Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Snub Week
The Song of the Day is:
Patti LaBelle – “Love, Need and Want You”
From the album I’m in Love Again (1983)
Baby, when we…
When we’re together say
“I’m alright and your alright, it’s like paradise
And I just want you to know how I feel
How I feel”Oh, I love you
Walter Sigler – Kenny Gamble
I love you, honey I
Love you, I do
More than you ever know
It’s for sure
You can always count on my love
Forevermore
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominating committee is hellbent on getting Chaka Khan into the Hall. She’s had seven nominations either as a solo artist or a member of Rufus, and so far there’s been no induction for her. While I believe that they will probably just induct Chaka in a non-voter category. When Chaka is crossed off the list, I believe that Patti LaBelle will finally find herself on the ballot, at long last. There’s three options, either LaBelle is nominated as a the leader of the Bluebelles, an R&B group from 1962-1970, or the rock and soul trio that evolved out of it, simply called LaBelle (1970-1977), or Patti LaBelle’s own contemporary R&B solo career. I’m playing a solo cut by Patti LaBelle today, because I really do think that she should be honored for her sixty year career, so I am giving her the spotlight. Her solo music tends to be on the soft side, which is cool, but that rarely tends to be an asset when it comes to the Hall. She did still have a massive impact as a solo artist though. This song, “Love, Need and Want You” was sampled in two major mid-aughts hits: “Ghetto Musick” by OutKast and “Dilemma” by Nelly & Kelly Rowland, both of which featured different parts of the song. I would figure that if Miss LaBelle were inducted as a solo artist into the Hall, she would be a good candidate for the Musical Excellence category, which is not subjected to a vote. If left to a vote, I would suspect that the group LaBelle would have a better chance. That is the group which scored the massive hit with “Lady Marmalade”, the pinnacle of Patti’s cultural relevance. That group was also famous for its rock and roll covers of songs like “Moon Shadow” (Cat Stevens), “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (The Who) and “Wild Horses” (Rolling Stones), and an induction for LaBelle (the group) would also see honors for the very worthy singers Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash. Honestly, I don’t think the Bluebelles would see an induction, but there’s a slight chance that they could be considered an Early Influence (this would include both Dash and Hendryx, as well as Cindy Birdsong, who would later become a Supreme, but wasn’t included among the Hall-inducted Supremes). Her solo career chart success peaked in 1986 with “On My Own” a duet with one of last year’s inductees, Doobie Brother Michael McDonald. Her most recent album, 2017’s Bel Hommage is a collection of jazz standards performed in an understated acoustic style. As we approach her sixtieth year in the industry, I think Patti LaBelle – the “Godmother of Soul”- definitely deserves this honor.
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