Sandi Patty

Infobox musical artist
Name = Sandi Patty

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Background = solo_singer
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Alias = Sandi Patti
Born = Birth date and age|1956|7|12|mf=y
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Origin = Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
United States
Instrument =
Voice_type = Soprano
Genre = Contemporary Christian Music
Occupation =
Years_active = 1978 - present
Label = Milk & Honey, Impact Records, Word Records, INO Records
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Sandi Patty (born July 12, 1956 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), known as "The Voice" [http://www.christmasreviews.com/wsandipatty.shtml Review of "Yuletide Joy" at ChristmasReviews.com] [http://www.answers.com/topic/sandi-patty Sandi Patty page at Answers.com - purportedly from All Music Guide] is an American Contemporary Christian music singer.

Early life

Patty was born into a family of musicians; her father was a minister of music and her mother served as the church pianist. She first performed at the age of two when she sang "Jesus Loves Me" for her church. A few years later, she and her brothers joined her parents in a performing group, known as "The Ron Patty Family," and sang at churches across the nation during summer holidays. After high school graduation from Crawford High in San Diego, CA, she attended San Diego State University and Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana, where she studied voice and conducting. While studying at Anderson University, she worked as a studio musician for area recording studios, singing background vocals and recording commercial jingles, including one for Juicy Fruit gum. Her reputation as a performer and studio singer grew during the late 1970s, and it was during this time that she initiated contact with legendary CCM musician, Bill Gaither.

inging career

Patty recorded her first album, "For My Friends", an independent effort, that landed in the hands of executives at Singspiration! records. In 1979, she was signed to Singspiration! and released her first professional record, "Sandi's Song". According to the FAQ section on her website, the name on her birth certificate is "Sandra Patty". [http://www.sandipatty.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=47 Sandi Patty - Frequently Asked Questions] A printer's error on the labeling listed her name as Sandi Patti, and she used this moniker as her stage name for the next fifteen years, before correcting it to "Sandi Patty".

Her career excelled after she won her first two GMA Dove Awards in 1982, and began singing backup for Bill Gaither and the Bill Gaither Trio. She headlined her first national tour in 1984, and reached national acclaim after her rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was included during the ABC Statue of Liberty rededication broadcast on July 4, 1986. This exposure led to multiple mainstream television appearances including "The Tonight Show", Christmas in Washington, and Walt Disney's Fourth of July Extravaganza.

At the peak of her career, her concerts were so heavily attended that she performed in often sold-out mainstream arenas and concert halls. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she averaged over 200 concerts a year, and supported a staff of over 30 that managed her career. During this time she was noted, often critically, as the highest-paid singer in the Christian music industry, largely due to massive touring and high-profile public appearances. In 1992, her surprising divorce from manager John Helvering rocked the Gospel Music industry, and this was later followed by an infidelity scandal that subsequently stalled her career in the mid-'90s. However, she slowly rebuilt her career through expanding her musical appeal, performing pops concerts with symphony orchestras including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Pops, the Dallas Symphony and repeatedly served as master of ceremonies for the Yuletide Celebration with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

More recently, she appeared in the 2006 annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. A televised performance of "Sandi Patty's Yuletide Special" was filmed for syndication in 2006, with other performers including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the U.S. Air Force Reserve Band. Patty has recorded thirty albums, selling over eleven million units. She has been awarded five Grammys, four Billboard Music Awards, and is one the most-accoladed artists in the history of the Gospel Music Association, earning thirty-nine Dove Awards. In 2004, she was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and in August, 2007, she was awarded the GMA Music in the Rockies Summit Award.

In May 2008, Patty released her 30th studio recording, "Songs For The Journey", in which she covers classic hymns of the church and other modern gospel classics.

Awards

*Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductee in 2004
*39 GMA Dove Awards: 1982 (x2), 1983 (x1), 1984 (x4), 1985 (x4), 1986 (x1), 1987 (x3), 1988 (x3), 1989 (x5), 1990 (x2), 1991 (x3), 1992 (x4), 1994 (x1), 1995 (x1), 1996 (x1), 1998 (x2), 1999 (x2)
*5 Grammy Awards: 1984, 1986, 1987(x2), 1991
*4 Billboard Music Awards
*5 Gold albums (RIAA)
*3 Platinum albums (RIAA) [http://www.sandipatty.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=38 Complete list of awards and nominations]

Discography

*1978 - "For My Friends" (Independent release)
*1979 - "Sandi's Song"
*1981 - "Love Overflowing "
*1982 - "Lift Up the Lord "
*1983 - "Live: More Than Wonderful"
*1983 - "The Gift Goes On" (Christmas)
*1984 - "Songs from the Heart "
*1985 - "Hymns Just for You "
*1985 - "Inspirational Favorites" (Compilation)
*1986 - "Morning Like This "
*1988 - "Make His Praise Glorious "
*1989 - "The Finest Moments "
*1989 - "Sandi Patty and The Friendship Company "
*1990 - "Another Time...Another Place "
*1991 - "The Friendship Company: Open for Business "
*1992 - "Hallmark Christmas: Celebrate Christmas!"
*1993 - "LeVoyage "
*1994 - "Quiet Reflections" (Compilation)
*1994 - "Find It On the Wings "
*1996 - "O Holy Night!" (Christmas)
*1996 - "Hallmark Christmas: It's Christmas! Sandi Patty & Peabo Bryson"
*1996 - "An American Songbook"
*1997 - "Artist of My Soul"
*1998 - "Libertad Me Das" (Spanish album)
*1998 - "Favorite Bible Songs for Kids" (Cassette recording)
*1999 - "Together: Sandi Patty & Kathy Troccoli"
*2000 - "These Days"
*2001 - "All the Best...Live!"
*2003 - "Take Hold of Christ"
*2004 - "Hymns of Faith...Songs of Inspiration"
*2005 - "Yuletide Joy" (Christmas)
*2005 - "Duets" (Compilation)
*2006 - "The Voice of Christmas" (Compilation)
*2007 - "The Definitive Collection Presents: Sandi Patty" (Compilation)
*2007 - "Falling Forward"
*2008 - "Via Dolorosa: Songs of Redemption" (Compilation)
*2008 - "Songs For The Journey"
*2008 - "A Mother's Prayer" (Compilation)
*2008 - "Quiet Hearts" (Compilation)

Literature

* "Merry Christmas, With Love"
* "Sam's Rainbow"
* "Le Voyage", 1993
* "I've Just Seen Jesus", 2000
* "Broken on the Back Row", 2006
* "Life in the Blender: Blending Families, Lives and Relationships with Grace" (Women of Faith), 2006
* "A New Day: A Guided Journal", 2006
* "Falling Forward... into His Arms of Grace", 2007
* "Layers", 2008 [http://www.sandipatty.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=52 Sandi Patty - Written Works]

External links

* [http://www.sandipatty.com Official website]
* [http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/artists/sandipatty.html Christianity Today profile]
* [http://www.umobile.edu/starlight/sandip.htm Profile by the University of Mobile]
* [http://www.wma.com/sandi_patty/summary/ William Morris Agency profile; includes touring schedule]
* [http://www.mp3.com/sandi-patty/artists/1989/biography.html Biography at mp3.com]

References