Patsy Cline - WikiHQ

Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley; September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963) was an American singer. One of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century, she was known as one of the first country music artists to successfully cross over into pop music. Cline had several major hits during her eight-year recording career, including two number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country and Western Sides chart.

Born in Winchester, Virginia, Cline's first professional performances began in 1948 at local radio station WINC when she was 15. In the early 1950s, Cline began appearing in a local band led by performer Bill Peer. Various local appearances led to featured performances on Connie B. Gay's Town and Country television broadcasts. She signed her first recording contract with the 4 Star label in 1954, and had minor success with her earliest 4 Star singles, including "A Church, a Courtroom, Then Goodbye" (1955) and "I've Loved and Lost Again" (1956). In 1957, Cline made her first national television appearance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. After performing "Walkin' After Midnight", the single became her first major hit on both the country and pop charts.

Cline's further singles with 4 Star Records were unsuccessful, although she continued performing and recording. In 1958, she relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, to further her career. Working with new manager Randy Hughes, Cline became a member of the Grand Ole Opry and then moved to Decca Records in 1960. Under the direction of producer Owen Bradley, her musical sound shifted, and she achieved consistent success. The 1961 single "I Fall to Pieces" became her first to top the Billboard country chart. Cline was severely injured in an automobile accident, which caused her to spend a month in the hospital. After she recovered, her next single, "Crazy", also became a major hit.

During her final years, Cline had hits with "She's Got You", "When I Get Through with You", "So Wrong", and "Leavin' on Your Mind". She also toured and headlined shows with more frequency. On March 5, 1963, she was killed in the 1963 Camden PA-24 crash along with country musicians Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins, and manager Randy Hughes, during a flight from Kansas City, Kansas, back to Nashville.

Since her death, Cline has been cited as one of the most celebrated, respected, and influential performers of the 20th century. Her music has influenced performers of various styles and genres. She has also been seen as a forerunner for women in country music, being among the first to sell records and headline concerts. In 1973, she became the first female performer to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In the 1980s, Cline's posthumous successes continued in the mass media. She was portrayed twice in major motion pictures, including the 1985 biopic Sweet Dreams starring Jessica Lange. Several documentaries and stage shows about her have been made, including the 1988 musical Always...Patsy Cline. A 1991 box set of her recordings received critical acclaim. Her greatest-hits album sold over 10 million copies in 2005. In 2011, Cline's childhood home in Winchester was restored as a museum for visitors and fans to tour.

Early life

thumb|right|[[Patsy Cline House|Cline's house on South Kent Street in Winchester, Virginia where she lived from age 16 to 21.]]

Virginia Patterson Hensley was born in Winchester, Virginia, on September 8, 1932, to Hilda Virginia (née Patterson) and Samuel Lawrence Hensley. Her mother was only 16 years old at the time of Cline's birth. Sam Hensley had been married before; Cline had two half siblings (aged 12 and 15), who lived with a foster family because of their mother's death years before. After Cline, Hilda Hensley gave birth to Samuel Jr. (called John) and Sylvia Mae. Besides being called "Virginia" in her childhood, Cline was referred to as "Ginny".

She temporarily lived with her mother's family in Gore, Virginia, before relocating many times throughout the state. In her childhood, the family relocated where Samuel Hensley, a blacksmith, could find employment, including Elkton, Staunton, and Norfolk. When the family had little money, she would find work, including at an Elkton poultry factory, where her job was to pluck and cut chickens. The family moved often before finally settling in Winchester, Virginia, on South Kent Street. Cline would later report that her father sexually abused her. When confiding the abuse to friend Loretta Lynn, Cline told her, "take this to your grave." Hilda Hensley would later report details of the abuse to producers of Cline's 1985 biopic Sweet Dreams.

At age 13, Cline was hospitalized with a throat infection and rheumatic fever. Speaking of the incident in 1957, she said, "I developed a terrible throat infection and my heart even stopped beating. The doctor put me in an oxygen tent. You might say it was my return to the living after several days that launched me as a singer. The fever affected my throat and when I recovered, I had this booming voice like Kate Smith's." During this time, she developed an interest in singing. She started performing with her mother in the local Baptist choir. Mother and daughter also performed duets at church social events. She also taught herself how to play the piano.

With the new performing opportunities, Cline's interest in singing grew, and at the age of 14, she told her mother that she was going to audition for the local radio station. Her first radio performances were at WINC in the Winchester area. According to WINC's radio disc jockey Joltin' Jim McCoy, Cline appeared in the station's waiting room one day and asked to audition. McCoy was impressed by her audition performance, reportedly saying, "Well, if you've got nerve enough to stand before that mic[rophone] and sing over the air live, I've got nerve enough to let you." While performing on the radio, Cline also started appearing in talent contests and created a nightclub cabaret act similar to performer Helen Morgan's. The original contract gave the vast majority of the revenue from her recordings to 4 Star, with Cline receiving less than three percent in royalties.

thumb|left|Publicity photograph, March 1957

Between 1955 and 1956, Cline's four singles for 4 Star failed to become hits, but she continued performing regionally, including on the Town and Country Jamboree.

Cline and Hensley flew into New York City's LaGuardia Airport on January 18, 1957. She made her debut appearance on the program on January 21. The day of the show, she met with the show's producer, Janette Davis. Cline had chosen "A Poor Man's Roses (Or a Rich Man's Gold)" to perform on the program, but Davis preferred another song she had recorded, "Walkin' After Midnight". Cline initially refused to perform it, but ultimately agreed to it. Davis also suggested Cline wear a cocktail dress instead of the cowgirl outfit created by her mother. The success of "Walkin' After Midnight" brought Cline numerous appearances on shows and major networks. She continued working for Arthur Godfrey over the next several months. She also appeared on the Grand Ole Opry in February and the television program Western Ranch Party in March. The money she had earned from her numerous engagements totaled $10,000. Cline gave all the money to her mother, which she used to the pay the mortgage on her Winchester house. Cline was dissatisfied with the limited success following "Walkin' After Midnight". Bradley recounted how she often came to him, saying, "Hoss, can't you do something? I feel like a prisoner." Around the same time, Cline was fired from her regular slot on Town and Country Jamboree. According to Connie B. Gay, she ran late for shows and "showed up with liquor on her breath." In September 1957, Cline married Charlie Dick, and he was soon sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on a military assignment. Cline also gave birth to her first daughter Julie. In hopes of restarting her career, Cline and her family moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Also in January 1960, Cline made her final recording sessions set forth in her contract with 4 Star Records. Later that year, her final singles with the label were released: "Lovesick Blues" and "Crazy Dreams". Leaving 4 Star, Cline officially signed with Decca Records in late 1960, working exclusively under Bradley's direction. Insisting on receiving an advance, she received $1,000 from Bradley once she began at the label. After much arguing between both Cline and Bradley, they negotiated that she would record "I Fall to Pieces" (a song Bradley favored) and "Lovin' in Vain" (a song she favored). Released as a single in January 1961, "I Fall to Pieces" attracted little attention upon its initial issue. In April, the song debuted on the Hot Country and Western Sides chart. By August 7, the song became her first to top the country chart. Additionally, "I Fall to Pieces" crossed over onto the Billboard pop chart, peaking at number 12.

thumb|left|Cline promotional photograph shortly before her 1961 car accident

On June 14, 1961, Cline and her brother Sam Hensley Jr. were involved in an automobile accident. Cline had brought her mother, sister, and brother to see her new Nashville home the day before. On the day of the accident, Cline and her brother went shopping to buy material for her mother to make clothing. Upon driving home, their car was struck head-on by another vehicle. The impact threw her directly into the car windshield, causing extensive facial and other injuries. Among them, Cline suffered a broken wrist, dislocated hip, and a large cut across her forehead, barely missing her eyes. Friend Dottie West heard about the accident on the radio and rushed to the scene, helping to remove pieces of broken glass from Cline's hair. When Dick encouraged her to record "Crazy", Cline replied, "I don't care what you say. I don't like it and I ain't gonna record it. And that's that." Bradley liked the song and set the date for its recording for August 17. When Cline got to Bradley's studio, he convinced her to record it. She listened to Nelson's version of "Crazy" and decided she was going to perform it differently. Nelson's version included a spoken section that Cline removed. Her second studio album, Patsy Cline Showcase, was released in late 1961. The album featured both major hits from that year and re-recorded versions of "Walkin' After Midnight" and "A Poor Man's Roses (Or a Rich Man's Gold)".

"Crazy" has since been called a country-music standard. Cline's vocal performance and the song's production have received high praise over time. Cub Koda of AllMusic noted the "ache" in her voice that makes the song stand out: "Cline's reading of the lyric is filled with an aching world weariness that transforms the tune into one of the first big crossover hits without even trying hard." Country music historian Paul Kingsbury also highlighted her "ache," saying in 2007, "Cline's hit recording swings with such velvety finesse, and her voice throbs and aches so exquisitely, that the entire production sounds absolutely effortless."

"Crazy" and Cline's further Decca recordings have received critical praise. Mary Bufwack and Robert Oermann noted, "Her thrilling voice invariably invested these with new depth. Patsy's dramatic volume control, stretched-note effects, sobs, pauses, and unique ways of holding back, then bursting into full-throated phrases also breathed new life into country chestnuts like "San Antonio Rose", "Blue Moon of Kentucky", and "Half as Much". Richie Unterberger of AllMusic commented that her voice "sounded richer, more confident, and more mature, with ageless wise and vulnerable qualities that have enabled her records to maintain their appeal with subsequent generations." was "She's Got You". Written by Hank Cochran, he pitched the song to Cline over the phone. Insisting that Patsy hear it in person, Cochran brought the recording over to her house, along with a bottle of alcohol. Upon listening to it again, she liked the song and wanted to record it. Owen Bradley also liked the song, and she recorded it on December 17, 1961. "She's Got You" became her third country-pop crossover hit by early 1962. "She's Got You" would also be her second number-one hit on the Billboard country chart.

In 1962, Cline had three major hits with "When I Get Through with You, "So Wrong", and "Imagine That". Cline's career successes helped her become financially stable enough to purchase her first home. She bought a ranch house located in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. The home was decorated by Cline and included a music room, several bedrooms, and a large backyard. According to Dottie West, "the house was her mansion, the sign she'd arrived." Cline called it her "dream home" and often had friends over to visit. After her death, the house was sold to country artist Wilma Burgess.

In the summer of 1962, manager Randy Hughes got her a role in a country music vehicle film. It also starred Dottie West, Webb Pierce, and Sonny James. After arriving to film in DeLand, Florida, the producer "ran off with the money," according to West. The movie was never made. In August, her third studio album, Sentimentally Yours, was released. It featured "She's Got You", as well as several country and pop standards. According to biographer Ellis Nassour, her royalties "were coming in slim" and she needed "financial security." Therefore, Randy Hughes arranged Cline to work at the Merri-Mint Theatre in Las Vegas, Nevada for 35 days. Cline would later dislike the experience. During the engagement, she developed a dry throat. She also was homesick and wanted to spend time with her children. By appearing at the engagement, Cline became the first female country artist to headline her own show in Las Vegas. In letters, she would also describe the happiness of her new career successes. In January 1963, her next single, "Leavin' on Your Mind", was released and debuted on the Billboard country chart soon after. In February, she recorded her final sessions for Decca Records. Among the songs recorded were "Sweet Dreams", "He Called Me Baby", and "Faded Love". Cline arranged for friends Jan Howard and Dottie West to come and hear the session playbacks. According to Howard, "I was in awe of Patsy. You know, afterward you're supposed to say something nice. I couldn't talk. I was dumbfounded."

Personal life

Friendships

Cline had close friendships with several country artists and performers. Her friendship with Loretta Lynn has been the subject of numerous books, songs, films, and other projects.

Dottie West was another female country artist with whom Cline became friends. They first met backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. West wrote Cline a fan letter after hearing her first hit, "Walkin' After Midnight". According to West, Cline "showed a genuine interest in her career" and they became close friends. The pair often spent time at their homes and worked on packaged tour dates together. West also stated Cline was a supportive friend who helped out in times of need.

Jan Howard was a third female artist with whom Cline had a close friendship. The pair first met when Cline tried starting an argument with Howard backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. She said to Howard, "You're a conceited little son of a bitch! You just go out there, do your spot, and leave without saying hello to anyone." Howard was upset and replied angrily back. Cline then laughed and said, "Slow down! Hoss, you're all right. Anybody that'll stand there and talk back to the Cline like that is all right...I can tell we're gonna be good friends!" The pair remained close for the remainder of Cline's life. Other friendships Cline had with female artists included Brenda Lee, Barbara Mandrell and pianist Del Wood. She also became friends with male country artists, including Roger Miller, who helped Cline find material to record. Faron Young was another male artist whom Cline befriended from working on tour together. While on tour, the pair would spend time together, including a trip to Hawaii, where the pair saw a hula show.

Family

Cline's mother Hilda Hensley continued living in Winchester, Virginia, following her daughter's death. She rented out the family's childhood home on South Kent Street and lived across the street. Following Cline's death, Hensley briefly spent time raising her two grandchildren in Virginia. Hensley maintained a closet full of her daughter's stage costumes, including a sequined dress Cline wore while performing in Las Vegas in 1962. She worked as a seamstress and made many of her daughter's stage costumes.

Cline's father Samuel Hensley died of lung cancer in 1956. Hensley had deserted the family in 1947. Shortly before his death, upon learning that he was gravely ill, Cline said to her mother, "Mama, I know what-all he did, but it seems he's real sick and may not make it. In spite of everything, I want to visit him." Cline and her mother visited him at a hospital in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Cline had two surviving children at the time of her own death: Julie Simadore and Allen Randolph "Randy" Dick. Julie has been a significant factor in keeping her mother's legacy alive. She has appeared at numerous public appearances in support of her mother's music and career. Following the death of Julie's father in 2015, she helped open a museum dedicated to Cline in Nashville. Julie has few memories of her mother due her young age at the time of Cline's death. In an interview with People, Julie discussed her mother's legacy, "I do understand her position in history, and the history of Nashville and country music...I'm still kind of amazed at it myself, because there's 'Mom' and then there's 'Patsy Cline,' and I'm actually a fan."

Present-day American female blues, swing, and rock and roll singer, songwriter, and record producer Casey Hensley is a distant relation of Cline's.

Marriages

Cline was married twice. Her first marriage was to Gerald Cline, on March 7, 1953. The pair met in 1956 while Cline was performing with a local Virginia band. At the time, Dick was a linotype operator for a local newspaper, The Winchester Star. According to Dick, he had asked Cline to dance, and she replied, "I can't dance while I'm working, okay?" They eventually started spending time together, and Cline told close friends about their relationship. Cline told Grand Ole Opry pianist Del Wood in 1956, "Hoss, I got some news. I met a boy my own age who's a hurricane in pants! Del, I'm in love, and it's for real this time." The pair had children Julie and Randy together.

Cline's flight crashed in heavy weather on the evening of March 5, 1963. The plane was found some from its Nashville destination, in a forest outside of Camden, Tennessee. Forensic examination concluded that everyone aboard had been killed instantly. Until the wreckage was discovered the following dawn and reported on the radio, friends and family had not given up hope. Endless calls tied up the local telephone exchanges to such a degree that other emergency calls had trouble getting through. The lights at the aircraft's destination, Cornelia Fort Airpark, were kept on throughout the night, as reports of the missing plane were broadcast on radio and TV.

thumb|right|The grave of Patsy Cline

Early in the morning, Roger Miller and a friend went searching for survivors: "As fast as I could, I ran through the woods screaming their names—through the brush and the trees—and I came up over this little rise, oh, my God, there they were. It was ghastly. The plane had crashed nose down." Shortly after the bodies were removed, looters scavenged the area. Some recovered items were eventually donated to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Cline's wristwatch, a Confederate flag cigarette lighter, a studded belt, and three pairs of gold lamé slippers were among them. Cline's payment in cash from the last performance was never recovered. She was buried at Shenandoah Memorial Park in her hometown of Winchester, Virginia. Her grave is marked with a bronze plaque, which reads: "Virginia H. Dick ('Patsy Cline' is noted under her name) 'Death Cannot Kill What Never Dies: Love'." A memorial marks the exact place off Mt. Carmel Road in Camden, Tennessee, where the plane crashed.

Posthumous releases

Music

Since Cline's death, Decca Records (later MCA) has re-released much of her music. The Patsy Cline Story was the first compilation album the label released following her death. It included the songs "Sweet Dreams (Of You)" and "Faded Love". Both tracks were released as singles in 1963. "Sweet Dreams" would reach number 5 on the Billboard country charts and 44 on the Hot 100. "Faded Love" would also become a top-10 hit on the Billboard country chart, peaking at number seven in October 1963. In 1967, Decca released the compilation Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits. The album peaked at number 17 on the Billboard country chart, and was certified diamond in sales from the Recording Industry Association of America. In 2005, the Guinness World Book of Records cited Cline's Greatest Hits album as being the longest charting album of any female vocalist of any genre of music.

In 1980, Cline's version of "Always" with new music tracks, made the Billboard country chart; peaking at number 18. An album of the same name was also released in 1980 that peaked within the top 30 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves had never sung together, but had recorded several of the same songs. Their separate vocal tracks were dubbed together on two selections. These became radio hits during the early 1980s. Following the release of the Loretta Lynn biopic Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), interest in Cline's career renewed. As a result, MCA Records reissued many of Cline's earlier studio and compilation releases. Her 1967 greatest-hits album was repackaged in 1988 and labeled 12 Greatest Hits. The record reached number 27 on the Top Country Albums list in 1990. The soundtrack for the controversial Sweet Dreams film was released in 1985. It peaked at number six on the Billboard country albums chart.

In 1991, MCA records issued her first boxed set, titled The Patsy Cline Collection. The album chronicled all of Cline's recorded material for 4 Star and Decca Records. The boxed set received positive reviews, notably by Thom Jurek of Allmusic, who rated it five out of five stars. Jurek commented, <blockquote>If an artist ever deserved a box set chronicling her entire career, it is Patsy Cline. Having recorded 102 sides between 1955 and her death at the age of 30 in 1963, Cline changed not only country music forever, but affected the world of pop, as well. Over four CDs, arranged chronologically, the listener gets treated to a story in the development and maturation of a cultural icon who was at least, in terms of her gift, the equal of her legend.</blockquote> Rolling Stone listed the box set among their "Women Who Rock: 50 Greatest Albums of All-Time" list. Writer Rob Sheffield called Cline "a badass cowgirl drama queen belts some of the torchiest, weepiest country songs ever, hitting high notes that make you sob into your margarita." The Patsy Cline Collection would reach number 29 on the Billboard country albums chart in January 1992. In 1997, MCA released Live at the Cimarron Ballroom, a rare recording that had recently resurfaced. Jeweler Bill Frazee had originally purchased a tape in 1975 that he discovered included Cline's live recording, which took place during July 1961, following Cline's car accident. She appeared at the Cimarron Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to give a one-night performance. Included on the record were unreleased live performances and dialog with the audience. Cline's former MCA label (now MCA Nashville) continues releasing material to this day.

Film and television

thumb|right|upright|Actress [[Jessica Lange portrayed Cline in the 1985 Academy Award-nominated biopic Sweet Dreams.]]

Cline has been portrayed on film and television several times since the 1980s. The Loretta Lynn biopic Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) renewed interest in her life and career. Cline and Lynn's friendship was portrayed in the 1980 film. Actress Beverly D'Angelo played Cline in the movie and did her own singing of Cline's original material. D'Angelo earned a Golden Globe award nomination for her role. In an interview D'Angelo did for a 2017 PBS documentary, playing the role of Patsy Cline "had a profound impact" on her life and career. Originally, Meryl Streep auditioned for Cline's role, but ultimately lost to Lange. The film was produced by Bernard Schwartz, who also produced Coal Miner's Daughter. Original ideas called for scenes between Cline and Lynn, but those scenes were ultimately removed from the final script. The film has been criticized for its lack of accuracy to Cline's own life and its musical production. Kurt Wolff wrote, "the soundtrack, however, featured overdubbed versions of Cline's material – better to stick with the originals." Mark Deming of Allmovie only gave the release two out of five stars. Deming commented, "While it's a wise approach to show how her turbulent marriage paralleled her crossover to Countrypolitan ballads, the melodrama tends to overshadow the celebrity story by relegating her rise to stardom to the background. Due to the historically dubious concerts at carnivals and fairgrounds, it appears as though she wasn't as big a star as she actually was." Deming did praise Lange's performance, saying she created a "cheerful and spirited" depiction of Cline. Roger Ebert gave it two stars in his original 1985 review. Ebert said, "There isn't the sense of a well-shaped structure in this movie; there's no clear idea of what the filmmakers thought about Patsy Cline, or what thoughts her life is supposed to inspire." Lange was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Cline.

Lifetime aired an original television film Patsy & Loretta in October 2019 on the network. It chronicles Cline's friendship with Loretta Lynn. Cline is portrayed by Megan Hilty and Lynn by Jessie Mueller. The film is directed by the Academy Award-winning screenwriter Callie Khouri. The trailer for the movie was released in July 2019. Patsy & Loretta was filmed on location in Nashville, Tennessee, and is co-produced by Lynn's daughter and Cline's daughter, Julie Fudge.

Several documentaries have been made about Cline's life and career. The first was 1989's The Real Patsy Cline, which featured interviews with friends and fellow artists. This included Carl Perkins and Willie Nelson. Another documentary was filmed in 1994 entitled Remembering Patsy. The show was hosted by country artist Michelle Wright, who read letters Cline wrote to friends and family. It included interviews with several artists, such as Roy Clark, George Jones, and Trisha Yearwood. Both documentaries were produced by Cline's widower Charlie Dick.

Plays and musicals

Cline's life and career has also been recreated in the theater sector. In 1988, the show Always...Patsy Cline premiered. The show was created by Ted Swindley, who derived it from a friendship Cline had with Texas resident Louise Seger. The pair met while Cline was performing at the Esquire Ballroom in Houston, Texas. Seger brought Cline home following the show and they spent the night together. The pair remained in contact through letters before Cline's death. Much of the script relied on letters exchanged between the two during the course of several years. Seger acts as the show's narrator, and revisits memories she shared with Cline through their letter exchanges. Among the show's original performers was Mandy Barnett, who debuted the show at the Ryman Auditorium in 1994. Barnett would go on to have a music and performing career. A second musical was later released in 1991 titled A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline. The show was written by Dean Regan and has been called a "musical retelling" of Cline's career.

Artistry

Influences

Cline was influenced by various music artists. Among her earliest influences were pop singers of the 1940s and 1950s. These included Kay Starr, Helen Morgan, and Kate Smith. Patti Page recollected that Cline's husband said to her, "I just wish Patsy could have met you because she just adored you and listened to you all the time and wanted to be like you." Jack Hurst of the Chicago Tribune remarked that "Her rich, powerful voice, obviously influenced by that of pop's Kay Starr, has continued and perhaps even grown in popularity over the decades."

Voice and style

Cline possessed a contralto voice. Time writer Richard Corliss called her voice "bold". Her voice has also been praised for its display of emotion. Kurt Wolff called it one of the most "emotionally expressive voices in modern country music". Tony Gabrielle of the Daily Press wrote that Cline had "a voice of tremendous emotional power." Cline was at times taken by her own emotion. Husband Charlie Dick recounted that Cline's producer Owen Bradley told him to leave a recording session because she was very emotional and he didn't want to disturb the mood. Cline was once quoted in describing the emotion she felt, saying, "Oh Lord, I sing just like I hurt inside."</blockquote>

Cline's style has been largely associated with the Nashville Sound, a subgenre of country music that linked traditional lyrics with orchestrated pop music styles. This new sound helped many of her singles to cross over onto the Billboard Hot 100 and gain a larger audience that did not always listen to country music. Her producer, Owen Bradley, built this sound onto her Decca recordings, sensing a potential in her voice that went beyond traditional country music. At first, she resisted the pop-sounding style, but was ultimately convinced to record in this new style. Stephen M. Desuner of Pitchfork explained that Cline has been an identifiable factor with the Nashville Sound: "She essentially rewrote their songs simply by singing them, elevating their words and wringing every one of their rhymes for maximum dramatic potential." Mark Deming of Allmusic commented, "Cline and Bradley didn't invent "countrypolitan," but precious few artists managed to meld the sophistication of pop and the emotional honesty of country as brilliantly as this music accomplishes with seemingly effortless grace, and these songs still sound fresh and brilliantly crafted decades after the fact."

Image

Cline's public image changed during the course of her career. She began her career wearing cowgirl dresses and hats designed by her mother. However, as her music crossed over into pop, she began wearing sequined gowns and cocktail dresses. While she would often wear cowgirl costumes for live performances, she would also wear evening dresses for television and metropolitan performances. For her 1957 performance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, the show's producer insisted that Cline wear an evening dress instead of the fringed cowgirl attire she had intended to wear. Her 1962 engagement at the Merri-Mint Theatre in Las Vegas represented this particular image shift. For one of her performances, Cline wore a sequined cocktail dress designed by her mother.

Cline has also been seen as a pioneer for women in country music. She has been cited as an inspiration by many performers in diverse styles of music. Kurt Wolff of Country Music: The Rough Guide said that Cline had an "aggression" and "boisterous attitude" that gained her the respect of her male counterparts. Wolff explained, "She swaggered her way past stereotypes and other forces of resistance, showing the men in charge – and the public in general – that women were more than capable of singing about such hard subjects as divorce and drinking as well as love and understanding. Sean O'Hagan of The Guardian commented that along with Minnie Pearl, Jean Shepard and Kitty Wells, Cline helped prove that country music was not "macho" and that "strong women" could have a "strong voice". In 2013, Diane Reese wrote, "she was what I call a pre-feminist woman. She didn't open doors; she kicked them down." Mary Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann wrote in 2003 that Cline "transformed what it meant to be a female country star".

Legacy and recognition

thumb|left|upright|Cline's plaque is located inside the [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. She was the first female solo artist inducted into that hall.]]

Cline has been cited in both country and pop music as of one of the greatest vocalists of all time. Her voice has also been called "haunting", "powerful", and "emotional". Cline's emotional expression and delivery of lyrics helped influence various musical genres and artists. Other artists have noted her impact, including LeAnn Rimes who stated, "I remember my dad telling me to listen to the way she told a story... I remember feeling more emotion when she sang than anyone else I had ever heard." Lucinda Williams commented on Cline's vocal talent in helping define her legacy, stating, "Even though her style is considered country, her delivery is more like a classic pop singer... That's what set her apart from Loretta Lynn or Tammy Wynette. You'd almost think she was classically trained." Loretta Lynn, LeAnn Rimes, k.d. lang, Linda Ronstadt, Trisha Yearwood, Sara Evans, Dottie West, Kacey Musgraves, Trixie Mattel and Brandi Carlile. Dottie West (also a close friend of Cline's) spoke about her influence on her own career, "I think I was most influenced by Patsy Cline, she said things for people. There was so much feeling in there. In fact, she told me, 'Hoss, if you can't do it with feeling, don't'". In 2019, Sara Evans discussed how Cline has been an influence since she was a young girl, "I learned everything I could learn about her. I tried to mimic her singing to the 't'. We grew up singing in bars — my brothers, sisters and I — from the time I was really little. So I started covering every Patsy Cline song. Then when I first got my record deal I came to Winchester to visit a radio station to try to get them to play my song Three Chords and the Truth." In 1977, Cline's friend and mentee Loretta Lynn released a tribute album entitled I Remember Patsy. The record contained covers of Cline's songs, including "Back in Baby's Arms" and "Crazy". The album's lead single was "She's Got You", which would reach the number 1 spot on the Billboard country chart in 1977. In 1995, Cline received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for her legacy and career. Additionally, her hits "I Fall to Pieces" and "Crazy" received inductions into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

In 1993, Cline was included on United States postal stamps as part of their "Legends" series. Other country artists that were included on stamp series were The Carter Family, Hank Williams, and Bob Wills. The stamps were dedicated in an official ceremony at the Grand Ole Opry by Postmaster General Marvin Runyon. In August 1999, Cline received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony was attended by her widower Charlie Dick and daughter Julie Fudge. During the 1990s, two of her songs were voted among the "Greatest Juke Box Hits of All-Time". "Crazy" was voted as the number 1 greatest, along with "I Fall to Pieces" ranking at number 17. In 2003, she was included by Country Music Television on their list of the "40 Greatest Women of Country Music". In 2010, Cline ranked at number 46 on Rolling Stones list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All-Time".

Forty years after her death, MCA Nashville released a tribute album entitled Remembering Patsy Cline (2003). A television special also followed around the same time. The album consisted of cover versions of songs taken from Cline's 1967 greatest hits album. It included songs covered by country artists such as Terri Clark and Martina McBride. It also featured artists from other genres such as Michelle Branch, Diana Krall and Patti Griffin.

Cline's hometown of Winchester, Virginia has helped honor her legacy and career. In 1987, the local government approved the placing of markers within the town denoting it as the birthplace of Cline. The same year, a bell tower was erected in her burial location at Shenandoah Memorial Park. The bell tower cost thirty five thousand dollars and was partially funded by Cline's friends Jan Howard and Loretta Lynn. In 2005, Cline's childhood home was given an official on-site marker and included on the National Register of Historic Places. With the development of an organization entitled Celebrating Patsy Cline Inc., renovations began on Cline's childhood home. In August 2011, the Patsy Cline House officially opened as a historic home for tours. In almost three months, about three thousand people visited the home.

In 2017, the Patsy Cline Museum opened in Nashville, Tennessee, located at 119 3rd Ave. S., on the second floor in the same building as the Johnny Cash Museum. The museum includes Cline's actual stage costumes, as well as her original scrapbook and record albums. It also features other artifacts such as the soda fountain machine from Gaunt's Drug Store where Cline worked as a teenager. Original letters that Cline wrote to friends are also included in the museum's collection.

Discography

Studio albums

1957: Patsy Cline
1961: Showcase
1962: Sentimentally Yours

Posthumous studio albums

1964: A Portrait of Patsy Cline
1964: That's How a Heartache Begins
1980: Always

References

Footnotes

Books

External links

Celebrating Patsy Cline an official organization sponsoring several projects
Patsy Cline Home and Museum located in Winchester, Virginia
Patsy Cline recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.
The Patsy Cline Plane Crash