The City of Brotherly Love recently honored The Godmother of Soul with a street that bears her name. Now the 200 block of Philadelphia’s Broad Street is Patti LaBelle Way.
“My sister Jackie worked at PIR (Philadelphia International Records) right on this street. She walked it every day,” LaBelle said at the ceremony as she reflected on the significance of the renaming. She continued, “My niece Stacey had a house right here. My mother and father, before they passed, would walk this street. Ok?!”
LaBelle sang a snippet from her song, “Love, Need and Want You”, and gave a brief speech encouraging those in attendance to keep pushing.
“If you have a dream in life, don’t ever think that anything is too big or that you’re not worthy,” she said. “If you’re living, don’t wake up that day and say nothing happened. Work that day, honey, like it’s the last day of your life. Because you can get it all!”
LaBelle was born and raised in Philadelphia. She began her music career in Philly in 1959 as a member of the Ordettes, who in 1961, became the Bluebelles.