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PATTI LABELLE ANNOUNCED AS ENTERTAINER AT 32ND ANNUAL BLACK TIE DINNER
DALLAS — (Oct. 2, 2013) — Pop and R&B superstar Patti LaBelle will bring new attitude when she performs at the 32nd Annual Black Tie Dinner, which benefits North Texas LGBT- supportive organizations and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. This year’s dinner will be on Saturday, Nov. 2 at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel.
“Over the tenure of her unmatched career, Patti LaBelle has been many things, from church choir girl to space-age funk queen to the reigning diva of R&B,” said Black Tie Dinner Co-Chair Mitzi Lemons. “She is renowned for her passionate stage performances, wide vocal range and distinctive high-octave belting. We are simply thrilled she will be entertaining at our event.”
Patti LaBelle was born Patricia Holt, and began singing in Philadelphia’s Beulah Baptist Church choir in her teens. She then formed the Ordettes, which evolved into Patti LaBelle and The Blue Belles and included LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash and Cindy Birdsong.
When Birdsong left the group to join The Supremes in 1967, the remaining trio shortened their name to LaBelle. Both group configurations had modest success on pop and R&B radio, including the No. 1 hit “Lady Marmalade” in 1975.
In 1977, the trio disbanded and Patti went solo. Her debut solo LP, “Patti LaBelle,” was released the same year. She scored several R&B hits, including “I Don't Go Shopping” and “Little Girls.”
In 1982, LaBelle made her Broadway debut, with Al Green, in “Your Arm’s Too Short To Box With God.” In 1995, she signed with MCA Records and found pop success with two hits from the “Beverly Hills Cop” soundtrack: “New Attitude” and “Stir It Up.”
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B L A C K T I E D I N N E R , I N C . 4015 Lemmon Ave., Ste. 4001 PMB #321 Dallas, TX 75219-3737 972-733-9200 WWW.BLACKTIE.ORG PATTI LABELLE ANNOUNCED AS BLACK TIE DINNER ENTERTAINMENT | Page 2
Over the next few years, LaBelle had her first solo Platinum album, won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female (“Burnin’”) and for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance (“Live! One Night Only”). For a short time, she also had her own TV series, “Out All Night.”
She went on to have a solo recording career, earning another No. 1 single in 1986 with “On My Own,” a duet with Michael McDonald.
LaBelle has written her autobiography, “Don’t Block the Blessings,” and is involved in charities such as Big Sisters of America, the United Negro College Fund and the National Minority AIDS Council. American Cancer Society and Save The Children.
“Patti LaBelle has grown to become one of the most important figures in her field,” Black Tie Dinner Co-Chair Ken Morris said. “She is a powerful singer and a dramatic songwriter who boasts one of the broadest bases of fans in the world.”
About Black Tie Dinner Black Tie Dinner is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender supportive organizations serving North Texas through a premier event of empowerment, education and entertainment in partnership with the community.
Since 1982, the nation’s largest LGBT fundraising dinner has prospered in a supportive environment. The evolution of our community is reflected in the yearly increases that beneficiaries have received.
The first dinner produced a $6,000 donation to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, and has grown to distribute more than $17 million to national and local beneficiaries. Black Tie Dinner continues to be the most successful dinner in the country supporting the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and is the only dinner also benefiting local beneficiaries.
The event has been headlined by local and national celebrities and leaders such as Marlee Matlin, Maya Angelou, Stockard Channing, Sharon Stone, Goldie Hawn, Geena Davis, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen, Gavin Newsom and U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin.
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B L A C K T I E D I N N E R , I N C . 4015 Lemmon Ave., Ste. 4001 PMB #321 Dallas, TX 75219-3737 972-733-9200 WWW.BLACKTIE.ORG