Pieces of Patsy

Today in Music History: January 21, 1957

Patsy Cline at Four Star Records in March 1957
Source: en.wikipedia.org

If you heard the name Virginia Patterson Hensley, would you make the connection to one of the major female vocalists of all time? It all began when she won a contest on the Arthur Godfrey Talent program. In fact, Arthur Godfrey is heralded for making Patsy Cline a star as a result of this first appearance on his show January 21, 1957 when she sang "Walkin' After Midnight."

Speaking of Arthur Godfrey, his career started out in radio, principally for CBS. When he permitted his radio program Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts to be televised, it was an immediate hit with the show running from December 1948 to July 1958. Half-hour segments were featured on Monday nights at 8:30 P.M.

The formula for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts was simple enough. "Scouts" brought on their discoveries to a converted New York theater to perform before a live studio audience. Most of these "discoveries" were in fact struggling professionals looking for a break, and so the quality of the talent was quite high. At the program's conclusion, the studio audience selected the winner by way of an applause meter.
Source: Archive of American Television

Video Clip: Opening segment of a telecast of Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts

Cline promotional photograph - 1961
Source: en.wikipedia.org

Hilda Hensley, the mother of Patsy Cline, presented her daughter on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts on January 21, 1957. Patsy had been struggling for years looking for just the right breakthrough. She was scheduled to sing "A Poor Man's Roses" when at the last minute a song substitution occurred. When Patsy Cline sang "Walkin' After Midnight" the audience response was overwhelming stopping the sound meter at its apex! As a result, Four Star Records released the song as a single, on February 11, 1957.  

Patsy Cline left an indelible mark on the music industry in spite of the fact that her career was cut short. She had a feeling about her destiny and early death even commenting the week before she died: "Honey, I've had two bad ones (accidents). The third one will either be a charm or it'll kill me." Patsy Cline was killed in an airplane crash on the evening of March 5, 1963. The pilot of the Piper PA-24 Comanche plane was not trained in instrument flying. The flight encountered inclement weather and crashed nose down in a forest outside Camden, Tennessee.

Patsy Cline is best remembered for her biggest pop hit "Crazy" written by Willie Nelson, which is now considered a classic also becoming Cline's signature song.

Original cover of the 1961 studio album, Patsy Cline Showcase,
which featured her hits from that year, "I Fall to Pieces" and "Crazy".
The cover (and name) were changed following Cline's death
to the more-familiar version seen today.
Source: en.wikipedia.org

The cover of the re-released album in 1963
Source: en.wikipedia.org

Long live the music of Patsy Cline!

And the music goes on beating to the rhythm of the changing times...