“Here’s to those who wish us well and those who don’t can go to hell”
–Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline early in her career. [Image courtesy: Patsy Cline, A Fan’s Tribute]
At 4 she won a dance contest for tap dancing. Her mother gave her a piano for her 8th birthday and Patsy taught herself to play. She sang with her church choir and at 14 was a regular on WINC Radio. At 15 her parents divorced and Patsy sang in clubs at night and worked in a drug store during the day to help pay the bills.
She married Gerald Cline in 1952 and continued to sing in clubs as well as with Bill Peer’s Melody Playboys in Maryland and as a regular on “Town and Country Jamboree” on a radio station out of Washington DC. She got a recording contract with Four Star Records in 1954 and she won first place on the TV variety show “Talent Scouts” with Arthur Godfrey where she sang “Walkin’ After Midnight.” The song became a hit and on both the country and pop charts.
Cline made her debut on the stage of the Grad Old Opry in 1960 and continued her rise to stardom with her second hit “I Fall to Pieces.” She is also known for her songs “Sweet Dreams,” “Crazy” and “She’s Got You.”
A country music legend, Patsy Cline helped break down the gender barrier in this musical genre. [Patsy Cline. biography profile, bio.TRUE STORY]
[This is one of the Patsy Cline albums that was in my parent’s record collection. Image courtesy: Decca Records]
She helped the careers of other up and coming female singers, especially Loretta Lynn.
Cline died in a plane crash returning from a benefit concert in 1963.
In 1973 she was the first female soloist to be honored in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
[Image courtesy: blog.zap2it.com]
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