Live On Music

(CBS) Singer Patti LaBelle is out
with not one, but two albums this week: “Live In Washington, D.C.,” a previously
unreleased recording of a 1982 concert, and “The Essential Patti LaBelle.”

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Why release a concert album from 26 years ago?

“Why not?” the double
Grammy winner tells Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen.
“Why not that one and the essentials at the same time? The essentials have 30
songs that were recorded, three that were never released, the live is totally
live. We did two shows that night. The doctor told me not to sing and I sang
anyway. Got in trouble with the doctor but got my album done.”

According
to LaBelle, producer Kenny Gamble brought the recording to her a year ago and
suggested they release it. Gamble, along with producing and songwriting partner
Leon Huff, created the legendary Philadelphia sound that came to prominence in
the 1970s. LaBelle and Gamble grew up on the same street in Philly and have
worked together for more than 30 years.

At 64, LaBelle is busier than
ever.

Besides constant touring and performing, she has a wig line called
Patti LaBelle Hair and a new cooking DVD coming out in a month. She also has her
own line of Patti LaBelle - Good Life hot sauce and relishes.

“One of
them is called Hot Flash,” she said. “It is menopausal. A hot flash one, a mild
one, some relish and stuff. It’s in all major supermarkets.”

This month
she’s back in the studio recording a reunion album with her original trio,
LaBelle, with whom she had the 1975 No. 1 hit “Lady Marmalade.” Rocker Lenny
Kravitz and Gamble are producing the album. The following month she starts on a
solo album.

With all her hard work, she still finds time for her
philanthropic work. A diabetic whose mother died of the disease at age 58,
LaBelle serves as a spokeswoman for the National Medical Association, which
administers a scholarship in her name, the National Minority AIDS Council’s
“Live Long, Sugar” campaign and the American Diabetes Association.

She
also serves on the boards of the National Alzheimer Association and the National
Cancer Institute.

For more on Patti LaBelle’s tour dates, recordings and
other ventures, visit PattiLaBelle.com.

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