Patti LaBelle’s “Yo Mister” is on her 1989 album, Be Yourself. The album is her ninth solo project and second one for MCA Records. Prince produced and wrote “Yo Mister,” sang backing vocals, and played bass, lead guitar, and synthesizers on the song about a strict father who abandons his daughter during her battle with addiction.
“Yo Mister” had been sitting around since the time of LaBelle’s “New Attitude,” but Prince didn’t feel comfortable approaching her with the song until she invited him to collaborate on Be Yourself. LaBelle recorded her vocals at Paisley Park in 1988, but Prince had already completed his instrumental parts and vocals at Sunset Sound in Hollywood in 1986. Margie Cox, a frequent Prince collaborator from Minneapolis, provides uncredited background vocals on the track.
Timmy Regisford, the NYC club DJ legend and A&R executive, remixed the single for the album version. “Yo Mister” went on to become a Top Ten R&B hit for LaBelle, and it was not Prince’s only contribution to Be Yourself, as he also co-wrote “Love ’89” with Sheena Easton. More recently, Patti LaBelle joined forces with fellow icons Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Stephanie Mills for the historic “The Queens! 4 Legends. 1 Stage.” co-headlining tour.
