Songwriter's Tales with Patty Young
The next featured artist on Songwriter’s Tales is Patty Young. I first met her while playing a set at Corkey’s BBQ in Brentwood, TN thanks to Trick Arrow Publishing. Patty is a force of a woman that you will never forget meeting, and the rasp in her voice makes everything sound sultry and like you're ready to go right a wrong. We both bonded over our songs about Jesus, and I immediately admired her ferociousness and command of the room. I was at a point where I was still trying to find my own voice and who I am as an artist, and Patty found a way to add a little piece of confidence in me that will never leave.
When the opportunity presented itself to interview Patty, I was eager to learn all about her journey to the microphone. When asking about the process for her musical path Patty said, “In the 6th grade my sister brought a classical guitar home from school and it was in the closet. The kind with the wide fret board and the nylon strings. She didn’t really take to it. I grabbed it one day and just started plunking it. That was in the mid-seventies. Our big brother was a bass player in a cool 60s band in the late 60s. We were exposed to music in church and school and through family events. My dad’s brother was a music teacher. 4 of my seven sisters also play and write, but not as prolifically as myself. I was writing songs by sixth grade and playing in church. In junior high my music teacher wrote sheet music out for two of my originals, and we performed them in the Acapella choir. It just became part of my life. It was my way of coping, worshiping, and sharing hope.”
That is definitely an area of music where many songwriters find their love of music. I know for me, singing in an acapella choir was a life changing experience for me. There is something truly healing about using the voices God gives you to blend together and make whole new sounds. I get chills just thinking about it.
One great story Patty shared was a favorite from her musical travel. “I was on the road with a lounge type band when I was 21. We played 6 nights a week in the Holiday Inn lounge from town to town. We were usually only at each place for a week. We ended up in southern Illinois for 3 weeks and well. that’s where I met my husband and built a house and had 3 kids! I just played locally after that. I recorded some great songs and had some really fun bands. I played in church during those years as well. Saturday night mass then off to the gig! Did a lot of weddings and funerals and community stuff.”
Those who know me and my husband know that I love a supportive husband. Next up is my favorite question: What’s one song you have written that holds a place in you hear that is a little more special than the others. Patty stated that hers is one called, “Mixed Emotions.” “I have a song called “Mixed Emotions” from the 90s when I first came to Nashville and was hitting the writer nights pretty hard. Even played with the bluebird! When I learned how the staff writing worked, it seemed so cold and heartless. First off, I’m not really from the country and secondly, I’m not a factory. I realized then, regardless of my age. late thirties. I was an artist and that all there was to it, my songs are great but I’m not a copy paste hit radio writer. The song explains the business and the soul searching I had to do to opt out of commercialism.”
That is a hot topic right now especially in Nashville and how it has been ever changing from the Nashville in the 90s and the loud capitalistic ways that is Broadway in this current era. When I asked Patty what was up next for her musical journey, she brought up her upcoming album “Over a Decade” which carries a single called “Lucky” that Patty feels should be a standout single. Here is what Patty said about the album, “As I am in my senior years and an empty nester, I’ve had the urge to get out and to play again. I started doing writer nights this past year and have recorded a 10-song album in Murfreesboro at JML Jasco Duende. Blues Americana.”
Where can you find Patty Young over summer? Wednesdays she is a regular visitor of the Blues Jams at “High Society” in Murfreesboro.
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