Patsy Cline is without a doubt one of the most successful and respected female vocalists of the 20th century. Evidence of that is in her groundbreaking awards such as in 1973 becoming the first female solo artist to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Also in 2002, artists and members of country music voted her as Number One on CMT's The 40 Greatest Women of Country Music. She was also ranked 46th in the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" by Rolling Stone magazine.
Patsy Cline was born on September 8, 1932 in Gore Virginia. Sadly at 30 years of age and at the height of her career she was killed in a plane crash in 1963.
Her first marriage was to a contractor named Gerald Cline in 1953 but it only lasted four years.
Her first performance on radio was in the Jimmy McCoy show. Her increasing appearances on local radio stations and events resulted in her attracting a large following.
In her early 20s Bill Peer, her manager at that time, got her signed to Four Star Records. By coincidence while at Four Star she met legendary producer Owen Bradley who worked for Decca Records. In 1960 Patsy signed on with Decca directly under the supervision of Owen. He had a reputation for working with and developing the careers of female country singers such as Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn and many more.
Owen felt that Patsy had a lot of potential and with the proper guidance would achieve higher successes. He felt that her voice would lend itself better to singing pop music although she did not seem that interested in it at the time.
In the mid 50s several important events happened to move her career along. In January of 1956 she made her network television debut on the Grand Ole Opry show. In the late fall of that year she auditioned for a television show broadcast in New York and she appeared on the show Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts.
The producers of the show insisted that she sing a song that she had recorded titled "Walkin' After Midnight". Originally she was not keen on the song but Godfrey's staff eventually won out. They also insisted that she not wear the cowgirl outfits that she had traditionally worn and instead wear cocktail style dresses.
Viewers of Godfrey's show were so enthralled with Patsy that radio stations got many requests to play her records.
As fate would have it "Walkin' After Midnight" reached #2 on the Country chart and #12 on the pop chart making Patsy one of the first country singers to have a crossover pop hit. The mid 50s were also memorable in that she met Charley Dick her husband. In 1958 they had a daughter named Julie and the marriage lasted for the rest of her life.
The early 60s were memorable for more hits such as her first one for Decca Records, "I Fall To Pieces". She then recorded the song "Crazy" written by Willie Nelson. She also had hits with "She's Got You" and "Sweet Dreams."
And in 1961 she gave birth to a son named Randy.
Patsy's voice was one of the best commercial voices to ever hit the recording studios. Even though she couldn't read music and was basically self-taught she sang with perfect pitch. When she recorded a song she pretty much 'owned' it. This referred to the fact that when someone heard it, because it was so unique with her tone and phrasing that it would always be associated with her no matter how many other people recorded it.
Patsy was highly respected for her singing voice but even more so as a kind-hearted, good person who would help anyone in need. Honky Tonk pianist Del Wood said she would give anyone the skirt of her backside if they needed it. Loretta Lynn and Dottie West said that Cline always gave of herself to friends such as buying groceries and furniture for them when they were having difficulty making ends meet and even taking them on the road with her as wardrobe assistants. On occasion she would even pay a singer's rent for a time, enabling them to stay in Nashville and continue to pursue their dreams.
Another story of her goodness is when she was involved in a horrific car crash accident where she was thrown into the windshield nearly killing her. Upon arriving at the scene Dottie West picked pieces of glass from Patsy's hair and went with her in the ambulance. When the ambulance arrived at the hospital Patsy insisted that the driver of the other vehicle be treated first.
And so, not only was she a singers' singer but a kind woman who did so much for others.
She truly deserves legendary status for her singing the Patsy Cline sound that was so evident in her recordings.
I'm Paul Romaine and the host of http://singersandmusicianstalentsearchradio.com/. Our philosophy is to have a venue where singers and musicians can showcase their work. Rather than just having one winner from all of the applicants, there will be many applicants that get to have their work submitted and recognized permanently on our site.
Also feel free to visit me at my other Music site http://paulromaine.com/ where romantic music and ballads along with soft spoken romance is shown. There are podcasts and commentaries that are shown here and in iTunes.
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