Me + Miss Patti LaBelle, Part I

Wendy & Patti LaBelle on stage in San Diego

Have I told you about the time I sang with Patti LaBelle?

Or, should I say: the several times I sang with Patti Labelle! First, allow me to take you back, and tell you about Patti’s impact on me. She was my musical hero. I loved her vocal performances -  her runs and riffs. How she kicked her shoes off on stage and rolled on the floor taking everybody to CHURCH!!! 

Her energy, her JOY, her emotional performance. Love love love.

I kept her records in a precious collection and knew most of her songs. I first saw her perform in a big arena, where men would pilgrimage down to the stage, flaunting gifts and flowers. I think I was a teenager that first time-- the second time I went to see her, I took flowers. I was about 20 years old. 

I asked some friends to go with me down to the Anaheim venue which sported a circular stage. At a certain point in the show, she invited men on stage to dance with her. They came down with their bouquets and trinkets. So this time, I brought my flowers down. When she reached out to take them, she asked me if I could rap. I said: 

“No, Patti, but I can sing.” 

She gently waved me off and turned around. But then, she turned back to me, asking 

“Do you sing? Do you really sing?!” And I said 

“Yes Patti, I can really sing!” And she waved me up on stage.  I came up and danced with about ten gay men, all at least a decade older than me. Patti came right up to me and asked me directly: 

“Do you swear to God you can sing?” I said: 

“Patti, I swear to God I can sing.” 

At this point they were vamping, and she began her current hit song, “Feels Like Another One” (which had a Big Daddy Kane rap in the middle of it-- the reason she initially asked if I could rap). She sang 

“Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, feels like another one,”  then stuck the mic in my face and I sang nailing the riff 

“Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh feels like another one!” She leant back and said 

“Oh! You really can sing! Here, girl.” She handed me the mic, pointing to the ‘center” of the circular stage. I sang the remainder of the song to the audience while she danced with everyone else.

I performed with the band, played to the audience, and had an incredible moment! I felt at home on that stage; confident, and prepared. I looked good! I wore my military-style blazer with shiny silver Epaulets-- a jacket I saved specifically for performances. At that point in my life, I’d been performing at least four nights a week at R&B showcases in LA with my own jazz trio, on top of many musical theater shows. So not only was it an incredible moment with my hero, but something I’d been working at, for years. 

This was long before iPhones. No camcorders, no youtube, no instagram. The only record I have of it is my personal memory. 

When the song was over, Security escorted everybody offstage, and I went back to my seat. I was thrilled by what happened; my friends couldn’t believe it! Then Patti stopped the show. She asked: 

“Where is that girl? Where is that little girl? Bring her back up here!” I walked back to the stage. She asked my name and my age, complemented my singing, and we had a little chat in front of the audience. I don’t remember the conversation now. I was too wow’d.

And the way serendipity works-- the way planning, taking-risks-and-the-world-lines-up-for-you kind of way; I found myself sitting in the aisle and as she and the band exited the stage, her musical director grabbed me by the hand, pulling me backstage with them.

He brought me in to see Patti, who now wore a big Mickey Mouse T-shirt and fuzzy slippers-- quite unlike her onstage garb! As a devout fan, I adored the fact that she was all cute and casual. She asked me if I knew that Aretha Franklin song, “Ain’t No Way.” I said 

“yes ma’am, I do,” and she said 

“oh, can you sing that?”

So I sang “Ain’t No Way” in a private performance for Patti LaBelle. 

She told me she never brings women on stage, only men, but for some reason, she was compelled to bring me up with her. She told her manager and the musical director, 

“That was fantastic! We should do it again. Can we do it at the next show?” She had a 10 o’clock show after the 8 o’clock show. They informed her that the show was completely sold out, but Patti wanted a solution. I was so naive and green, saying 

“Oh! I drove my friends! I have to get them home.” Now one, I’m so naïve, I don’t know an opportunity when it slaps me in the face! But, we were also in Anaheim, 45 minutes from home, and there was no such thing as Lyft! Today, I would figure it out-- I’d stay in a hotel and ask my friends to pick me up the next day, or ask them to wait for me. Oh young Wendy, you silly silly girl. 

But for that night, the fun was over. The moment was over. I’m sure I told her about my demo, how I was working to be an artist, but that was it. There was no website to share, no Instagram handle to give her.

I’m smart, not a total idiot, realizing I missed the opportunity to stay for the second show, I decided to take another risk, and bought a ticket to her next show in San Diego. I took a friend, my 1964 Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles album, and drove three and a half hours to try again. 

Check out Feels Like Another One on my Spotify playlist!

Stay tuned for Part 2 !