The “godmother of soul” Patti LaBelle is joining season 2 of ABC’s hit series The Wonder Years, Deadline has learned.
LaBelle will play Shirley Williams, the mother of Dulé Hill’s character Bill. Shirley is described as “sweet as she can be but has another side to her when choir members don’t quite hit the right notes.” She is the church choir director and will appear in two episodes in the second season.
The Wonder Years is set in the late 1960s and takes a nostalgic look at the Williams family, Black middle-class residents of Montgomery, Alabama, through the point of view of imaginative 12-year-old Dean, played by E.J. Williams. Don Cheadle narrates the series as adult Dean.
The Wonder Years also stars Tony-nominee Saycon Sengbloh as Lillian Williams, Laura Kariuki as Kim Williams, Julian Lerner as Brad Hitman, Amari O’Neil as Cory Long, and Milan Ray as Keisa Clemmons.
In a career that has spanned seven decades, Pattie LaBelle has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. LaBelle has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame, and the Apollo Theater Hall of Fame. LaBelle was included in Rolling Stone on their list of 100 Greatest Singers. LaBelle is a dramatic soprano recognized for her vocal power, range, and emotive delivery.
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