Patti LaBelle (born May 24, 1944) – Music Is My Way of Life (1979)

As Miss Patti turns 80, revisiting this fierce dancefloor anthem from her third solo LP, produced by Skip Scarborough and remixed by John Luongo.

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The great Patti LaBelle turns eighty years old today.

See our earlier post on LaBelle for more on her rich musical history.

Once they had shortened their name to Labelle from Patti LaBelle and The Blue Belles, the first album that LaBelle and her bandmates Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash were featured on was backing Laura Nyro on Gonna Take A Miracle (1971). It was produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and released on Columbia Records, one of the duo’s last outside production projects before the formation of their own Columbia-backed label Philadelphia International Records.

A highlight from the album was its phenomenal rendition of Martha and the Vandellas’ Motown classic “Nowhere To Run,” co-written by Holland-Dozier-Holland.

For Labelle’s own self-titled debut album, released later in 1971, LaBelle and Hendryx co-wrote the beautiful, socially conscious jam “Shades of Difference.”

After Labelle broke up in 1976, Labelle went on to a successful solo career. Her third solo album It's Alright with Me (1979) was produced by the talented songwriter and producer Skip Scarborough. One of its singles that became a club hit was the fierce disco jam “Music Is My Way of Life,” co-written by Gerald Lee and Marti Sharron. It was remixed by the pioneer disco DJ and master remixer John Luongo.

Happy 80th Birthday to the Queen, Miss Patti.

Further info:

“Patti LaBelle: Pop's Unrealized Superstar,” by Naima Cochrane, UDiscoverMusic.com, 2020.

“‘I thought I was going to drown Otis Redding!’ Patti LaBelle at 80 on soul, sex, survival and superstardom,” by Simon Hattenstone, The Guardian, May 23, 2024.

#soul #funk #disco #Labelle #PattiLaBelle