Patti appeared on BBC Radio 2 today sharing some of her memories related to songs from the 1970s. She picked Tom Jones’ She’s a Lady which, as she told host Johnnie Walker, takes her back to her childhood and singing the song using her mother’s candlesticks as a microphone, as well as Emma by Hot Chocolate, which she said has stayed with her until this day.
You can listen to the full interview here:
Don’t miss this: Patti will appear on Johnnie Walker’s Sound of the 70s on BBC Radio 2 on Sunday, 11 May from 15:00.
From the programme description:
Johnnie Walker celebrates the decade of Rainbow, Roberta Flack and the Ramones, playing some of the finest songs the seventies had to offer.
This week he hears the seventies memories of vocalist Patti Russo. Best known for her work with Meat Loaf, performing with him for over twenty years, she has also worked with the likes of Queen, Jeff Beck and Cher. She also appeared in the West End production of Notre Dame De Paris and was asked by Brian May and Roger Taylor to perform in their Las Vegas production of We Will Rock You.
Tune in:
Sun 11 May 2014
15:00
BBC Radio 2
Rocktopia has posted a lovely review of Patti’s big tour finale gig in London last week.
Patti Russo – Islington 02 Academy, London, 27th April 2014
After spending decades duetting with rock heavyweight Meat Loaf in front of sold out arenas the world over, Patti Russo took the opportunity to step out on her own recently with her ‘How Are Ya 5-Oh’ UK tour. Inspired by her landmark birthday, the songstress elected to do something she has never done – put together her own band and play some of her own music, bolstering the set with some well chosen covers which paid tribute to both her influences and her impressive career to date.
Picking out seven dates across the UK and finishing up in the Islington 02 Academy in London, the venue was busy with fans, some familiar faces from TV and some well known rock musicians all in attendance. For me personally, I’ve always been impressed with Patti’s vocal ability, with her being the highlight of Meat Loaf concerts and albums. She impressed me even more when she sang with Queen in Amsterdam in 2002, so it was fitting she opened the show with Queen’s ‘It’s A Beautiful Day’, which merged flawlessly into a rollicking ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’. The sound was excellent, with Patti’s voice sounding strong and clear. Flanked by Jamie Moses on guitar and a band that featured veterans Toby Chapman, Steve Stroud and Johnny Marter, the scene was set for a superb evening of music.
Patti is a fantastic front woman – one of my colleagues likened the concert to a party, with Patti as the host. She told amusing anecdotes between songs and looked so at ease, it seemed like she’d be fronting her own shows her entire life. She delivered an impassioned rendition of Meat Loaf’s ‘I’d Lie For You (And That’s The Truth)’ which I thought was superior to the original, before airing some of her own material.
Patti appeared on BBC Radio Leicester today to talk about her upcoming show at the O2 Academy tomorrow. You can listen to the interview here:
Patti is playing in Leicester on Wednesday, 23 April (more information and tickets) and at the O2 Academy Islington in London on Sunday, 27 April (tickets). These are the only two remaining dates on her 2014 tour so don’t miss out!
Brighton news website The Argus has published a great article about Patti and her current UK tour.
Former Meat Loaf collaborator Patti Russo on turning 50 and going it alone
Friday 18th April 2014
By Dominic Smith
Patti Russo’s blue-collar roar has been kept in check ahead of her first solo tour of the UK. But the Italian-American New Yorker can keep a lid on it only so long.
The former yin to Meat Loaf’s yang – a husky-voiced brunette who made 1980s teenagers dream of being the Bat Out Of Hell so they could duet with her on raunchy Paradise By The Dashboard Light – is not out for blood or blame.
She does, however, reveal it was a spat with her former boss which prompted her to take on a solo career aged 50.
A day after her tour kick-off in Southampton, Patti was back on air today doing an hour-long interview with BBC Radio Leeds. Here, she talks about growing up in New Jersey in an Italian family, an early experience on stage with her high school choir, performing dressed up as Princess Jasmin while waiting for the call from the Meat Loaf audition and working as a wedding singer at the beginning of her career. Patti also chose some of the music played on the programme, including songs by Queen, Annie Lennox and Bruce Springsteen.
Patti will be featured in the upcoming issue of UK rock music magazine Fireworks for May/June 2014.
Fireworks is available from the Rocktopia online shop or from selected stores and newsagents. They have a store locator here, if you’re looking to buy a copy.
After talking on Radio Derby on Friday, Patti today appeared on more BBC radio stations to chat about her upcoming tour and her career so far. Listen to the interviews below for more details about what we can expect for her UK gigs in April, how Patti came to work with Meat Loaf, her experience touring the world for the past two decades and starring in two major musicals, and how she became a guest vocalist for Queen and a backup singer for her childhood idol, Cher.
BBC Radio Northampton, 31 March 2014
The song Bring Me a Bible and a Beer will be available on Patti Russo’s upcoming EP. Check back for more information.
Patti appeared on BBC Radio Derby today, talking to Andy Potter about her career, working with Meat Loaf, Queen and Cher and her upcoming solo gigs in the UK. The programme also hosted Patti’s on-air debut as a solo artist, playing her own song Where Were You for the first time on the radio.
You can now listen to the interview here (online for the next seven days). Or, if you live outside the UK, you can listen below.
Part 1: Patti talks about working with Meat Loaf, Cher and Queen and the early days of her career
Part 2: Patti talks about her role in the musical Notre-Dame de Paris, her upcoming tour and why she’s happiest singing live on stage
Patti Russo is going on tour in the UK in April, playing Birmingham, Sheffield, Oxford, Brighton, Leicester and London. Check here for tour dates and tickets.
It’s great to see the fantastic news of Patti Russo’s UK tour announcement being picked up by news and music sites. Here’s a little round-up of articles we’ve come across so far.
So So Gay broke the news right after the first tour date was announced, along with a video of Patti’s most popular song to date, Bible and a Beer. Female First also covered the tour announcement, Sonic Shocks has a little article as well and Classic Rock Radio ran a longer write-up with some background on Patti’s career and extensive quotes from Patti herself.
And here’s a bit of what Patti had to say:
“I’ve done this all on my own, without representation – it’s been pretty amazing, to say the least, but I’ve never taken that giant leap to start my own solo career and for me it’s like an itch that needs to be scratched! Yeah sure, I am late joining the game, very late compared to others, but then again I’ve never followed the rules and I’m not about to start now! I am a grown woman and through living a full life I have been able to write about my experiences and now people are listening! I get letters every day telling me that my songs have opened their eyes to problems they have been afraid to face or that a song of mine has stirred something up inside them that encourages them to want to be a better person. That’s some pretty amazing feedback, isn’t it?”
