Women Who Rock: Patsy Cline
Posted by: Rebecca Clontz
Filed in:
news
2:30PM, Thursday March 26th 2009
March is National Women’s History Month, and we’re celebrating by sharing a lady we admire each weekday.
PATSY CLINE (1932-1963)
It is visceral; we have to stop and listen every time a Patsy Cline song comes on the radio. That smoky, silky, sultry voice pulls you in and makes you live the lyrics that she sings.
She was born Virginia Patterson Hensley on Sept. 8, 1932, in Winchester, Va., to Sam and Hilda Hensley. Though she had an unhappy childhood, the home appeared happy to others. Patsy was the “poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks.” Sadly, her father abandoned the family when Patsy was 15. Hilda supported the family with her sewing, becoming a master seamstress and making most of Patsy’s “cowgirl” costumes over the years. But Patsy ended up challenging the fashion of country music by ditching the gingham and cowgirl look for cocktail dresses and sequins.
She was part of the changing face of country music in a time when Loretta Lynn was still only a coal miner’s daughter. But Patsy Cline wasn’t one to avoid looking back. She held her hand out to those who were struggling to make the dream happen, and gave them the hand up that they needed.
She was granted membership in the Grand Ole Opry simply by asking for it. And yet for all of her successes, there were failures: a failed marriage and contracts that were almost ruinous to her career. Yet she rose above it all. She was, after all, Patsy Cline.
Further Reading/Listening:
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Alex V
wrote on March 26 2009 @ 03:05 pm: [report]
Love love love Patsy Cline’s music. An incredible body of work. When you listen all the way through “The Patsy Cline Collection” boxed set, you “see” the extraordinary progress she makes, from an obviously talented amateur, just singing with little polish, to a smooth as silk, belting-them-out kinda gal. A must-have boxed set, if you enjoy her music.
retro chic
wrote on March 26 2009 @ 04:12 pm: [report]
She was an original, never to be heard again. The visceral part for me is that I get serious chills and goose bumps from her raw emotion, the same way, every time. Her voice never got polluted by the rigors of fame or studio production demands. She had a lot to be raw about.