Patsy Cline

Patsy Cline was born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Winchester, Virginia, in 1932, and she had the kind of voice that could make a jukebox weep. She was singing on local radio station WINC at 15, worked the area with Bill Peer's band and turned up on Connie B. Gay's Town and Country television broadcasts before signing with 4 Star in 1954. Her big break came in 1957 on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, where she sang "Walkin' After Midnight" and it became her first big hit, landing on the country and pop charts alike.

In 1958 she moved to Nashville, joined the Grand Ole Opry with manager Randy Hughes in her corner, and signed with Decca in 1960. Producer Owen Bradley wrapped her in lush, velvety arrangements, and the results crossed over from country to pop like few records before them. "I Fall to Pieces" became her first number one on the country chart in 1961. She spent a month in the hospital after a serious car crash, and when she came back she had "Crazy", a heartbreak ballad sung with perfect, devastating control. "She's Got You" followed, and "Sweet Dreams (Of You)" came in 1963.

She was killed on March 5, 1963, in a plane crash along with Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Randy Hughes. In 1973 she became the first woman inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award followed in 1995.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.