Karen Lynette Patterson was born in the midwest just outside Chicago and grew up in Gary, Indiana.

Her rise into the public eye came in 1971 when she was the first black girl to become Miss Indiana when she entered the Miss America pageant with merits for her singing talents. Her singing started professionally when she was just 16 and following the success in the Miss America pageant she toured the world where she both sung and gave speeches. Kellee broke into TV to host Harambee in Chicago and continued on with her singing career later when she moved to the West Coast.