You should be a lead singer.
I said, No way.
Im not going to stand up in front of this congregation and sing by myself.
But then I did a duet with her son and got my first Hallelujah!
and first standing ovation in church.
Paying dues shows who you really are.
You shouldnt be given things right away just because you have a great voice.
You cant get angry about it.
Black folks always just have to fight harder.
You have to let out everything thats in yourself, so people can find out who you are.
Sometimes other singers say, We dont want to do a finale with Patti, because shes so loud.
Yes, Im loud.
And I love it!
Tell the Truth
Im onstage for 90 minutes, talking to the audience about everything.
Im honest, and people appreciate that.
Sometimes I get down on the floor and sing.
By the end of the show, I have whites and Blacks, gays and straights all hugging.
I dont know if its egotistical to say this, but no one song changed my life.
I changed my life.
God left me here for a reason.
I had to go on.
Live Quietly Offstage …
I dontsmoke, party, do drugs ordrink liquor.
I think that has something to do with why I can still hit those high notes.
But Im not gonna lie, I dontexercise, except for walking my puppy, Mr. Cuddles.
Hes 14 years old.
But Not Too Quietly
I stay up until 4 in the morning, sometimes later.
I watch TV, or Icookand clean.
If I see a spider web, I start cleaning the house.
I can go to sleep at 5 and wake up at 7.
And I like to play cards.
They think Im a card witch!
That turns me all the way up!
And I have my natural son, Zuri.
I always wanted a picket fence, a husband and kids.
Taking care of them never stopped my performing, and my performing never stopped my taking care of them.
