Editing Patti LaBelle (section)

== Early Life and Bluebelles ==

Patricia Louise Holte was born on May 24, 1944, in Philadelphia, growing up in the Eastwick section of Southwest Philadelphia. She began singing in the choir at Beulah Baptist Church, where her powerful voice attracted attention from an early age. As a teenager, she formed vocal groups with neighborhood friends, eventually becoming lead singer of the Ordettes, which evolved into the Bluebelles after signing with Newtown Records in 1962.<ref name="jackson">{{cite book |last=Jackson |first=John A. |title=A House on Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul |year=2004 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York}}</ref>

The Bluebelles, featuring LaBelle alongside Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash, and Cindy Birdsong (later replaced by Sundray Tucker), achieved success with singles including "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" and "Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)." The group's sound reflected the girl group era's polished harmonies, but LaBelle's voice—a four-octave instrument capable of extraordinary emotional range—distinguished their recordings from contemporaries. The Bluebelles toured extensively through the 1960s, building a devoted following while navigating the challenges facing African American performers in a segregated entertainment industry.<ref name="labelle"/>