Patsy Cline (1932-1963) had a signature rich, alto voice that rocked jukeboxes across the U.S. with dramatic ballads, leading her to be the first solo woman ever to be nominated to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
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Long before Taylor Swift transitioned between genres, our musician of the day today proved it possible to dominate the country charts and successfully cross over to pop. Her signature rich, alto croon rocked jukeboxes across the U.S. with dramatic ballads, leading her to be the first solo woman ever to be nominated to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Let’s talk about Patsy Cline.
Virginia Patterson Hensley was born in Winchester, Virginia on September 8, 1932. Virginia, or Ginny as she was called growing up, had a tough life. She was born during the Great Depression and her family had moved nearly 20 times by the time Ginny turned 15. Ginny later said that as a child she was sexually abused by her father. When Ginny was 15, her father left and Ginny was forced to drop out of school to get a job and support the family.
From a young age, it was clear that Ginny was musically inclined, something that she inherited from her father, a talented singer. When her family finally stuck around in one place, landing back in Winchester, Ginny determinedly put herself on the path to becoming a professional singer. She sang wherever she could -- performing in nightclubs, on local radio, in musicals, and in talent shows.
She joined up with various local bands as a vocalist, sometimes playing the guitar, before finding a longer term crew with a band led by Bill Preer around the time she turned 20. By this time, Ginny was Ginny no more. She had decided instead to go by a shortened version of her middle name, Patsy.
Her name was further affected by another personal change: On March 7, 1953, Patsy got married to a man named Gerald Cline. The marriage lasted 4 years.
In September of 1954, Patsy landed a record deal with 4 Star Records, but it turned out to be an alliance that she said held her back for its duration. Still, Patsy’s career really leveled up thanks to the advent and popularity of musical entertainment on a relatively new medium: television. That fall, she was featured on Connie B. Gay’s Town & Country regional TV show as a soloist.
Despite the fact that her first few singles failed to garner much success, Patsy’s appeal on television attracted attention, particularly when she hit the national stage. Patsy appeared on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, a national broadcast, on January 21, 1957, singing a song called “Walkin’ After Midnight.” She won the competition and subsequently appeared on Arthur Godfrey’s morning show singing her song every day for two weeks. The song reached the number 2 spot on the country charts and the number 12 spot on the pop charts.
In September of that same year, Patsy remarried, this time to a man named Charlie Dick. The union was rocky. Having released no more hit songs that year, Patsy retreated somewhat into private life. The following year, in 1958, Patsy gave birth to a daughter named Julie. The young family moved to Nashville, where Patsy signed with a different manager, Randy Hughes.
Unfortunately Patsy was still bound by her agreement with 4 Star Records, and was experiencing a real career low. Hughes booked her in one-off concerts across the country to try and turn things around.
Then in 1960, Patsy was made a member of the Grand Ole Opry and she signed with another label, Decca Records.
Patsy had long worked with producer Owen Bradley and with his help in 1961, she honed in on a vocal sound that would define a new era for Nashville with her recording of the song “I Fall to Pieces.” The song hit number 1 on the country charts and number 12 on the pop charts months after its release. That same year, Patsy gave birth to a son named Randy and survived a serious car crash.
Still, Patsy kept her career momentum going with the songs “Crazy,” written by a young Willie Nelson, and “She’s Got You.” She appeared on American Bandstand and performed at major venues across the country including the Hollywood Bowl.
In 1962, Patsy joined The Johnny Cash Show as its star female singer, performing alongside Cash himself, June Carter, Don Gibson, George Jones, and others.
On March 3, 1963, Patsy appeared in her final performance at a benefit in Kansas City. She died in a plane crash on her way home along with the pilot of the plane and two fellow Grand Ole Opry stars, Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins.
Patsy’s life was cut tragically short, but her legacy lives on. Two of her singles, “Leavin’ on Your Mind,” and “Sweet Dreams (of You)” were top ten hits after her death and her music continues to sell to this day. In 1973, Patsy became the first woman soloist in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The 1985 movie Sweet Dreams starring Jessica Lange looked back on Patsy’s life. Patsy was also remembered in a 1990s play, Always...Patsy Cline.
Her distinctive voice and style left a lasting mark on Country Music and American Popular Music broadly.
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Talk to you tomorrow!