Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty (born July 12, 1956) is an American Christian music singer. For many years she was known as Sandi Patti. She has been dubbed "The Voice" by critics, because of her wide range and flexibility.
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.
Her career expanded 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 re-dedication 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. She was invited to sing the national anthem at the Indianapolis 500 from 1987–1988 and 1990–1992.
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. In 1995, she was also featured in the Warren Chaney docudrama, America: A Call to Greatness. During this period of 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.
Patty 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. In interviews and in her autobiography, Broken on the Back Row, Patty has expressed remorse and accepted full responsibility for her past actions, and has outlined the steps she undertook to seek forgiveness from people affected by them.
In 2000, she had a guest singing appearance at the end of a 7th heaven episode (season four, episode 20). She appeared in the 2006 annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. 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.
In 2004, Patty was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and in August, 2007, 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, Patty 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 (a label with three artists—Sandi, Ben Utecht, and Heather Payne). It was released on May 5, 2009. This album includes new renditions of some of Sandi's most beloved songs including "In Heaven's Eyes", "Via Dolorosa" and "The Stage is Bare". WEA Distribution is the distributor for Stylos Records, although this album is not being released commercially.
In Fall 2009, Sandi released her first live Christmas album entitled Christmas: LIVE. The album includes live performances of her past Christmas favorites including "O Holy Night", "Someday", and a duet with her husband Don Peslis in "The Prayer".
Patty's latest album (released on August 24, 2010) is titled The Edge of the Divine. It includes a new version of her popular song "We Shall Behold Him", plus eight new songs with a fresh contemporary sound—one of which she performs a duet with Heather Payne. A book of the same name was also released—with the sub-title "Where Possibility Meets God's Faithfulness."
