In October 1990, Patty and Emory announced their marriage during an interview with TNN's Lorianne Crook on the TNN "Celebrities Offstage" program. Miss Lilly and I are pleased to be able to share with you a transcript of this interview. Part One of the interview is Lorianne and Patty, while Part Two is Lorianne talking to Mr. and Mrs. Gordy.
Emory Gordy Jr. was a record producer and musician who Patty met in 1985 while working on her first album. Patty's producer, Tony Brown, had brought Emory in to help produce Patty's album. Tony and Emory had known each other from Emory's days as the bassist of Emmylou Harris' "The Hot Band." Over the next several years the working relationship between Patty and Emory grew and blossomed into a romance and in 1989, Patty became Mrs. Emory Gordy, although the couple hid this from the public for over a year.
Patty and Emory announcing their
marriage on TNN, 1990
Part One:
Patty: The secret of course, is that I've been married to a wonderful man. It's not that I've been wanting to keep him a secret. It's just that there's been so many things involved here. Of course, I have been through a divorce, and my ex... of course I care very much for him still as a person, he was always a great person... but I just didn't want it to get into magazines or any kind of interviews where it would seem like it was thrown into his face or making it look that way because I'm happy.. I'm very very happy and I hope someday that he will be very very happy himself. But Emory Gordy, Jr. is my husband now, and I'm very very proud of it. I know a lot of people are going to say 'My God, why didn't she say something about it?' Emory is a very, very private person. I don't think he really wanted to know yet. And the other thing was that I wanted my music to stand on it's own. I didn't want people saying 'oh she's.. she's married to a producer and that's why the music is happening', and that's just not the case.
Lorianne: So would you say that the main reason you kept it a secret was because you didn't want to hurt your ex-husband?
Patty: I didn't want to, and also I'm stll very close to his family. There was a lot of hurt that came with that, the divorce. I didn't want someone picking up, especially him, picking up a magazine and saying 'Oh my God, she's married'! I think that would have been a lot of hurt.
Lorianne: This sounds harsh, but most people probably wouldn't care what their ex thought. They would want to go on and move on with their life. Why do you care?
Patty: I was married to him for ten years. You just can't put a person in the past like that, and put any kind of caring behind you like that for him. Just because we outgrew each other, and the marriage didn't work, that doesn't make him a terrible person, I don't think it makes me a terrible person. It just didn't work out between us. And I care, that's the bottom line.
Lorianne: What was it like after your divorce? Were you thinking that you'd never get married again?
Patty: I thought it would be a long time. It was a hard thing to deal with myself, because I was really the one who made the decision to divorce. We tried so hard to go back. I think he tried very hard, but I just couldn't turn back. I just knew that I couldn't go back to him and still live the live we were going to try for again. I just couldn't make it work for myself. So when I came back to Nashville and started to get into the business again, it was giving me something back again. It was almost like the girl that I left behind in Nashville, back in 1976, I was finding her all over again. And I was glad that I was.
Lorianne: What do you think you lost of yourself that you had to find?
Patty: I got married too young. I'm just one of those people that got married too young. Got married at nineteen, and I just felt like I left something undone when I left Nashville. That there was a dream there, that I didn't get to finish that dream, and I had to come back to it. I think that's the only real way I can explain it.
Lorianne: Boy, it seems like the dream that you reached is even bigger than you imagined...
Patty: I'm just very very thankful. I'm thankful to God because I'm a firm believer that prayers do work. And I prayed for this for a long time. And I prayed for Emory for a long time. He's just so understanding, you just wouldn't believe it. Personally, he gave me a lot of confidence within myself, and it made me grow stronger and it's made me grow more into a woman.
Lorianne: What kind of an impact do you think this announcement might have on you professionally or even personally?
Patty: What kind of impact? Well... I hope the guys don't quit flirting with me 'cuz I enjoy it! (laughing) I take it as a compliment! You know, I'm a flirt and Emory knows it. And I think any woman really likes that attention. I think if a man's coming on to me too strong, I think I know when to turn it off and say 'OK, draw the line here'.
Lorianne: Do you feel relieved that it's coming out?
Patty: I am. I'm very relieved. I feel like I've started a new life. And with a new husband I'm just real happy that people are knowing now because I just can't wait to show him off! (laughing)
Lorianne: So can you tell me when, where, how you got married?
Emory: I'll let her tell that....
Patty: (laughing)..Ahh.. yeah you leave it up to me.. I bet you don't remember?.. (laughing) .. No we got married in Gatlinburg (Tennessee) .. and also we kind of wound up spending four or five days together in a little chalet. Got married in one of the little chapels up there.. just made it real simple.
Emory: We snuck off and got married...
Lorianne: Weren't the moms upset though? Moms like to be there for these things!
Patty: I think mother understands me.. The fact that I'm on stage all the time. It's kinda like this isn't something that I really wanted to have on stage... and feel like I was entertaining with our wedding.
Lorianne: Patty says that when she first met you, you were not that particularly interested in ever getting married again in your life.
Emory: No, not at all
Lorianne: Why not ?
Emory: Well I'd gone though a pretty painful divorce. The marriage had lasted twelve.. thirteen years...took another five years to get un-married... and a rather sticky divorce settlement... and I just thought ... well the easiest way to go through life would be unencumbered and have my freedom. But then I would sit out here on the porch ... look down towards the lake ... look at the sunset .. and well you know.. this would be great to have somebody to share it with... and she came along. Perfect timing.
Lorianne: Why was Patty the person?
Emory: I don't have any idea. When I first met her.. and I'm sure she's already told you this.. I had no interst for her at all. It took what.. a year and a half?
Patty: Oh it did... it took some time before there was any interest there. I mean the working relationship came first... and the friendship second.
Emory: Then all of a sudden I woke up one morning and I said "I'm in love with this lady"..
Lorianne: This secret had to have bothered you. I remember times when Patty was seen with Dwight Yoakum, or seen with Clint Black... and even the folks in our office would speculate. They'd say .. "Boy you know Clint and Patty are really cute together... I wonder if they're dating?"
Patty: (laughing)
Lorianne: Did you ever feel like saying "No, wait a minute, that's MY wife! She's Mine!" ?
Emory: No, I feel very secure in the relationship. I know that Patty loves me. And I know that those problems are going to exist with people saying things. If I lose her it's my own fault, nobody elses.
Lorianne: How did you handle the fact that one of the reasons Patty wanted to keep the marriage a secret is because she didn't want to hurt her ex-husband?
Emory: Well that's in essence, her business. I understood that and it was no problem for me at all. I'd gone through a divorce myself and realized that. Patty said to me many times before that you don't stop caring for somebody. Patty had no revenge motive to hurt her ex-husband and wanted to let the situation die as easy as possible. So it was easy for me to go along with what she wanted.
Lorianne: It seems that you do not have a jealous bone in your body... and that's unusual.
Emory: (laughing) Wait till I get ahold of Clint Black!
Patty: (laughing) Clint he didn't mean it! He just wants to meet him..
Emory: (laughing) He's a very fine young man..
Lorianne: Now that you will be known as Patty's husband...
Emory: ... Mr. Loveless (laughing) ...
Lorianne: ... Mr. Loveless .. yes.. how do you think your life will change? It probably will change?
Emory: I doubt it seriously. We'll be able to be seen in public though! Maybe steal a kiss or something (smiling)
Lorianne: Now that will be nice .. you won't have to worry about who is watching if you hold hands...
Patty: I used to be the world's worst. I used to pick at him and say.. "We can't do it.. watch it! watch it!" (laughing) Now you can't stop me!
Lorianne: What kind of support is Emory for you?
Patty: Oh, I'm just telling you he's everything. He's a friend when I really need a friend to talk to.... and he's so many men wrapped up in one.
Emory: (laughing) this is embarassing!
Patty: He is! .. he's real romantic..(laughing).. He can be believe me right now it's hard to believe. (laughing). He's a comedian, he's so many things and he's very supportive. There's never a boring minute
Emory: No there's not!
Patty: Never!
| Emory Gordy, Jr. and Patty Lovelesss were married in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in February, 1989. |
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