Mary Beth Patterson, (born February 19, 1981), known by her stage name Beth Ditto, is an American singer-songwriter, most notable for her work with the indie rock band Gossip (previously known as The Gossip) and whose voice has been compared to Etta James, Janis Joplin and Tina Turner. She is often reported describing herself as a “fat, feminist lesbian from Arkansas.”
Beth Ditto‘s solo debut, Fake Sugar, gets this review from allmusic dot com: “she doesn’t try to re-create the magic of her former band Gossip; instead, she takes its defiance in directions that underscore her independence as an artist. Working with producer Jennifer Decilveo, Ditto embraces the Southern roots she ran away from when she moved to Olympia, Washington to form Gossip, as well as the punk, disco, and pop the band members embraced before they called it a day.”
Ditto grew up in a poor family in Arkansas in the southern United States, with her mother, various stepfathers, six siblings (two older brothers, an older sister, two younger brothers and a younger sister). She was raised Southern Baptist and Pentecostal. At age 13, she moved out of her mother’s house and went to live with her aunt. She moved to Olympia, Washington in 1999; then to Portland, Oregon in 2003, where she has been living.
She fronted the band Gossip since their formation in 1999 until its dissolution in 2016. Ditto is openly lesbian and is well known for her outspoken support of both lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT), and feminist causes. She has been an advocate for large women being body-positive and has been regularly photographed as an editorial model.
Ditto launched her first plus-size collection for women’s clothing retailer Evans on 9 July 2009, in collaboration with head of design Lisa Marie Peacock. Ditto provided sketches and drew inspiration from her favorite vintage and charity shop clothes as well as bands like Blondie, The Slits and Grace Jones, and Art Deco movements.
In July 2013, Ditto married her girlfriend and best friend since she was 18, Kristin Ogata, in Maui, Hawaii. Both were outfitted entirely in white for the occasion.
In December 2014, seventeen months after the two first walked down the aisle in a wedding, the couple legally married in their home state of Oregon having to wait until same-sex marriage became legal there to make their marriage official.
“Fire” is the Fake Sugar album track being played on K-ZAP 93.3 FM and stream. Get our app! it’s totally free! K-ZAP.org/apps/
Artist Web Site
Discography
Fake Sugar (2017)
Videos