Patrice Moncell Gathright performs with The House Rockers at a Meridian nightspot.

The voice that touched many lives

    In her lifetime, Meridian native Patrice Moncell Gathright touched many lives with her magnificent voice.

    Through song, Gathright stirred souls from the church choir stand, led and accompanied school choral groups and theatrical productions, and rocked blues and jazz clubs and festivals. She even performed at Carnegie Hall and The Vatican.

    At 7:21 a.m. on July 13, Gathright, 52, passed in Marrietta, Ga., where, according to her family, she had been hospitalized at Kennestone Hospital.

    “Patrice battled with many illnesses; she was a true soldier to the last breath,” said Gathright’s younger sister, Joyce C. O’Neal, who was at her bedside at the time of her passing.

     “God has a unique way of doing things. My sister’s phone call saying ‘Sistah, come get me’ was a call that warranted ‘move, take action,'” O’Neal said. “I had no clue that I would be spending our last days here on earth with my sister, my first friend.”

    Gathright’s passing has left a void – not only in the hearts of family and friends, but also musicians and fans, who knew her affectionately as Patrice Moncell.

    “Mississippi and the blues culture has lost another gem,” said Alex Thomas, producer of the Jackson Rhythm & Blues Festival. Gathright, a performer at the first festival, was on the schedule for this year’s third annual event in mid-August, during what would have been her 53rd birthday.

    “In my 10 years of working on The Mississippi Blues Trail as well as working in other areas of music, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with a lot of people. Some artists, like Patrice, just stick with you,” Thomas said. “And when I hear about their passing, it’s just like losing a family member. I hated to hear that news; I’m really going to miss her.”

Born to sing

    O’Neal said for as long as she can remember, Patrice has sung.

    “In fact, I would be so annoyed because she would sing so loud,” O’Neal said. “Often times while I was washing dishes, she would come in, go on the back porch and let it rip!”

    Gathright sang throughout her formative years at churches, with school choirs and at various venues.

    “I can recall from my seventh-grade year in high school my sister took off, singing practically most weekends,” O’Neal said. “My sister started very young experiencing that Southern Belle limelight.”

    After graduating from Meridian High School in 1980, Gathright enrolled at Meridian Community College, where she studied under Dr. Bob Hermetz, now a retired choral and vocal director.

    “Patrice came to me right out of high school and did extremely well as a voice student and music major,” Hermetz said. “She was an outstanding vocalist; very talented and dynamic. And she really had a great vocal range.”

    While at MCC, Gathright was a member of the MCC Chorus – with which she marked her debut at Carnegie Hall – as well as the college’s show choir, The Variations. Gathright also performed in several MCC theatrical productions, including “Leader of the Pack.”

    From MCC, Gathright went on to study at Jackson State University, where she was classically trained in opera. According to O’Neal, Gathright sang with the New England Vocal Ensemble on “The Mozart Requiem” and performed with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra on “Beethoven’s Mass in C Major.” Gifted at singing in various languages – including Latin, French, Italian and German arias – Gathright was invited to sing spirituals at the Vatican in 1999.

    “Patrice was one-of-a-kind,” Hermetz said. “She made quite an impression on everyone who heard her sing.”

    And most often their impression was “astounded” – something Dudley Tardo of The House Rockers witnessed firsthand on numerous occasions. Gathright and Tardo first met more than 20 years ago when his band was performing at The Subway Lounge, a popular after-hours blues spot in Jackson.

    “We would be playing and Patrice would come and sit in and do sets with us,” Tardo said. “I’ve never worked with a singer who was at her level; she was a force of nature. Audiences were astonished by her. Professionals were like, ‘My God! Where in the world did that voice come from?’ When she performed, you would see people grinning from ear to ear; she made a lot of people happy.”

    Thomas described Gathright’s voice as incomparable.

    “You know how people will say, ‘He sounds like this singer. Or, she sounds like that person’? Patrice was in a category by herself,” he said. “I always admired that about her, because she was unlike anyone else I’d ever heard or seen in music. Her voice and the way she was able to command the stage, she had a presence that kept you engaged. I’m going to miss that because we don’t have a lot of powerful female vocalists today who carry that persona of stage presence – or even have the voice to go with it.”

Queen of the Blues

    Although Gathright’s legendary voice earned her diva status – over the years she’d acquired the monikers “Mississippi’s Queen of the Blues” and “Blues Diva” – Tardo said she always remained true to herself.

    “Patrice had health issues for quite some time, but it never affected her personality or her work ethic,” he said. “She was always the professional. Even when she wasn’t feeling well, she gave her all in her performances. And on stage, she not only was the front person, but she also conducted the band. When she came on the stage with The House Rockers, the band rose to another level.”

    While Gathright’s music repertoire was varied, she is mostly noted for blues, soul and gospel. She performed with the poplar Jackson show band The Bluz Boys, was a mainstay at Soops (a popular Jackson nightclub) and performed with several other blues groups around the state. Gathright was a regular at blues festivals and music events throughout Mississippi and nationally, and she also toured internationally, performing in Spain, Switzerland, Germany and Italy.

    “Patrice made quite an impact on everybody – on this part of the world and internationally,” Hermetz said. “She was very bright and had a lot of charisma; everybody knows Patrice.”

    Thomas recalled times Gathright performed at the Chicago Blues Festival, another venue where she was scheduled to appear this year.

    “When Patrice performed at the festival, she put on a great show and left people wanting to either come to Mississippi to see her again, or wondering when she would be able to come back,” he said.

     During her music career, Gathright made several blues and soul recordings – including “Woman Enough” in 2012 – as well as provided background vocals for other artists, including Grammy-winning jazz musician Cassandra Wilson of Jackson. Gathright also had roles in “Last of the Jukes Boys” with Morgan Freeman and the short film about blues artist Robert Johnson, “Stop Breakin’ Down.”

    In addition to her powerhouse vocals and commanding stage presence, family and friends fondly remember Gathright as caring, smart and fun-loving

    “One of my greatest memories – and probably the most annoying to my sister – was bedtime,” O’Neal said. “We had separate rooms. I was afraid to sleep in her room; her room was what we called the ‘back room.’ I always wanted to sleep with her. I would nag Patrice until she came in my room!”

    Next to her voice, Tardo said Gathright’s personality and outlook on life were her greatest attributes.

    “Patrice was super intelligent and very quick-witted,” he said. “And she was always very optimistic and encouraging, which was admirable with her illnesses. Patrice also really enjoyed working with young people; she worked with the youth choir at her church, which she loved.”

    In 2014, Gathright was among several Meridian musicians recognized on Marker #178 on the Mississippi Blues Trail for their contributions to the city’s deep rhythm & blues and soul legacy. In addition to Gathright, the honorees included Jimmy and David (The Temptations) Ruffin, Al Wilson, Pat Brown and Eddie Houston. The marker is set on the front lawn of city hall.

    Although many have said Gathright did not receive the accolades or career success she truly deserved, Thomas said he believes her legacy will continue through others.

     “If Patrice had the opportunity to touch a few aspiring artists’ lives, they definitely have something to carry along with them,” he said. “She was very impactive in how she performed and shared her music.”

    Tardo added Mississippi’s loss has been heaven’s gain.

    “We will definitely miss her; Meridian and the state of Mississippi has lost one of its greatest daughters and goodwill ambassadors,” he said. “Boy! Heaven’s just gotten a really good new member!”

    In addition to her sister, Joyce C. O’Neal, Gathright is survived by her sons, Santiaugo and Ben, three grandchildren and her father, Tommy Lee Gathright. She was preceded in death by her mother, Constance Gathright.