Eherene Patricia "Patti" Drew (December 29, 1944 – June 16, 2025) was an American pop singer who achieved brief success in the late 1960s.
Patti Drew | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Eherene Patricia Drew December 29, 1944 Charleston, South Carolina |
| Died | June 16, 2025 (aged 80) |
| Occupation | singer |
| Labels | Capitol |
Life and career
editDrew 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] In September 2025, Drew was selected for induction into the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame and was slated for induction in October.[7]
Discography
editAlbums
editSingles
edit| Year | Title | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | US R&B Singles[8] | ||
| 1964 | "Tell Him" (The Drew-Vels) | 89[9] | - |
| 1967 | "Tell Him" | 85[10] | 22 |
| 1968 | "Hard to Handle" | 93[10] | 40 |
| 1968 | "Workin' On a Groovy Thing" | 62[11] | 34 |
| 1969 | "The Love That a Woman Should Give to a Man" | - | 38[12] |
| 1969 | "Hundreds of Guys" | - | - |
| 1968 | "Keep on Movin'" | - | - |
| 1967 | "My Lover's Prayer" | - | - |
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ "National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Announces 2025 Inductees". SoulTracks.com. September 15, 2025. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ^ "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
edit- Patti Drew discography at Discogs
- Patti Drew at IMDb