From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Sun Sep 8, 2002  2:14 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Patsy Cline
 
PATSY CLINE (By Jean-Marc Pezet)

Born Virginia Patterson Hensley, 8 September 1932, Gore, Virginia
Died 5 March, 1963, near Camden, Tennessee

It is a rather difficult task to write about Patsy Cline without using the
same all-too-often used and abused superlatives such as "the most
popular female country singer of all times". Her life was even made
the subject of a Hollywood movie, "Sweet Dreams" (1985).
Patsy Cline was born in the small Virginian town of Gore, and showed
very early talents at dancing and singing, being a fan of current girlie star
Shirley Temple. At 4, she won a talent contest and by 8 she had learned
herself to play piano by ear.
The Hensley family had moved to Winchester, VA, and Patsy first got a
regular spot on the local WINC radio. Things got difficult when father
Hensley left, leaving Patsy the oldest of 4 children and the only one able
to earn money to support the family. But she didn't give up music, and
through numerous local appearances and connections, managed to get
a deal with Four Star in 1955.
Recordings were made at Owen Bradley Studios in Nashville, accompanied
by the famed A-Team and releases were on Decca. Her first 4 singles did
nothing, but her 5th, "Walkin After Midnight" became a huge cross-over hit
(# 2 country, # 12 pop), prompting Bill McCall (owner of 4 Star music) to
renew her contract up to 1960.
Apart from "A Poor Man's Roses" (1957), the 4-Star years didn't yield any
other hits for Patsy, but she recorded plenty of first class up-tempo country/
proto-rockabilly, often supported by the guitars of Hank Garland and Grady
Martin, such as "Stop Look And Listen", "Stop The World" and the great
"Gotta Lot Of Rhythm In My Soul".
By early 1960, released from her 4 Star contract, Patsy signed with Decca,
leaving her and producer Owen Bradley with a better choices of songs and,
as we say, the rest is history. Patsy recorded hit after hit, both on the
country and pop charts, that stands up until today, such as "I Fall To
Pieces" (# 1 country), "Crazy" (# 2), "She's Got You" (# 1), "So Wrong"
and "Faded Love". She realized her long time wish and became a regular
at the Grand Ole Opry. Sadly, she escaped death in an automobile wreck
in 1962, only to perish in an airplane accident along with Cowboy Copas
and Hawkshaw Hawkins, returning from a charity show in March 1963,
leaving behind a husband and two young children.

Recommended listening:
"The Patsy Cline Collection" 4 CD Box Set MCA D4-10421, 1991
or other compilations, particularly from the 4-Star period.
Website: http://www.patsycline.com