dates on her schedule.
Head over to her website to grab your tickets.
Patti LaBelle 2026 Tour
7/17 Pikes Peak Center, Colorado Springs, CO
8/6 Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa, CA
8/8 San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, San Jose, CA
9/17 The Cove at River Spirit Casino Resort, Tulsa, OK
9/18 Radians Amphitheater, Memphis, TN
9/19 Riverdome at Horseshoe Bossier City, Bossier City, LA
11/13 Hard Rock Casino, Gary, IN
11/14 Genesee Theatre, Waukegan, IL
11/15 Detroit Music Hall, Detroit, MI
