Sandi Patty

Known as "The Voice," Sandi Patti is one of the biggest stars in CCM, earning three platinum albums, five gold albums, 33 Dove Awards, and five Grammys. Her debut album sold 11 million copies. Famed for her versatility, Patti draws from pop to ballads to modernized gospel standards. As a singer, she is noted for her powerful, flexible voice and her ability to effortlessly climb to a high C. For her debut self-produced album For My Friends, a printer's mistake changed her last name from Patty to Patti, and the name stuck. In 1979, she signed to an independent label and that year released Sandi's Song. She then began a series of musical ministry tours and realized she had found her calling. She won her first two Dove Awards in 1982 for Lift up the Lord, and it was straight up from there. At the height of her career, Patti was an inspiration and role model of a good Christian wife for millions. But by June 1992, a few cracks had begun to appear. That year she filed for divorce without stating any clear reason why. By 1995, she admitted to having had two affairs while married to husband John Helvering, one briefly at the beginning of her marriage, and a more serious one later on. Her problems generated much controversy in the CCM business, and many radio stations pulled her material. Word Records temporarily postponed the release of her 1995 Christmas album, and many fans were left shocked and disillusioned.