Patti LaBelle - H 2014
AP Images/InvisionOne man singing to the heavens in praise of Patti LaBelle’s sweet potato pies has caused a frenzy at Walmart.
Pies from the R&B diva — who rose to fame in the ‘70s and ‘80s with classic slow jams like “On My Own” and the Allen Toussaint-produced classic “Lady Marmalade — flew off shelves at the “rate of one per second during the 72-hour period from Thursday through Saturday,” a Walmart representative told FOX 11. The rep also estimated that 2 million pounds of California sweet potatoes are necessary to keep up with the demand for the pies, which are being exclusively sold at Walmart.
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Enter James Wright, a charismatic entertainer who posted his singing taste test of LaBelle’s pie online. In between munching on the dessert and dishing out high notes, Wright gave LaBelle’s delicacy a glowing co-sign. The video has even racked up upward of 9 million views on his Facebook page.
“You’ll turn into Patti after eating this,” the LaBelle fan said just before singing a few lines from LaBelle’s “Isn’t It a Shame,” the Nelly-sampled ditty from her 1976 LP Chameleon. The veteran songbird also shared it on her own Facebook page, saying, “Thank you for the review!”
See Wright hit all the right notes in his musical sales pitch for Patti’s pies below.
Patti LaBelle I have to say girl you did it with this pie.
Posted by James Wright Chanel on Wednesday, November 11, 2015
This article originally appeared on Billboard.com
