On Thursday, May 19, 2011, Suite101 was afforded the unique opportunity to speak with 5-time Grammy Award-winning gospel music sensation Sandi Patty.
Sandi Patty Talks About Her Career
On gospel music, Sandi Patty remarks, "I love the message of what the whole genre is all about. There is such great variety in terms of musical style."
"Growing up, my parents let us listen to everything from Ella Fitzgerald to classical to the Beatles. The female vocalists that I would listen to were Karen Carpenter and Barbra Streisand," says Patty.
"When I had just graduated from high school, I had auditioned to be a singer at Disneyland and I did not get picked, since I was not a good enough dancer, and I was just devastated," says Patty.
In her illustrious career in gospel music, Sandi Patty has won 40 DOVE awards and 5 Grammy awards. "When you win forty of anything, it just means that you are old and that you’ve been around for a long time," jokes Patty.
"To be able to do something that I still love doing, and for my peers to say ‘hey, we believe in you,’ that means a great deal," she adds.
From all the songs she has recorded in her career, one that stands out in particular is "His Eye is On the Sparrow." "It’s a wonderful hymn, and I just love what it says. I would go back to that one time and time again," says Patty.
The hardest aspect of Patty’s job is the "traveling itself. It’s never about the other end. I love the concerts and I love the symphony evening when I do the pop events."
Patty’s Proud Moments
The gospel songstress notes that she is especially proud of the "times over my career when I’ve gotten to sing at Disney. It’s just sort of that little girl in me that is still jumping up and down, saying ‘yeah, I get to sing at Disney,’" exclaims Patty.
On performing live and singing in the studio, Patty remarks, "When you sing live, you have the luxury of having an audience. You are able to see that this communication is happening. In the studio, it’s still about communicating the song, but taking things in slower motion a little bit. I love them both equally, but there is something about the live setting that scares me, but I love it at the same time."
Patty Talks About New Cookbook
About her newest cookbook entitled "Around the Table with Sandi Patty: Faith, Family and Food," she remarks, "My husband and I are a blended family that have raised eight kids between us, and that time was when we would connect with each of the kids, and we began to realize that the experience was about sharing stories and finding out about each other."
Patty continues, "The cookbook has some great family recipes in there, some of our favorite recipes, and some that we have up along the way, but more than anything else, I love that it has a lot of the stories of our family. Every single member of our family has contributed to it."
Patty Talks Duet Choices
On future collaboration choices, Patty states, "At some point in my career, I would love to just meet Barbra Streisand. That would be amazing for me. I’d love to meet Celine Dion, and I’d like to work with Kristin Chenoweth."
She continues, "Natalie Grant is just an amazing singer in the Christian and gospel world. We are dear friends, but we’ve never actually worked on anything together. I would like to work with her on something. Lastly, I would love to someday meet Oprah."
Patty Talks Alternate Careers
On alternate career choices, Patty notes that she would "like to be a criminal profiler. There is something really fascinating about trying to understand someone’s behavior. I would like to be that profiler," laughs Patty.
Advice for Hopefuls
For aspiring singers who wish to enter gospel music, Patty recommends they "give 100% wherever you are. It is important to learn to read music and take an instrument lesson, since that really helps you understand music. I really believe this with my whole heart -- ‘opportunity intersects with preparation,’ as we show up every day. Be the best you can be!"
"There will come a time when the opportunity will come, and all that preparation will make sense. Hang in there and one of those days something will happen, but you’ve got to do your part," adds Patty.
Patty Defines Success
For Sandi Patty, success is twofold. "From a personal level, when my kids will grow up and love God and love their family and one another, and that the vocation in their life will reflect that. To me that would feel successful from a parental standpoint. As an artist, it would be perhaps that I’ve learned enough in my journey. That I would have something worthwhile to pass on to the next generation."
For her fans, Patty concludes "I work for you, and I could sing all day, but it would sure be lonely if there was nobody out there to listen and come to the concerts. I just treasure you all, and I value you in my life more than you could possibly know."
Many thanks to Sandi Patty for granting this interview!
For the latest information on veteran gospel music star Sandi Patty, visit her official website.
Source
- Telephone communication. Sandi Patty. May 19, 2011.
Markos Papadatos - Markos Papadatos holds over six years journalism experience, authoring over 700 articles, many of which are feature profile interviews.
