Her voice is a quality mark in country music, a unique sensuality and timbre imbued with blues, swing and rockabilly drive. Patsy Cline is a legend who forever changed the sound of American music by taking part in the creation of the Nashville sound, mixing the rustic honesty of hillbilly with the rebellious spirit of rock-n-roll. She wasn’t following a well-trodden path, she was paving her own, walking after midnight to the rhythm of her own heart. Let’s take a walk through her legacy.
In Care Of The Blues. Mama believed very much in the talent of her young starlet, so as soon as approval for the audition was telegraphed from Nashville, she gathered all three children, harnessed them to a friend’s car and the company flew to Tennessee like a bullet. The trip took all day, and the winds were howling in the purse, so the family spent the night right in the car, parked at the city park. The Grand Ole Opry show was one of three springboards for country musicians. The young singer was met by Moon Mullican himself, who expressed sincere interest during the audition, after which he was told to wait for news on the street. When the lights went out and the clerks went home, it became clear that there would be no response. The kids rode back into the night, as wise as before.
That Wonderful Someone. Patsy Сline wasn’t always Patsy Сline. On September 8, 1932, she was named Virginia Patterson Hensley. Preferring to be called Jeanie for the time being, Jeanie got married upon reaching adulthood and even enjoyed marriage for a while. However, Gerald Cline, the spoiled son of rich parents, did not burden himself with fidelity to one skirt when there was a whole rose garden around. Unaware of hubby’s quickness, Virginia chose the pseudonym “Patsy”, derived from “Patterson”, adding her husband’s last name. The first Patsy Cline records were released in 1955. It took more than a year to find out the fact of hubby’s indiscretions, the divorce took place only in 1957, leaving a residue on his soul and stage name.
Try Again. At the age of thirteen, Jeanie suffered from a terrible infectious disease of the larynx, from which she almost died. After leaving the hospital, she spoke in a “croaking” voice for some time, but it was during this period that the desire to sing came.
I Can’t Forget. Patsy told her closest friend Loretta Lynn about how her father tried to molest her, then twelve-year-old Virginia, whose name means “virginity.” Patsy told Loretta, making her promise to take this dirty secret to the grave. Nevertheless, Patsy led Mom to Dad’s deathbed. Perhaps feelings of pity, contempt, and satisfaction have mixed into a devilish cocktail. Perhaps it was his filthiness that forced the mother to chase the bastard away and drag the three children alone. Loretta, as usual with girls, did not keep the secret.
Crazy. Patsy’s second marriage turned out to be, if not more successful, then clearly more fun: plates smashed against gruntlets, gruntlets against tabletops, tabletops against plates. As Patsy herself told her friend, pianist Del Wood: “Oh my God, I met a guy my age, and he has a hurricane in his pants!”. Patsy’s second husband was Charlie Dick, with whom Cline had two children. The police came to their house several times, once even taking Charlie away, although who beat whom is another question. The song that Patsy was really able to reveal was written by the beardless Willie Nelson for his first album.
Walking After Midnight. Surprisingly, the song wasn’t originally intended for Patsy at all. The pacing rhythm and otherworldly sound made “Walking After Midnight” Cline’s signature song.
Patsy Cline – Walking After Midnight (mp3):
Got A Lot Of Rhythm In My Soul. Patsy wasn’t going to limit herself to hillbilly alone, her repertoire included blues, rockabilly, and light swing.
I Fall To Pieces. Patsy refused to leave the concert, stating her position with the words: “Don’t worry about me, my Gosh! When my time comes, I will feel it.” The next day was March 5th, 1963. Patsy didn’t feel it. Her plane was found in the vicinity of Camden, Texas. Tennessee. Her lighter with the Confederate flag was intact. Her body was clamped by a seat belt, although some parts of her arm had to be searched. Like Buddy Holly four years earlier, Patsy Cline died in the company of stars: Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins were on the same plane.
Download or listen online Patsy Cline – 28 Country Classics (160 MB, mp3 320 Kbps):
The memory of “Elvis in a skirt” will last as long as humanity is alive. As the game “Fallout”, and after… Have a nice flight, Moon Dogs!
