Every Friday around 11 a.m. Central, it’s time for Classic Americana on Radio Heartland. We pull a special track from the archives or from deep in the shelves to spotlight a particular artist or song.

In a short career and short life, Patsy Cline made an indelible mark on music. Born Sept. 8, 1932, in Winchester, Virigina, Patsy Cline’s birthname reflected her home state: Virginia Patterson Hensley.

After a bout of rheumatic fever at age 13, the young woman known as Ginny experienced a vocal change that gave her a singing voice reminiscent of Kate Smith. This vocal quality inspired young Ginny to start singing, and by age 15, she was performing around Winchester in clubs and on the radio. Eventually moving to Washington, D.C., Ginny married her first husband, Gerald Cline, in 1953. She took the first name Patsy (inspired by her middle name, Patterson) and even though her marriage didn’t last, she used her first husband’s surname for the remainder of her career.

The 1950s proved a tumultuous time for Patsy Cline’s musical career, which endured many false starts and ill-advised recording contracts. Despite the lack of success as a recording artist, Cline continued to perform live and earned the attention and respect of fellow musicians and music producers. Finally, in 1957, Cline made her national television debut on the CBS series Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts. It was on that program that Cline performed “Walkin’ After Midnight,” a song that would hit No. 2 in the country charts and also prove a crossover hit, peaking at No. 12 in the pop charts. It is this song that we’ll feature as our Classic Americana pick of the week.

Despite the big hit, the late 1950s saw another dip in Cline’s career fortunes, and she went into semi-retirement. A new decade, however, brought a new chapter as Patsy Cline became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in January of 1960. A contract with Decca Records followed that summer, and Cline recorded the song, “I Fall to Pieces.” In August 1961, “I Fall to Pieces” became a No. 1 country hit, and it also enjoyed crossover success, reaching No. 12 in the pop charts.

Cline followed up that song with the Willie Nelson-penned tune, “Crazy,” which would also prove another No. 1 country hit, not only cementing Cline’s bona fides but also launching Nelson’s career.

Beyond chart hits, Cline enjoyed other professional highlights, including performing at Carnegie Hall and on the highly influential TV series American Bandstand, hosted by Dick Clark.

Tragically, Cline’s life was cut short in March 1963 when the private plane she was flying in with three other people — music executive and pilot Randy Hughes, along with musicians Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins — crashed in Tennessee in severe weather. Cline was 30 years old.

Decca posthumously released Cline’s recordings of “Leavin’ on Your Mind” and “Sweet Dreams (of You),” both of which would become top-10 hits. As NPR pointed out in 2010, “Patsy Cline’s career really only lasted three years — and the complete recorded output from that career lasts two hours and ten minutes — but her importance is out of proportion to those numbers.”

Classic Americana Playlist

External Links

Patsy Cline – Country Music Hall of Fame website