Sandi Patty | |
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Patty in 2006
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Background information | |
Birth name | Sandra Faye Patty |
Also known as | Sandi Patti, Sandi Patty Peslis |
Born | July 12, 1956 |
Origin | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
Genres | Contemporary Christian, inspirational |
Occupation(s) | Singer, author, pianist |
Instruments | Voice, piano |
Years active | 1978–present |
Labels | Milk & Honey, Impact, Word, INO, Stylos |
Associated acts | Bill Gaither, Larnelle Harris |
Website | sandipatty |
Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty (born July 12, 1956) is an American Christian music singer, known for her wide vocal range and expressive flexibility which has led music critics to dub her "The Voice".
Patty was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 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, Phoenix First Church of God (Anderson, Indiana). First growing up in Phoenix, then San Diego, she and her brothers joined their parents in a performing group known as "The Ron Patty Family", and sang at churches across the nation during summer holidays. After graduating from Crawford High School in San Diego, 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 (citation?) Christian musician Bill Gaither.
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. 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.