Interview With Sandi Patty (Conducted by Aaron Pacentine)

(For the audio interviews with Sandi Patty from this site, please scroll down for the interviews)

Featuring many of her current albums along with many of her older classic and rare albums
along with her videos now available through Videos For The Family. Pricing and ordering information availability available.

Sandi Patty was born on July 12th 1956 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She has been known as "The Voice", for Christian music for many years now.

Her first album, recorded was For My Friends, and was done in 1978 as 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.

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 a very recognized 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. 2008 also saw the release of five separate compilation recordings of past songs taken from previous albums.

In 2009, Sandi received two GMA Dove Award nominations: Female Vocalist Of The Year, and Inspirational Album Of The Year ("Songs For The Journey"). "Simply Sandi," an acoustic album is the first solo project to be released on her own record label, Stylos Records. Released on May 5, 2009, it is also currently available.

In Fall 2009 she is slated to release her first live DVD, a Christmas concert. It, too will be released under the Stylos Label and available commercially through Word Entertainment/Word Distribution. (Much of the above statement was taken from the Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, article on Sandi Patty)

One of the most highly acclaimed performers of our time, with 5 Grammy Awards, 4 Billboard Music Awards, 3 Platinum records, 5 Gold records, and 11 million units sold.

“I am grateful for the many opportunities God has given in my life and for how he has allowed me to spread my wings,” says Sandi. “Singing is my way to tell my story of hope, life, and love.”

We welcome back Sandi Patty for an interview. She shares with us about her new book, "The Edge of the Devine" and also the new album coming out later this summer of the same name. I want to thank her for her time, and we look forward to brining this new interview to you at the time of the release of her new book and album of "THE EDGE OF THE DEVINE" in August, this year of 2010.

This interview was originally recorded this past June 2010. At the request of the publisher - we were unable to have it available until the release of her new book, etc "THE EDGE OF THE DEVINE", hope everyone enjoys the interview.

It has been a great honor to interview Sandi Patty, and have her apart of the VideosForFamily.com web site included with the many other interviews here on the web site. Sandi talks about the beginning of her music career and also how she become a Christian and asked the Lord into her life. She also mentions a few things about the (now then) album, "SONGS FOR THE JOURNEY" and her book, "LAYERS". She also talks about how she recorded the song, "We Shall Behold Him", among several other interesting things about her and her music.

GRAMMY AWARDS
1991 Best Pop Gospel Album --Another Time, Another Place
1987 Best Gospel Performance (female)--Morning Like This
1987 Best Gospel Performance (duo/group)--They Say with Deniece Williams
1986 Best Gospel Performance (duo/group) --I’ve Just Seen Jesus with Larnelle Harris
1984 Best Gospel Performance (duo/group) --More Than Wonderful with Larnelle Harris

DOVE AWARD HIGHLIGHTS
1999 Spanish Language Album of the Year, Long From Music Video of the Year
1998 Inspirational Album of the Year, Special Event Album of the Year
1996 Special Event Album of the Year
1995 Inspirational Album of the Year
1994 Short Form Music Video of the Year
1992 Female Vocalist of the Year, Short Form Video of the Year, Children’s Music Album of the Year Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year
1991 Female Vocalist of the Year, Inspirational Album of the Year, Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year
1990 Female Vocalist of the Year, Children's Music Album of the Year
1989 Female Vocalist of the Year, Inspirational Album of the Year, Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year Instrumental Album of the Year
1988 Gospel Artist of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year (Co-Writer)
1987 Gospel Artist of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Inspirational Album of the Year
1986 Female Vocalist of the Year
1985 Gospel Artist of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Inspirational Album of the Year, Inspirational Album of the Year (Co-Producer)
1984 Female Vocalist of the Year, Gospel Artist of the Year, Inspirational Album of the Year, Inspirational Album of the Year (Co-Producer)
1983 Female Vocalist of the Year, Inspirational Album of the Year
1982 Gospel Artist of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year

OTHER AWARDS & HONORS
2007 GMA Music in the Rockies Summit Award
2007 Indiana Historical Society Living Legends Award