If you want a “New Attitude,” get yourself down to Lehman Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, May 11th at 8:00 p.m., to catch Patti Labelle in concert. You can purchase tickets at the Lehman Center Box Office because Patti “Loves, Needs and Want’s You” to attend her concert. Lehman Center is located at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West in the Bronx, so if you want to catch her, best to call the box office at 718-960-8833 before tickets disappear.
Patti has been a musical staple since the 1960s, when she burst into the music world with her group The Bluebelles. She was the lead singer for the group for 16 years, before the group changed their name to Labelle in the early 1970s. I know fans remember some of her hits like: “New Attitude,” “Lady Marmalade,” “Love, Need and Want You, and “On My Own.” She will be regaling the Lehman Center audience with some of these songs on May 11th.
Ms. Labelle has sold over 50 million records worldwide and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Apollo Hall of Fame, the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame as well as into the World Music Awards. She has appeared in “A Soldier’s Story,” “A Different World,” “Mama, I Want to Sing!,” “Cosby,” “Living It Up with Patti Labelle,” “Top Chef” and “Preaching to the Choir” contributing her both her singing and acting skills.”
Lehman Center will be sponsoring a Spring Gala and Benefit with The Montefiore Children’s Hospital, which will take place the day of the concert. It will be held in the Lehman Center lobby from 4:30-7:00 pm. “We will be serving wine and hors d’oeuvres at the Gala and Patti will attend. So if people want to say hi and snap photos, they can. I cannot guarantee that they can get close to her, but they can share the same space. I am also proud to help young artists. Patti loves to do that as well. So, Lehman will be featuring Xavier Lewis, who was a contestant on America’s Got Talent, as Patti’s opening act. He is a very talented young man whose song, “Georgia Clay,” was featured on the Steve Harvey show. Also, Xavier was the Grand Prize Winner of the Georgia Lottery All Access Music Search for Pop/R&B, and his single was featured throughout the State of Georgia. So, we encourage people to attend the Gala. For Gala information call 718-960-8835,” said Eva.
Adding to her many talents, Labelle has authored and co-authored books like “Don’t Block the Blessings,” which was on the NYT’s bestseller list for weeks, “Patti Labelle’s Lite Cuisine” (recipes suited for people living with diabetes), “Recipes for the Good Life,” “Patti’s Pearls,” and “Labelle’s Cuisine: Recipes to Sing About.”
Patricia Louise Holte, a.k.a. Patti Labelle, has earned her props as America’s premiere R&B and soul songwriter, singer and film and stage actress. She was known for her larger than life personality, outrageous costumes and hairstyles and is still known for her booming voice. Reflecting on her life, Patti remarked, “I would say that I am pretty blessed. You never know what is going to happen in life so I am happy about all the things I’ve done and all the people I’ve met. God is good. I feel very fortunate.”
Known for her love of cooking, Patti recalled performing with Alton John in London, back in the day. “Sometimes you can get pretty hungry preparing to go onstage, so after the shows, I often fed the folks. We would sit around playing cards and I would win all of Alton and his bands money. I had a place in London where I would cook. We would play cards and eat. Sometimes, backstage, I had nothing at my disposal but aluminum foil and an iron so would cook with that. I made pretty good grilled cheese sandwiches and even heated up chicken with that iron and some foil. You have to become creative and use what you have to work with,” explained Labelle.
Suffering with diabetes, Patti has written several books on eating healthy. One book she wrote to aid those suffering from the same disease. “It’s the diabetic’s job to leave the bad foods alone. Diabetics need to prepare food without butter. Bake, broil and boil instead of frying. You can do vegetables with smoked turkey to avoid fats when cooking greens. Diabetes was a life changing experience for me. I’ve spent 15 years living with the disease. I steam much of my food and use pink salt, sea salt and hot peppers to spice food up, so I don’t miss the fats. I had a restaurant in Philadelphia for a hot minute called Chez Labelle. It’s difficult to run a restaurant. It’s hard to find a chef who cooks like Patti Labelle, so I did not keep the restaurant long,” recalls Patti.
To satisfy fans who have been clamoring for a new CD, Patti has been working on a new CD for 6 months. “I am presently in the studio working on a new CD. I’ve chosen songs that belong to the greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn. Some songs people have never heard before. I have been working on this CD over 6 months now. I should be finished by the end of the year. I suspect it will be released some time in early 2014,” said Patti who is delighted to have Xavier Lewis open the show for her. “I haven’t met him yet, but I intend to meet him and I know we will have a good time on May 11th. I hope everyone will come out and support me. I am going to do my very best to give my fans a great show.”
If you are a Patti Labelle fan, you do not want to miss this concert.
