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Also naming Broad Street, between Spruce and Locust Streets, "Patti LaBelle Way," to honor Philadelphia living legend Patti LaBelle.
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WHEREAS, Patti LaBelle was born May 24, 1944, and raised in the Eastwick section of Southwest Philadelphia. Ms. LaBelle grew up singing in her local church choir at Beulah Baptist Church and attended Bartram High School. At the age of sixteen, Ms. LaBelle and her classmate Cindy Birdsong created the musical group called The Ordettes, which became The Bluebelles; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Labelle found early success with the Bluebelles, recording hits such as "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman," "Danny Boy," and "You'll Never Walk Alone." In 1973, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles were the first African-American act to perform at New York's Metropolitan Opera House; and
WHEREAS, Ms. LaBelle began her prolific career as a solo artist in 1977, releasing five albums in five years. She then signed with hometown record label Philadelphia International in the early 1980s; and
WHEREAS, In the years that followed, she ascended to international stardom, with hit songs on the radio and in film and television productions. A regular on the Billboard charts, she reached the top spot in 1986 with her single "On My Own"; and
WHEREAS, Ms. LaBelle, reverently known as the Godmother of Soul, has also won two Grammy awards and thirteen nominations. In 2004, Ms. LaBelle's single "Lady Marmalade" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, Ms. LaBelle's storied career has been honored with a plaque on the Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame, a star on the Apollo Theater Walk of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ms. LaBelle has won seven Image Awards, a Soul Train Music Heritage Award, and The Essence Award-Triumphant Spirit Award, the BET Lifetime Achievement Award, and Black Girls Rock Living Legend Award. In 2017, Ms. LaBelle was honored by the National Museum of African American Music as a musical icon; and
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