Patti Drew
Patti Drew | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Eherene Patricia Drew |
| Born | December 29, 1944 Charleston, South Carolina |
| Died | June 16, 2025 (aged 80) |
| Occupation | singer |
| Labels | Capitol |
Eherene Patricia "Patti" Drew (December 29, 1944 – June 16, 2025) was an American pop singer who achieved brief success in the late 1960s.
Life and career
Drew was born in Charleston, South Carolina and grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and Evanston, Illinois.[1] She sang in church with her sisters, Lorraine and Erma at Mount Carmel Baptist and Bethel African Methodist Episcopal.[2] Drew's mother worked for Capitol Records executive Maurice Lathouwers, who heard Drew and her sisters sing in a church service and signed the group as the Drew-Vels.[2] They first recorded "Tell Him" which was written by Carlton Black (and not to be confused with "Tell Him" by The Exciters) and featured Black on the record singing bass.[2] The single release was a local pop and R&B hit in 1964,[2] and entered the 'Billboard' pop chart the same year.[3] Two follow-up singles also in 1964 did well in Chicago, "It's My Time" and "I've Known." By 1965 the group had broken up.[4]
Patti Drew signed as a solo artist to Quill Records in 1965 and soon after moved up to Capitol, issuing a new recording of "Tell Him," It was the first of three charting singles on Capitol.[4] She released four albums before leaving the industry in 1971,[1] though she recorded a one-off single in 1975 and sang locally in Evanston in the group Front Line in the 1980s.[3]
Drew died on June 16, 2025, at the age of 80.[5][6] She is survived by her son Eric.[1]
Discography
Albums
- Tell Him (Capitol, 1967)
- Workin' On a Groovy Thing (Capitol, 1968)
- Wild Is Love (Capitol, 1969)
- I've Been Here All the Time (Capitol, 1969)
- The Best of Patti Drew: Workin’ on a Groovy Thing (Stateside, 2007)[2]
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | US R&B Singles[7] | ||
| 1964 | "Tell Him" (The Drew-Vels) | 89[8] | - |
| 1967 | "Tell Him" | 85[9] | 22 |
| 1968 | "Hard to Handle" | 93[9] | 40 |
| 1968 | "Workin' On a Groovy Thing" | 62[10] | 34 |
| 1969 | "The Love That a Woman Should Give to a Man" | - | 38[11] |
| 1969 | "Hundreds of Guys" | - | - |
| 1968 | "Keep on Movin'" | - | - |
| 1967 | "My Lover's Prayer" | - | - |
References
- ^ a b c Kromash, Wendi (2025-07-11). "R&B legend Patti Drew-Reed dies at 80". Evanston RoundTable. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
- ^ a b c d e Krakow, Steve (22 May 2024). "The Drew-Vels launched the career of soul diva Patti Drew". Chicago Reader.
- ^ a b "Patti Drew Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More ..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
- ^ a b Hogan, Ed. "Patti Drew". AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
- ^ "R&B Singer Patti Drew Dies at 80 (1944–2025): 'Tell Him' Star and Soul Pioneer". SOUL, America's Most Soulful Newspaper. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
- ^ "Obituary for Eherene Patricia Drew-Reed at Haliburton Funeral Chapel". www.haliburtonfuneralchapel.com. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
- ^ "Patti Drew top songs / chart singles discography". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100™". Billboard. 2013-01-02. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
- ^ a b "Patti Drew". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-10-10. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100™". Billboard. 2013-01-02. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
- ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. 2013-01-02. Archived from the original on 2024-12-09. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
External links
- Patti Drew discography at Discogs
- Patti Drew at IMDb