This Sunday, the good folks at Verzuz are bringing a “battle” most of us didn’t even know we needed: Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle. The stories alone should be amazing, but the jams, oh the jams! These two women have been present at cookouts, graduations, breakups (to makeups) to church and back. In honor (and preparation) of the celebration, our staff curated a list of some of our favorite “auntie” jams.
“Auntie Jams” (9/11/2020)
Jessica Moulite
Cameo “Candy”
Tamela Mann “Take Me to The King”
Mary Mary “In The Morning”
Jennifer Hudson “Spotlight”
Jazmine Sullivan “10 Seconds”
Floetry “Floetic”
Erykah Badu “Love Of My Life”
Erykah Badu, Roy Ayres “Bag Lady”
Tina Turner “I Can’t Stand the Rain”
Janis Joplin “Summertime”
Stevie Wonder “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing”
J’Na Jefferson
Cheryl Lynn “Got To Be Real”
Sister Sledge “He’s The Greatest Dancer”
Candi Staton “Young Hearts Run Free”
Dan Hartman “Instant Replay” (an uncle jam)
Jean Knight “Mr. Big Stuff”
Shalamar “A Night To Remember”
Michael Harriot
Gladys Knight and the Pips “End of the Road Medley”
Chaka Khan “Angel”
Rachelle Ferrell “I Can Explain”
Jay Connor
Stevie Wonder + Dione Warwick “Weakness”
Minnie Riperton “Come to My Garden”
Patrice Rushen “Hang It Up”
Teena Marie “Deja Vu (I’ve Been Here Before)”
Klymaxx “Wild Girls”
Maiysha Kai
Marlena Shaw “Yu-Ma/Go Away Little Boy”
Womack & Womack “Baby, I’m Scared of You”
Shalamar “Second Time Around”
Gladys Knight “You’re Number One (In My Book)”
Phyllis Hyman “You Know How to Love Me”
Evelyn “Champagne” King “Love Come Down”
Anita Baker “Same Ole Love (365 Days a Year)”
Patti LaBelle “Love, Need and Want You”
Anita Baker “No One In This World”
Luther Vandross & Gregory Hines “There’s Nothing Better Than Love”
Rick James “Cold Blooded”
Panama Jackson
Dionne Warwick “So Amazing”
Patrice Rushen “When I Found You”
Phyllis Hyman “Be Careful How You Treat My Love”
Jody Watley “Looking For a New Love”
Sade “Smooth Operator”
Luther Vandross “A House Is Not a Home”
Freddie Jackson “You Are My Lady”
Jeffrey Osborne “Holding On”
Minnie Riperton “Inside My Love”
Phyllis Hyman “When I Give My Love (This Time)“
Rick James & Smokey Robinson “Ebony Eyes”
Earth, Wind & Fire “Reasons”
Roy Ayers Ubiquity “Everybody Loves the Sunshine”
Atlantic Starr “When Love Calls”
Monique Judge
Enchantment “Sunshine”
Maze ft. Frankie Beverly “Golden Time of Day”
Minnie Ripperton “Inside My Love”
The Jones Girls “You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else”
Emotions “Don’t Ask My Neighbora”
Change “Glow of Love”
Change “Searching”
Chaka Khan “Everlasting Love”
Aretha Franklin “Ain’t No Way”
The Stylistics “Hurry Up This Way Again”
Rick James ft. Teena Marie “Happy”
Corey Townsend
Patti LaBelle “New Attitude”
Babyface “Whip Appeal”
Karyn White “Superwoman”
Luther Vandross “Never Too Much”
Anita Baker “Body & Soul”
Anita Baker “Sweet Love”
Anne Branigin
Roberta Flack “Killing Me Softly”