Episode 195

Patti LaBelle: The Breakout Year

Explore Patti LaBelle’s pivotal year and the era that helped shape her legacy in popular music. In this episode, DJ Sir Daniel and Jay Ray look at the important milestones in Patti’s solo career, her memorable performances, and how established artists like her found new opportunities and audiences in the 1980s.

Hear about signature songs, collaborations, and appearances—from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack to Live Aid 1985—that marked this turning point. Whether you’re familiar with Patti’s music or interested in the evolution of classic R&B and pop, this episode offers insights and context that deepen your appreciation. 

Links to Content Referenced in This Episode

Chapter Markers

00:00 Intro Theme

00:16 Introduction and Podcast Opening

00:33 The Rise of the Mature Dolls

02:56 Patti LaBelle's Breakthrough

14:40 Patti LaBelle's Iconic Style and Influence

18:06 Patti LaBelle's Rise to Pop Stardom

20:42 The Iconic 1985 Live Aid Performance

23:54 Transition

24:03 Thoughts after watching Patti at Live Aid

28:44 Patti LaBelle's Timeless Duets and Hits

32:17 Celebrating the Legacy of Mature Divas

34:43 Outro Theme

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Transcript
Sir Daniel:

Greetings and welcome to another episode of Queue Points podcast.

Sir Daniel:

I'm DJ Sir Daniel

Jay Ray:

And my name is Jay Ray, sometimes known by my governments as

Jay Ray:

Johnnie Ray Kornegay III, And Sir Daniel,

Sir Daniel:

Yoyo.

Jay Ray:

we about to talk about a diva!

Sir Daniel:

The, the diva of all divas.

Sir Daniel:

You know, recently, um, Stephanie Mills, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and the

Sir Daniel:

incomparable Patti Labelle have taken the United States by storm by going on

Sir Daniel:

an amazing tour to showcase the talents that they have honed for the past.

Sir Daniel:

Ooh, almost for half a century,

Jay Ray:

Absolutely.

Sir Daniel:

And they have been receiving nothing but love and

Sir Daniel:

nothing but strong accolades.

Sir Daniel:

And it got us to thinking about the mature dolls, the mature I

Sir Daniel:

call, I, I call them the mature

Jay Ray:

is your, you have coined that phrase because Sir Daniel, and

Jay Ray:

this is a very, um, I mean from the era that we grew up in, of course

Jay Ray:

we grew up seeing these women.

Jay Ray:

On tv, they would be on, on specials.

Jay Ray:

They would always be singing on something.

Jay Ray:

You know, they, they were just omnipresent.

Jay Ray:

But when we really think about it, these women were seasoned

Jay Ray:

in their careers, right?

Jay Ray:

And in the, in the early to mid eighties, all of a sudden,

Jay Ray:

these mature dolls were next

Jay Ray:

level.

Sir Daniel:

So Jay Ray and I are discussing the fact that by the time we,

Sir Daniel:

we, we became aware of Patti LaBelle.

Jay Ray:

Mm-hmm.

Sir Daniel:

By the time we became aware of Patti LaBelle.

Sir Daniel:

Patti LaBelle had already been in the industry for 20 years.

Sir Daniel:

She was experiencing a new life as an artist.

Sir Daniel:

She was a mature doll at the time.

Sir Daniel:

Pat this, this around of time, this space of time that we're discussing,

Sir Daniel:

Patti LaBelle had turned 41, 41 and four, and when you think about it.

Sir Daniel:

For women, especially 30 is a death sentence.

Sir Daniel:

30 is like they wanna push you in a corner and put you away.

Sir Daniel:

But for the mature dolls, like a pat lapel, like Patti LaBelle.

Jay Ray:

Mm-hmm.

Sir Daniel:

They overcame that and they become something of a phenomenon.

Sir Daniel:

And that's what we're gonna discuss on this particular episode of Queue

Sir Daniel:

Points podcast, the Mature Doll series.

Sir Daniel:

And this first doll that we're gonna discuss is none other than Patti LaBelle.

Sir Daniel:

You know what's Patti's real name is?

Sir Daniel:

Patricia Holt.

Jay Ray:

let me look at, uh, what is Patti LaBelle's real name?

Jay Ray:

I got all my stuff here.

Jay Ray:

Patricia Louise Holt

Sir Daniel:

Yes.

Sir Daniel:

Patricia.

Jay Ray:

Philly.

Sir Daniel:

From your neck of the woods and I love calling her, um, Patricia.

Sir Daniel:

'cause it's just so you know.

Sir Daniel:

Hey, Patricia.

Sir Daniel:

Um, Jay Ray.

Sir Daniel:

Why do you love Patti LaBelle?

Jay Ray:

Ooh, that is a good question.

Jay Ray:

Um, I love Patti LaBelle because she combines.

Jay Ray:

Uh, immense talent with showman, the show woman ship.

Sir Daniel:

Mm-hmm.

Jay Ray:

So it's not just that she is going to sing the roof

Jay Ray:

down, she is also going to be entertaining while she does it.

Jay Ray:

And you know, the other thing I like about Patti LaBelle is Pat Label be could cook.

Jay Ray:

Like Patti LaBelle has been very clear about being able to cook.

Jay Ray:

You know, I like a kitchen, so that's what I really like about her is one,

Jay Ray:

she's incredibly talented and she's gonna do that, but she's gonna be like

Jay Ray:

really entertaining while she does it.

Jay Ray:

Um, what about you?

Jay Ray:

What do you like about Patti?

Sir Daniel:

It's the, well, you know me, I love, um, I love people

Sir Daniel:

that are outrageous and, but in a creative and beautiful way.

Sir Daniel:

Um, there is a tenderness.

Sir Daniel:

And, and in Agape love that I feel from Patti LaBelle.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Sir Daniel:

Like when she says, when she sings, um, I'm love.

Sir Daniel:

And, um, when she sings, when they sing, what I, what can I do for you?

Sir Daniel:

And they talk about love.

Sir Daniel:

What's your name?

Sir Daniel:

I'm love, love.

Sir Daniel:

I believe that.

Sir Daniel:

I really do feel that.

Sir Daniel:

From her, and I don't think, I think the, the history shows that

Sir Daniel:

you cannot last in this industry.

Sir Daniel:

You cannot maintain the fandom that she has without being a genuine person and

Sir Daniel:

without people really feeling that love.

Sir Daniel:

From you.

Sir Daniel:

So I think that is something that, um, she has been able to channel using her gifts,

Sir Daniel:

her voice, um, that's how she's able to draw you in as her kitchen kinfolk.

Sir Daniel:

That's how she's able to draw you in because she's, she's just that vessel.

Sir Daniel:

So I. You know, and again, I, you know me, I'm the king of camp around here.

Sir Daniel:

I love foolishness.

Sir Daniel:

I love, I love when it's done, right?

Sir Daniel:

When people, that people that are, can do it and they can do it right.

Jay Ray:

And, and, and Patti is definitely that.

Jay Ray:

And so in, in terms of the era, right?

Jay Ray:

So.

Jay Ray:

Sir Daniel was talking about the fact that, so.

Jay Ray:

Patti LaBelle's breakout year kind of happens in 1984.

Jay Ray:

Um, so this is an interesting time period.

Jay Ray:

So we did a show, y'all should go back and check it out.

Jay Ray:

On the divas of 83, 1 of the divas of 83 was of course, Patti LaBelle.

Jay Ray:

And Patti LaBelle had dropped a record that year, which I, we

Jay Ray:

talked about this on the show.

Jay Ray:

I did not realize.

Jay Ray:

That love, need, and want.

Jay Ray:

And, um, if only you knew were on the same album, which was

Jay Ray:

on her, I'm in Love again.

Jay Ray:

Philadelphia International Record came out in 1983.

Jay Ray:

I literally, you could have, I thought those was on two different records.

Jay Ray:

Anyway, that, so Patti LaBelle has a big year, right?

Jay Ray:

So 1983 becomes a big year.

Jay Ray:

This I'm in Love again, record includes like some jazz number, jazzy numbers, um,

Jay Ray:

some, uh, quintessential kind of Philly.

Jay Ray:

Early eighties production, but then it's these two big, these two

Jay Ray:

major ballots are on the album.

Jay Ray:

So coming out of that, um.

Jay Ray:

Patti's hot, you know what I'm saying?

Jay Ray:

And, and culturally, just to kind of set the stage for why this could even

Jay Ray:

happen, I don't know if this is true, sir Daniel, but I think it might be, I think

Jay Ray:

actually Michael Jackson has something to do with why all of what we're talking

Jay Ray:

about with the mature doles able to be a thing because thriller happens in 82.

Jay Ray:

Michael Jackson kicks open the door.

Jay Ray:

Of MTV and just black artists existing outside of black households, right?

Jay Ray:

So black artists obviously were always universal, but there was all,

Jay Ray:

there was like a black lane and then there was like a. A white pop lane.

Jay Ray:

Michael Jackson was like, I'm doing both of those things.

Jay Ray:

So, and I'm not gonna just do both of those things.

Jay Ray:

I'm gonna do them big.

Jay Ray:

So I wonder now in retrospect, if the fact that he kicked that door open, right.

Jay Ray:

Um, in 1982 and 1983 allowed for.

Jay Ray:

White audiences to be able to see black artists as like diverse and

Jay Ray:

different and which means that these mature dolls are now like that.

Jay Ray:

Patti LaBelle.

Jay Ray:

I wanna sign her.

Jay Ray:

She is good.

Jay Ray:

And so she signs to MCA and and gets a deal over there.

Jay Ray:

A big major from Philly International to MCA.

Sir Daniel:

Right.

Sir Daniel:

Um, you know what, thank you for putting that in perspective that Yes.

Sir Daniel:

Um, Michael Jackson was the primer for all of these, um, heritage acts.

Sir Daniel:

People that we already knew were, like you said, were all

Sir Daniel:

of a sudden becoming discovered.

Sir Daniel:

You know, the whole Columbus effect, all of a sudden being

Sir Daniel:

discovered by broader audiences like,

Jay Ray:

Right.

Jay Ray:

I just learned there's a new artist I discovered.

Sir Daniel:

Ah, this, she's, she's, she's really fun.

Sir Daniel:

She's got great hair, and so as you mentioned, Patti has

Sir Daniel:

left Philly International and she, now, she's on MCA records.

Sir Daniel:

And we gotta mention at this time, um, Gerald Busby is in charge of black

Sir Daniel:

music over there at MCA and MCA has Jody Watley, Bobby Brown, new Edition.

Sir Daniel:

Um, who am I missing?

Jay Ray:

Oh, there's about the Jets.

Jay Ray:

One of my

Sir Daniel:

The jets.

Sir Daniel:

Absolutely.

Sir Daniel:

So MCA look, MCA got the black on lock.

Sir Daniel:

You know they've got the blackness on lock.

Sir Daniel:

But here we have Patti LaBelle, who is concretely stunt, um,

Sir Daniel:

staunched, uh, r and b artist.

Sir Daniel:

Right.

Sir Daniel:

Um.

Sir Daniel:

Breakout, uh, the labels, they did all their thing.

Sir Daniel:

They did a rock and

Jay Ray:

Oh, yeah.

Sir Daniel:

thing.

Jay Ray:

Mm-hmm.

Sir Daniel:

and as a soloist, she's complete the Philadelphia sound.

Sir Daniel:

She's RB through and through.

Sir Daniel:

Now, what is MCA going to do with this mature doll?

Sir Daniel:

What are they going to, what kind of music are they going to give the

Sir Daniel:

public that people are going to eat up?

Sir Daniel:

And so.

Sir Daniel:

We see the, one of the very first offerings comes in the form of a

Sir Daniel:

song on the Beverly Hills soundtrack

Jay Ray:

Hills Cop.

Jay Ray:

Yep.

Sir Daniel:

Beverly Hills.

Sir Daniel:

Yeah.

Sir Daniel:

Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack starring Eddie Murphy.

Sir Daniel:

And sidebar, there's another, there's another song on the same soundtrack

Sir Daniel:

by a trio of mature dolls who have kind of gone through the same thing.

Sir Daniel:

It's like.

Sir Daniel:

This era of the eighties, I don't know what it is about mature black women,

Sir Daniel:

but the people were eating them up.

Jay Ray:

Yes.

Sir Daniel:

They ate up Patti LaBelle because Patti LaBelle had,

Sir Daniel:

well, she, no, this was stirred up before The new attitude.

Sir Daniel:

But new attitude was like, new attitude was out, out of there because that

Sir Daniel:

was something that they could sell.

Sir Daniel:

I remember they, I heard the song in commercials, you know, they were selling,

Sir Daniel:

uh, hair care products, selling panty holes, everything with new attitude.

Sir Daniel:

You name it, but Stir it Up is a, is a special song though.

Sir Daniel:

Jay Ray, and I think I told you what I think the, the, the recipe behind

Sir Daniel:

Stir it up is, but what do you think of stir it up when you hear it?

Jay Ray:

Oh no.

Jay Ray:

Stir it up is like squarely an eighties jam.

Jay Ray:

And the reason why I say it in that way is there are some songs that

Jay Ray:

you listen to that you're like, oh, this is just like a timeless sound.

Jay Ray:

The 1980s had a very specific synthesized, um, sound where now

Jay Ray:

synthesizers are kind of part of it.

Jay Ray:

Uh, uh, producers are not using live musicians, uh, in the same way anymore.

Jay Ray:

Live musicians are playing these sym, these synthesizers, right?

Jay Ray:

So stir it up.

Jay Ray:

Um, is that, you know what I'm saying?

Jay Ray:

Stir it up is, but it's, it's also rooted in blackness.

Jay Ray:

Like stir it up is like a, you know what I'm saying?

Jay Ray:

You can do a thing to it.

Sir Daniel:

I say stirred up is a, is a, is a church pop song.

Sir Daniel:

It's a, it's a p praise and worship hybrid.

Sir Daniel:

It's got, like you said, it's fully synthesized, right?

Sir Daniel:

Fully synth pop.

Sir Daniel:

They, there's no live drum That's a drum machine keeping that beat, but they,

Sir Daniel:

that, that beat is a, is a church clap.

Sir Daniel:

That's a dun dun.

Sir Daniel:

And there are several, there are several black songs that are

Sir Daniel:

breaking into the pop landscape.

Sir Daniel:

With that kind of, with that vibe, with that, um, what I call the

Sir Daniel:

church clap beat, but stirred up is that, um, the lyrics is about this

Sir Daniel:

woman who is, you know, shaking things up and changing things.

Sir Daniel:

And that is the whole, that's the through line for Patti

Sir Daniel:

LaBelle in this moment is that.

Sir Daniel:

Through these new songs.

Sir Daniel:

She's telling the story like, Hey, remember me, I'm back.

Sir Daniel:

I'm a little bit older, but you know, I've got, I've changed things up.

Sir Daniel:

I got a whole new look and we gonna get into

Jay Ray:

We gonna get into the look in a minute.

Sir Daniel:

in a minute, but I've got a whole new look and

Sir Daniel:

I've got a brand new song sound.

Sir Daniel:

So get into it.

Sir Daniel:

Here I am.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Jay Ray:

So, um, interesting factoid is by the time, new attitude,

Jay Ray:

first of all, new attitude.

Jay Ray:

Um, also from the Beverly Hills cop soundtrack, as DJ Sir mentioned, is a

Jay Ray:

runaway hit in like the black community because first of all, it's, it's.

Jay Ray:

Okay.

Jay Ray:

It's all the hallmarks of Patti LaBelle, so it's like it's high

Jay Ray:

from the beginning where stirred up is a simmer and then it goes up.

Jay Ray:

New attitude is like she's, she's up there at the beginning, right?

Sir Daniel:

At the beginning, and historically we gotta say

Sir Daniel:

that this is the eighties.

Sir Daniel:

The, we're talking about Reaganomics women are, are largely the

Sir Daniel:

leaders of their households now.

Sir Daniel:

And so you've got, this is the, the, the era of the woman's anthem.

Sir Daniel:

The new woman's anthem.

Sir Daniel:

You've got Donna Summers, she's got work hard for the money.

Sir Daniel:

Now.

Sir Daniel:

I got a new attitude, you know, I put on my makeup, I'm, I'm gonna do

Sir Daniel:

all kinds of things to my hair 'cause I've got, I've gotta make it now.

Sir Daniel:

I've gotta, I have to make things happen for myself.

Sir Daniel:

So yes, you're absolutely right there, Ray.

Jay Ray:

So interesting that you, you, you mentioned that because, um, if you go

Jay Ray:

back, um, and you watch the new attitude video, I had I, in preparation for this

Jay Ray:

show, I went back and I watched it.

Jay Ray:

So Patti, that's, uh, here's what happens.

Jay Ray:

Patti is very demure.

Jay Ray:

She's in her best, Dorothy Vak Whites.

Jay Ray:

A suit, uh, skirt suit.

Jay Ray:

It's, it's a lot going on.

Jay Ray:

Shoulder pads happening, and her hair is just like a regular, uh,

Jay Ray:

curl, you know, she went to the, the hairdresser and got it curled.

Jay Ray:

Well, Patti goes into, she comes in and she does the first verse.

Jay Ray:

Like that.

Jay Ray:

And then she goes into the dressing room and she comes out all black

Jay Ray:

sequence number with the, the hair.

Jay Ray:

So there's like a, a, the, the, I don't even know how to describe this hair.

Jay Ray:

It is straight up.

Jay Ray:

It is straight, huh?

Jay Ray:

Yes.

Jay Ray:

Oh, we have pictures.

Jay Ray:

Listen y'all.

Jay Ray:

Um, and we want, um, we are gonna describe what Patti was

Jay Ray:

serving, uh, in these pictures.

Jay Ray:

So gimme one second because I'm gonna pull this up.

Sir Daniel:

So what I think Jay Ray was describing was the vase hair.

Sir Daniel:

I call it the vase hair.

Jay Ray:

the vase hair and it was specifically the one we're looking at

Jay Ray:

three pictures of Patti in the era.

Jay Ray:

There's the one, um, on the left that we're looking at is Patti

Jay Ray:

with kind of the bold vase.

Jay Ray:

It's like a big circle, right?

Jay Ray:

And then the one in the center is like the stir it up.

Jay Ray:

What is this?

Jay Ray:

A tease hair.

Sir Daniel:

So I call this, and I believe that the, um, black women

Sir Daniel:

in the eighties called this look.

Sir Daniel:

It was called the poodle, the poodle cut because No.

Sir Daniel:

Yes, because at the very top, they would take the, the hair at the top.

Sir Daniel:

They would, um, section it off, uh, and cut like a a and, and cut it

Sir Daniel:

into a platform where there it was like this spiky hair at the top.

Sir Daniel:

You would either wear it spiky like that, or they would curl it.

Sir Daniel:

And then they would leave the hair that was, that was left

Sir Daniel:

down to their shoulders straight.

Sir Daniel:

And so it would resemble a poodle.

Sir Daniel:

You know how poodles would get the little curly top and then they'd

Sir Daniel:

have the, the, um, their ears hanging down, and so that's what this is,

Sir Daniel:

but it's straightened at the top.

Sir Daniel:

And of course it's the eighties, so you have to have

Sir Daniel:

a headband every now and then.

Jay Ray:

Absolutely.

Jay Ray:

And then on the right is performance Patti.

Jay Ray:

This is actually Patti at Lave, which we're gonna talk about in a minute.

Jay Ray:

But Patti has the, the straight uh, hair, but it has like a

Jay Ray:

lot of a coutre on in the hair.

Jay Ray:

And, and while we're.

Sir Daniel:

Breath.

Sir Daniel:

That's isn't.

Jay Ray:

breath.

Jay Ray:

That's, that is what that's called.

Jay Ray:

Um, we need to give a shout out to Norma Harris Gordon.

Jay Ray:

She was the woman who was doing Patti LaBelle's hair in this era.

Jay Ray:

And baby, these were, these were works of art that she was creating for Patti to

Jay Ray:

put on top of her head because Patti would just have this hair sitting up there.

Sir Daniel:

I would go further to say that this, um, that Norma

Sir Daniel:

helped Patti to become an icon

Jay Ray:

Oh, absolutely.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Sir Daniel:

because once you, when your look.

Sir Daniel:

You, the way you present, um, can be mimicked and is used to as a

Sir Daniel:

Halloween costume or you know, it is parody and it turn and it still

Sir Daniel:

points back to you because you did it.

Sir Daniel:

That's iconic and you've become an icon.

Sir Daniel:

So yes, shout out to Norma.

Jay Ray:

Shout out to her.

Jay Ray:

So 1984 becomes Patti LaBelle's Breakout year.

Jay Ray:

Uh, new attitude goes to number 17 on the, uh, billboard Hot 100.

Jay Ray:

This is Patti's first Pop Crossover.

Jay Ray:

Hit her fir as a solo artist, right?

Jay Ray:

'cause you know, she has a whole other life with Pat LaBelle

Jay Ray:

and the Blue Bells and LaBelle.

Jay Ray:

So that's another story.

Jay Ray:

But.

Jay Ray:

So coming into, there's a lot of momentum.

Jay Ray:

Around Patti LaBelle, um, and Baby Hollywood comes calling.

Jay Ray:

So of course we talked about Sir Daniel in 1985.

Jay Ray:

Patti LaBelle gets our own special, the Patti LaBelle show.

Jay Ray:

It's a, it's a one night special.

Jay Ray:

And of course we talked about, uh, the fact that Patti LaBelle and

Jay Ray:

Cyndi Lauper performed together.

Jay Ray:

They did, uh, lady Marmalade and was it true colors?

Sir Daniel:

I believe it's Truco.

Sir Daniel:

Yes.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Jay Ray:

And, and time after time.

Sir Daniel:

Truco no time.

Sir Daniel:

You're right.

Sir Daniel:

Time after time, which was huge for Cyndi Lauper.

Jay Ray:

Yes.

Jay Ray:

Yes.

Jay Ray:

'cause she was new.

Sir Daniel:

Huge.

Sir Daniel:

Yes, she's right out the box.

Sir Daniel:

She was brand.

Sir Daniel:

Well kind of new when you hear about Cindy's history.

Sir Daniel:

She had been, um, clawing her way to the top for a minute too.

Sir Daniel:

But this was a huge moment for Cyndi Lauper to.

Sir Daniel:

Kind of share her moment with an established older black, um, musician.

Sir Daniel:

And to, for Patti to get this, have this variety show and to open up her

Sir Daniel:

space to this up and coming ingenue.

Sir Daniel:

It was just one of those things where we, we still looked back to it on this

Sir Daniel:

day with affection because Patti, there's a part where they're sitting down,

Sir Daniel:

seeing time after time, and, you know.

Sir Daniel:

It's kind of a, um, a mammy moment where,

Jay Ray:

it

Sir Daniel:

where Cindy is, is, is nestled in Patti's bosom very, it's very mothering

Sir Daniel:

and it's very lovely and, you know, white people love that kind of stuff.

Sir Daniel:

So, you know, it was a moment, it was a moment for both of them, but it was great.

Sir Daniel:

They both like Patti, you could tell Patti was um, impressed that Cindy

Sir Daniel:

was hanging with her and Cindy was just having the time in her life.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Jay Ray:

And so one of the things we talked about, uh, in that episode too,

Jay Ray:

is the fact that Patti is really introducing herself to Nate.

Jay Ray:

The, you know, the nation meanwhile, which is crazy, right?

Jay Ray:

'cause she's 21 years into her career, and literally Patti LaBelle is a star black.

Jay Ray:

Like black folks are like, that is Patti LaBelle, she's black famous, right?

Jay Ray:

But she's now introducing herself to this entirely new audience.

Jay Ray:

In 1985, she gets a special, but Sir Daniel, another amazing thing

Jay Ray:

happens at 85 and that's live aid.

Jay Ray:

Live Aid is this huge concert.

Jay Ray:

Um, Bob Geldoff, uh, in the uk, um, puts together this concert,

Jay Ray:

but it, it, it happens in the UK and then it happens in Philly.

Jay Ray:

So it's happening internationally at the exact same time.

Jay Ray:

Right.

Jay Ray:

So there are performances that are kind of running concurrent with

Jay Ray:

performance, you know, in both countries.

Jay Ray:

Patti LaBelle is on the bill for live aid.

Jay Ray:

But Sir Daniel, I mentioned this to you when we were getting ready for this show.

Jay Ray:

I didn't know this because I was a kid and, and I didn't see it, right?

Jay Ray:

I don't even think it aired here.

Jay Ray:

I'm, we're about to play Patti LaBelle's intro in a minute.

Jay Ray:

I'm not sure if it aired in the US but, 'cause we're about

Jay Ray:

to watch a Portugal version.

Jay Ray:

But here's the dope thing about Patti LaBelle.

Jay Ray:

So she's on the Philly show, which makes perfect sense.

Jay Ray:

The Philly show.

Jay Ray:

Okay.

Jay Ray:

Patti LaBelle is one of the final acts to perform at the Philly show.

Jay Ray:

So here's who Patti LaBelle is coming before and this matters.

Jay Ray:

Okay.

Jay Ray:

Patti LaBelle is getting a 30 minute set.

Jay Ray:

She has a 30 minute set.

Jay Ray:

That's a big, that's a long set in a thing like this.

Jay Ray:

She is coming before Halling Oates,

Sir Daniel:

Hmm.

Jay Ray:

Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, and then we are, the World happens.

Jay Ray:

So Patti LaBelle is one of the final five acts that hit the stage that day.

Jay Ray:

That's huge.

Sir Daniel:

That is huge.

Sir Daniel:

And I'm thinking and looking at the acts that she's, that she's lumped in with,

Sir Daniel:

they kind of are, are from the same era.

Sir Daniel:

Well, I know at least Mick Jagger is, and

Jay Ray:

And Tina Turner was there with Mick Jagger, by the way.

Sir Daniel:

See, you see what I'm saying?

Sir Daniel:

So I think it was done on purpose, which was very smart.

Sir Daniel:

But um, yeah, these benefit shows were huge in the mid eighties.

Sir Daniel:

Um, and they would often interrupt regular programming, schedule programming to

Sir Daniel:

bring these to you so that they could wear, raise awareness and raise money.

Sir Daniel:

People would call in.

Sir Daniel:

Kids, they were call in on 800 numbers and donate money live

Sir Daniel:

while these things were going on.

Sir Daniel:

So I'm interested.

Sir Daniel:

I, I can't wait.

Sir Daniel:

And if you are lucky enough to be in here while we're recording this, because

Sir Daniel:

we have an audience of, um, of our loyal, um, listeners and viewers that

Sir Daniel:

is getting to share this moment with us.

Sir Daniel:

You're not gonna be able to see this because, you know, we ain't trying

Sir Daniel:

to get flagged on YouTube, but we're about to watch this, um, LaBelle's

Sir Daniel:

introduction and the person that's, we're gonna talk about it, let's just

Jay Ray:

we gonna talk about it and then we gonna talk about it.

Jay Ray:

My God.

Sir Daniel:

Listen, I, first of all you, did you see this?

Sir Daniel:

It was a sea of people.

Jay Ray:

Yes,

Sir Daniel:

But the en, and she matched that energy.

Sir Daniel:

She came out there, out the gate on a on a hundred, Jamie.

Sir Daniel:

She was singing for the people that was in Philadelphia.

Sir Daniel:

She was singing for the people in Delaware.

Jay Ray:

yes.

Sir Daniel:

People in Delaware could hear her.

Sir Daniel:

That's crazy that, I mean, God.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Jay Ray:

So.

Jay Ray:

There are so many things that you can parse through.

Jay Ray:

So for, uh, for folks, um, to watch this, we'll make sure that it's

Jay Ray:

in the description for this show.

Jay Ray:

But I think what's important to remember is one that's now a 42-year-old

Jay Ray:

The fact that she is commanding that stage and commanding that space.

Jay Ray:

This is for live aid who they're raising money for.

Jay Ray:

You know, folks in Africa, this is a big, big deal and I

Jay Ray:

love that they saw the power.

Jay Ray:

You have to know when you are booking her for that slot, what she's

Jay Ray:

going to give you, and they knew.

Sir Daniel:

Yep.

Sir Daniel:

'cause by that time you've had, the audience has sat, has sat through maybe

Sir Daniel:

what, five art, five groups already.

Sir Daniel:

And

Jay Ray:

Oh, way more.

Jay Ray:

No, they've been there since.

Jay Ray:

They've been there since 9:00 AM

Sir Daniel:

Oh Lord.

Sir Daniel:

So, and, and you saw that crowd.

Sir Daniel:

At that time of day, whoever is put on the stage has to shift the energy.

Sir Daniel:

I mean, you've gotta, you have to recycle it, you gotta shift

Sir Daniel:

it, you gotta reamp it up.

Sir Daniel:

And Patti LaBelle is the person that comes in and will do that.

Sir Daniel:

Who you think Patti Labelle or somebody?

Sir Daniel:

So I, she's literally an, she's, she's an energy, um, what's the word I want to use?

Sir Daniel:

An energy conduit.

Sir Daniel:

You know, there are people that you associate with energy.

Sir Daniel:

Tina, another mature doll, uh, Patti.

Sir Daniel:

There's people that cannot be contained on, especially when they're on stage.

Sir Daniel:

And we know for a fact that you do not.

Sir Daniel:

You do not.

Sir Daniel:

If you are in a, in a a, a, a, pass the mic situation, you do

Sir Daniel:

not pass the mic to Patti Label.

Jay Ray:

Because that, that happened and that that next year, you know, we

Jay Ray:

talked about this on one of those shows where, you know, of course Diana Ross.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Jay Ray:

Diana Ross there at Motown, uh, went back to the Apollo and you

Jay Ray:

know, Diana Ross is there and, you know, giving a, can anybody help me?

Jay Ray:

And Pat,

Jay Ray:

you don't even have to ask.

Jay Ray:

She g And so that's the thing about Patti LaBelle.

Jay Ray:

You know that when you, you know that if you're giving Patti LaBelle the mic, she

Jay Ray:

is going to like burn the mic up and you not gonna be able to pick it back up.

Jay Ray:

So you have to be really strategic about where she sits.

Sir Daniel:

Yeah, and I think, again, harping on the fact that she's one of the

Sir Daniel:

mature dolls at this point in her career.

Sir Daniel:

One, she knows this is a second chance.

Jay Ray:

Yes.

Sir Daniel:

moment that I'm in front of a large audience, especially if I'm

Sir Daniel:

invited to be on a television special that's gonna be beamed into millions of

Sir Daniel:

people's homes, that mean that equates to sales, that equates to ticket sales.

Sir Daniel:

That equates to me having another leg in my career.

Sir Daniel:

So whenever I have the opportunity, I'm going to give it to you.

Sir Daniel:

I'm gonna give you a hundred percent and then she can't.

Sir Daniel:

That's and.

Sir Daniel:

When you're coming up in the, you know, in the, the chitlin circuit days, you

Sir Daniel:

know, coming up on the scene and you, you know, you went through talent

Sir Daniel:

shows to become, uh, to become known and to be, and to hone your craft.

Sir Daniel:

You are not half stepping.

Jay Ray:

Mm.

Sir Daniel:

There's nobody that's gonna out sing you.

Sir Daniel:

Those people, they, they lived, breathed, eat, performing, they rehearsed all

Sir Daniel:

the time so that when the time came.

Sir Daniel:

You are presented with an opportunity, you are giving it a hundred percent.

Sir Daniel:

So that's where she comes from.

Sir Daniel:

And so you're not going to, she's not going to give you less than a

Sir Daniel:

hundred percent, and to this day, she's still doing the same thing.

Jay Ray:

Yeah, man, like so.

Jay Ray:

If we think about this era, you know, Patti continues to

Jay Ray:

one hit the hit the pop charts.

Jay Ray:

Um, so of course we get the eternally iconic duet in 87

Jay Ray:

with uh, Michael McDonald on my.

Sir Daniel:

So many times,

Sir Daniel:

you know what?

Sir Daniel:

I just realized that they, both the, um, their, um, verses both start the same,

Sir Daniel:

same lyric, but the way that they both approach them is completely different.

Jay Ray:

Mm-hmm.

Jay Ray:

Mm-hmm.

Sir Daniel:

Hmm.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Jay Ray:

Um, and to that point, um, one of the things that you mentioned actually

Jay Ray:

as we were preparing for the show, and I think it's important, is that.

Jay Ray:

Um, on my own gets to show Patti wi in restraint, like she's

Jay Ray:

showing restraint in this song.

Jay Ray:

Um, because one of the things we loved about Patti Grow, I, well,

Jay Ray:

I'm gonna use a I statement.

Jay Ray:

I'm not sure Sir Daniel, but I remember Patti LaBelle used to do,

Jay Ray:

my God, somewhere over the rainbow.

Jay Ray:

She would tear all the award shows down, she would kick off a shoe.

Jay Ray:

Judy Garland could never, okay.

Sir Daniel:

Could never of her reto when people literally.

Sir Daniel:

They, if they, if she was gonna end the show and she didn't sing

Sir Daniel:

some Somewhere Over the Rainbow, people thought something was wrong.

Jay Ray:

like,

Jay Ray:

what's wrong with

Sir Daniel:

sure it was one of those moments where it was like,

Sir Daniel:

all right, goodnight, everybody.

Sir Daniel:

I, I can, I can't.

Sir Daniel:

And people

Jay Ray:

Sat way over the

Sir Daniel:

no, we want more.

Sir Daniel:

We want, really tired, but okay.

Sir Daniel:

Here we.

Jay Ray:

Yes.

Jay Ray:

And we go in.

Jay Ray:

Yeah, so I, on on my own is won a timeless classic, gave her another pop hit.

Jay Ray:

Michael McDonald is forever our dude, you know what I mean?

Jay Ray:

And Patti LaBelle got a chance to sing a little different, um, and

Jay Ray:

and this is a squarely a pop song?

Sir Daniel:

Squarely a pop song.

Sir Daniel:

Squarely a, um, a, a a a yacht rock.

Jay Ray:

Song, yes.

Jay Ray:

Mm-hmm.

Sir Daniel:

she's, she's, she's checking off all the boxes.

Jay Ray:

and So we round out the decade.

Jay Ray:

Patti LaBelle's incredibly successful, uh, 1980s especially that that

Jay Ray:

back half of the, the decade with, if you ask me to, which, um, was

Jay Ray:

for the soundtrack to James Bond's License to Kill, which is super dope.

Sir Daniel:

You know, Pat's not the only, Pat's, wasn't the only mature

Sir Daniel:

doll to have a James Bond song.

Jay Ray:

No

Sir Daniel:

Gladys Knight had one,

Jay Ray:

Tina Turner,

Sir Daniel:

the mature, see the mature dolls.

Sir Daniel:

We, we had a good in the eighties, Jay Ray, and you know what?

Jay Ray:

Did.

Sir Daniel:

We really did.

Sir Daniel:

And I think the fact that we got that version of them, we got that

Sir Daniel:

version of the pointer sisters, we got the mature, um, Donna

Sir Daniel:

Summer, we got the, um, who else?

Sir Daniel:

Gladys, we got those mature Diana.

Jay Ray:

Diana Ross, um, all of

Sir Daniel:

mature doll versions and they, and that was when they were

Sir Daniel:

at the height of their superpowers.

Jay Ray:

Absolutely.

Sir Daniel:

So, uh, I think one of the things we could take away from this

Sir Daniel:

conversation is that we know that, um, especially nowadays, everybody has a

Sir Daniel:

shelf life, particularly female artists.

Sir Daniel:

And if the, and we've nowadays, sex is such a crutch that is heavily

Sir Daniel:

relied on that once you get to a certain age, you're deemed not.

Sir Daniel:

Viable.

Sir Daniel:

You're deemed not a moneymaker anymore, but we had a magical time in

Sir Daniel:

the eighties where the mature dolls came out and they raked in the dough.

Sir Daniel:

They cre, they gave us classics and they became iconic.

Jay Ray:

Yes, absolutely.

Jay Ray:

So shout out to the Patti LaBelle, who as of the taping of this is still on

Jay Ray:

tour with Stephanie Mills and Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan, um, tearing

Jay Ray:

down houses all over the world.

Jay Ray:

Um, but yeah, um, we are happy to celebrate Pat's iconic, uh, pop.

Jay Ray:

Culture breakthrough.

Jay Ray:

Um, and thank y'all for hanging out with us as always on Queue Points.

Jay Ray:

If you can see our faces and hear our voices, go ahead

Jay Ray:

and subscribe to the show.

Jay Ray:

Tell your friends, tell your family colleagues, anybody you think would

Jay Ray:

like cue points, because if you love it, chances are they will love it too.

Jay Ray:

Visit our website at queuepoints.com where you can listen to the

Jay Ray:

entire archive of episodes of the show and there is a lot to see.

Jay Ray:

We are live every single solitary Thursday.

Jay Ray:

Most times at 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Jay Ray:

So you can tune in, um, on YouTube, on Facebook, on our substack,

Jay Ray:

which is where you should be to get all the extra stuff for Queue

Jay Ray:

Points, um, and on Instagram too.

Jay Ray:

Um, and once again, uh, shop our store.

Jay Ray:

Uh, keep the lights on here at Queue Points.

Jay Ray:

So if you visit store dot Queue Points.com, you can buy merch, you

Jay Ray:

can buy all types of other stuff.

Jay Ray:

We appreciate y'all.

Jay Ray:

We love y'all.

Sir Daniel:

Thank you once again, and like I always say in this

Sir Daniel:

life you have an opportunity.

Sir Daniel:

You can either pick up the needle or you could let the record play.

Sir Daniel:

I'm DJ Sir Daniel.

Jay Ray:

And my name is Jay Ray.

Sir Daniel:

And this is Queue Points podcast, dropping the

Sir Daniel:

needle on black music history.

Sir Daniel:

We will see you on the next go round.

Sir Daniel:

[Singing]*Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Ohhhh*

Jay Ray:

[Singing]*I got a new attitude.* Peace y'all.

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About the Podcast

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Queue Points

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About your hosts

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DJ Sir Daniel

DJ Sir Daniel is a DJ/Selector and part of Atlanta's, all-vinyl crew, Wax Fundamentals. Co-host of the Queue Points podcast, he is an advocate for DJ culture and is passionate about creating atmospheres of inclusivity and jubilation from a Black perspective.

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Jay Ray

Johnnie Ray Kornegay III (Jay Ray) is a podcast consultant and co-host and producer of Queue Points, the Ambie Award-nominated podcast that drops the needle on Black music history. In addition to his duties at Queue Points, he is the Deputy Director of Strategy and Impact for CNP (Counter Narrative Project). A photographer, creative consultant and social commentator, Jay Ray's work is centered around a commitment to telling full and honest stories about communities often ignored.