PATTI LABELLE: Having Church

PATTI LABELLE: Having Church

By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices

Move over New Edition.

The "Boys To Men" from Boston may have scored a big one when Lincoln sponsored their multi-city performance tour this past summer, but two-time Grammy Award winning diva Patti LaBelle has the Chrysler brand backing her latest jaunt.

And for this one, the Philadelphia bred vocal powerhouse is going to church.

Starting this weekend, 'The Gospel According to Patti' tour -- as it is titled-- will be triple fold; The 12-city month-long tour will help launch the all-new 2007 Chrysler Aspen, help raise money to educate African Americans about the importance of receiving early medical attention, and bring LaBelle into some of the biggest churches in America.

"Patti LaBelle is an international superstar with a unique style that transcends traditional boundaries, much like the Chrysler brand," said Chrysler Marketing exec David Rooney. "That's why this partnership is so appealing and mutually beneficial. We have the opportunity to introduce the all-new Chrysler Aspen to a very important and influential audience and, at the same time, help support a cause that is very important to both Chrysler and Ms. LaBelle."

The tour, which begins in Dallas on Oct. 7 at the Potters House, will also play Chicago's house of Hope, Brooklyn's Heritage Cultural Center, Los Angeles' Faith Baptist Church, Atlanta's New Birth Baptist and Philadelphia's Deliverance Evangelist Church.  For ticket info and dates, please click here.

Ticket-buyers for the shows in select cities will be invited to test drive Chrysler vehicles on a pre-concert date. For each test drive taken, the Chrysler brand will donate $5 to the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center, her designated charity, to help educate the African American community about the importance of early medical attention and treatment.

The long-awaited release of LaBelle's debut gospel project ('The Gospel According to Patti') is scheduled for release November 21 via Umbrella/Universal. The BV Newswire has learned that the 12-track opuswill feature collaborations with gospel hit makers J. Moss, Mary Mary, Yolanda Adams and coutnry pop diva Wynona Judd. Multplatinum selling hip-hop music wunderkind Kanye West guest stars on a track titled "Anything."