Patsy Cline is considered being one of the most influential, successful, and acclaimed female vocalists of the 20th century, some more notable hits she had during her life began in 1957 with Donn Hecht’s ‘Walkin’ After Midnight’, ‘Harlan Howard’s ‘I Fall to Pieces’, Hank Cochran’s ‘She’s Got You’, Willie Nelson’s ‘Crazy’, and ended in 1963 with Don Gibson’s ‘Sweet Dreams’.
Cline was born Virginia Patterson Hensley. Her manager, Bill Peer, gave her the name “Patsy” from her middle name. Patsy married her first husband, Gerald Cline, in 1953. She kept her surname as her stage name.
She entered a variety of talent shows in her hometown of Winchester, Virginia. Having watched performers through the windows of the local radio station, Cline approached a disc jockey about performing on his program. Patsy was a hit. Soon, she had regular gigs at the regional night clubs.
A few years later, Cline made it on to Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, a popular talent search program similar to American Idol. She performed “Walkin’ After Midnight,” which helped catapult the track to No. 2 on the country charts and No. 12 on the pop charts. Cline became one of the first country artists with a major crossover hit.
Cline couldn’t read sheet music. That didn’t stop her from becoming a musical genius. She was self-taught and had perfect pitch even as a child.
She’s known as an innovator of the slick and polished Nashville Sound, Cline’s earliest records were rollicking and raw. Though the recordings weren’t a chart success, they were proof of Cline’s range. Cline even influenced rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson.
