Patti Dahlstrom is a singer, songwriter, and teacher. She recorded four albums in the 1970s and co-wrote the

Helen Reddy Helen Maxine Reddy (25 October 194129 September 2020) was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a showbusiness family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on rad ...

hit "

Emotion Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is currently no scientific consensus on a definition. ...

Career

One of five children, Dahlstrom was born in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. She began writing songs before her teen years and dreamed of becoming a songwriter while reading the credits on album sleeves. In 1967, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music. After three years she signed a contract with Jobete Music, a division of

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

, and was mentored by

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record la ...

. She began a songwriting relationship with Severin Browne, the brother of

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...

. Her first album was released by

Uni Records Uni Records (short for the label's legal name Universal City Records and rendered as UNI) was a record label owned by MCA Inc. The brand, which long featured a distinctive UNi logo, was established in 1966 in music, 1966 by MCA executive Ned Tanen ...

, while the next three were released by

20th Century Records 20th Century Fox Records (also known as 20th Fox Records and 20th Century Records, or simply 20th Century Fox Film Scores and Fox Records) was a wholly owned subsidiary of film studio 20th Century Fox. The history of the label covers three dis ...

. She wrote "Sending My Good Thoughts to You" with

Artie Wayne Artie Wayne (born Wayne Kent, January 22, 1942 – February 19, 2019)

and dedicated it to her friend

Jim Croce James Joseph Croce (; January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973) was an American folk and rock singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, he released five studio albums and numerous singles. During this period, Croce took a series of odd jobs to pa ...

, who died in a plane crash in 1973. Her songs were recorded by

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...

("Ain't No Way to Rise Above"),

Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer, actress and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her ...

("Running Out of World"),

("Emotion"),

Thelma Houston Thelma Houston ( Jackson; born May 7, 1946) Retrieved . is an American singer. Beginning her recording career in the late 1960s, Houston scored a number-one hit record in 1977 with her recording of "Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Grammy ...

("What If", "I'm Letting Go" and "I Never Did"), Michael Johnson ("Dialogue"),

Captain & Tennille Captain & Tennille were American recording artists whose primary success occurred in the 1970s. The husband-and-wife team were "Captain" Daryl Dragon (1942–2019) and Toni Tennille (born 1940). They have five albums certified gold or platinum ...

("Feels Like More Than Dancing")

Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...

("Over the Line"), and Riders in the Sky ("Even Texas Isn't Big Enough Now"). Reddy's version of "Emotion" reached No. 22 on the pop music chart. The song was a translation of "Amoureuse" by

Véronique Sanson Véronique Marie Line Sanson (; born 24 April 1949) is a three-time Victoires de la Musique award-winning French singer-songwriter and record producer with an avid following in her native country. Ten years after Barbara, Véronique Sanson beca ...

. Dahlstrom stopped recording music in the 1970s, citing exhaustion as the reason. Years later in an interview,

Russ Regan Russ Regan (born Harold Rustigian; October 15, 1928 in Sanger, California – May 27, 2018 in Palm Springs, California) was an American record executive who was President of both UNI Records and 20th Century Records and was vice-president of ...

said he was surprised that her albums hadn't been more popular. During the 1980s, she continued to write songs and learn photography. Returning to Texas in 1990, she taught songwriting at

The Art Institute of Houston The Art Institute of Houston is a for-profit college in Houston, Texas. It is owned by Education Principle Foundation. Founded in 1965 as the Houston School of Commercial Art, the school joined The Art Institutes system of schools in 1978 and mov ...

and became director of the department. In 2008 she moved to London to pursue a master's degree in writing. Three years later she moved to

San José del Cabo San José del Cabo (, ''Saint Joseph of the Cape'') is a city located in southern Baja California Sur state, Mexico. It is the seat of Los Cabos Municipality lying at a shallow bay northeast of Cabo San Lucas on the Gulf of California. The city h ...

, Mexico. A compilation of her music from the 1970s was released in 2010.

Discography

* ''Patti Dahlstrom'' (Uni, 1972) * ''The Way I Am'' (20th Century, 1973) * ''Your Place or Mine'' (20th Century, 1975) * ''Livin' It Thru'' (20th Century, 1976)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dahlstrom, Patti 1947 births Living people Musicians from Houston people from San José del Cabo Singer-songwriters from Texas 21st-century American women singers American women pop singers American women singer-songwriters American women rock singers 21st-century American singers