Patrinell Pat Staten Wright - An Essay
a Seattle treasure
By
Mike in News Archives
Updated on 15 Sep 2015 ·
Published 22 Dec 2013
Patrinell Pat Staten Wright - An Essay
While the story of the artist behind 'little love affair' has been documented a fair few times already, this 'essay' written by Peter Blecha, may still be worth a read/visit as it goes beyond the 45 story and concerns itself with a complete account of Pats life so far, and with parts concerning her earlier days that included moments in time such as her early days growing up in the 'hot dusty cotton country of Carthage' and singing at Jimi Hendrix funeral it does make an interesting and for me an enjoyable read.
The full length essay can be read via the History Link website which is is an evolving online encyclopedia of Washington state and local history. It provides a free, authoritative, and easily accessible history reference for the benefit of students, teachers, journalists, scholars, researchers, and the general public.
You can catch the link after the preview clips below...
"I was lying in my bed, minding my own business and my friend Freddie Mae Gautier [1930--2001] calls me up -- because she was one of the people who really knew the Hendrix family very, very well, and she in a way was a surrogate parent to Jimi. And she called me up and said: 'Pat Wright: you need to get up ... you need to come now.' And I said 'Where am I coming to?' She says 'You need to come to this church' ... she said 'They need some God up in here, so get up and come bring some God with you.' ... So, I got up and I went out there. And, it scared me to death. Scared me to death. All these people from England (and from other countries) ... they all had on black leather, and they all had long hair, and they all were high! I didn't realize at that time that people from other countries are a lot more warm. You know, I'm still fresh out of the south. So here's these tall white guys, and white girls, you know all around me and I'm goin' 'I. Don't. Feel. Comfortable. I just ...
... including jazz icon Miles Davis (1926-1991), drummer Buddy Miles (1947-2008), and Hendrix's boyhood friends from Seattle. At the proper moment, Wright walked past the lavender and white floral display arranged in the shape of a giant guitar and stepped up to the pulpit.
"I sang 'What a Friend We Have in Jesus' -- and it was very, very quiet as I began to sing this song. And then as I ended the song ...
... according to The Seattle Daily Times, "a sound that is as soft and smooth as velvet ... with the Casanovas' fine harmony and Patrinell's glorious voice, Sepia's boost should be all that is necessary to get them started on a good career. And watch out for Patrinell -- if she gets the right breaks, she could become another Nancy Wilson or Dionne Warwick" (Gressel, "New Local Label ... ").
"I left the R&B scene after three years. That was work that I didn't want to do anymore. It was just too hard. And, I wasn't really good at it anyway [laughter]. [Plus], my husband wasn't goin' for that, the church wasn't goin' for that -- and I had a really hard time in the black community, who knew me and weren't goin' for it...
Link to the full essay ...
Wright, Pat (b. 1944) HistoryLink.org Essay 10392 by Peter Blecha June 2013
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=10392
Photo Credit
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wheedle's_Groove_03.jpg
Wheedle's Groove performing at Neumos, Capitol Hill, Seattle, Washington. Pat Wright here on lead vocals, along with other members of her Total Experience Gospel Choir as backing vocalists.
Date 1 October 2010
Source Photo by Joe Mabel
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