Stories from 1997

  • "I am 20 years old. When I was growing up my grandmother worked in a bar. One day I went to see her, and Patsy's 'She's Got You' was playing on the jukebox when I walked in. I heard her voice and ran to the jukebox and forgot all about my grandmom. After the song had stopped playing I ran to my grandmom with a lot of questions. All the older people in the bar kept laughing. After all the songs were over I got money off my grandmom and played number 221 on the jukebox over and over, the older people kept saying how cute it was, but I know deep down inside it was making them sick. Before anyone told me that's enough, I was able to sing the whole song word for word. A man who was sitting at the end of the bar said 'hey little girl, give that song a brake. Don't you know there are other songs on there by Patsy Cline?'. He got up from the stool, came over to me at the jukebox and played every song on there by Patsy.

    When my mother came to pick me up I would not leave. My grandmom had told her about how I spent the morning and said to leave me there and she would bring me home. I went back every chance I got to listen to Patsy and I saved all my money to pit it in that jukebox. The next time I seen that older man he said 'Hey, Little Patsy, come here I have something for you'. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a tape of 'Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits'. That was the first time I ever seen what she ever looked like. I'll never forget those days or that man."
    JoAnne Moore, Dec 16, 1997.

  • "In 1985 I watched 'Coal Miners Daughter' on the TV. I am also a fan of Loretta Lynn. I really enjoyed the movie. I can remember Patsy and Loretta singing 'Back In Baby's Arms'. I ran out and bought one of Patsy's tapes, I must of worn it out. My daughter was ten at the time and we both would sing along in the car or at home, we just loved that tape. Twelve years on we have almost every cd there is. I introduced her to my sisters and brothers, they love Patsy and so does my husband. In conversation I mention Patsy to friends and aquaintances and all thanks to Loretta Lynn and 'Coal Miner's Daughter'. Thanks Loretta! You're great, and Patsy, I reckon you are the Queen. My husband gave me a video, 'Remembering Patsy Cline', and I've just read, 'Patsy, The Life and Times of Patsy Cline'. We Love You Patsy Cline, you're 'Great'!"
    Pauline Briggs, Oct 29, 1997.
  • "I have always loved country music, but the day I saw 'Sweet dreams', the hair on the back of my head stood on end, as never before had I heard a voice with such feeling as Patsy Cline's. She is a legend that was taken away long before her time as I would have loved to hear more of this great lady. To me there will never be another country singer who could give someone so much pleasure in hearing all her songs! One day when I meet my maker perhaps I will have the pleasure of meeting the great lady herself."
    Sharon Devlin, Aug 27, 1997.
  • "When I was younger I watched the movie 'Sweet Dreams'. This movie intrigued my interests for Patsy Cline. I automatically felt connected to her, as if I knew her very well. I had to learn more about her, so I read her biographies, and started a collection of her music. However I was not a big fan of country or pop, to this day I have not heard a song sung by Patsy that I have not liked. My all time favorite and the first song I ever heard of her's was 'Walking After Midnight'. To me she had so much sass and carisma that I wanted to be just like her. So from then on she became my idol."
    Stephanie Sexton, Aug 14, 1997.
  • "When I was eight years old my dad, a big fan of Hank Williams and country music, brought home 'A Portrait of Patsy Cline', the one released just after her death. The song that stuck in my mind, even at that early age, was 'When I Get Thru With You (You'll Love Me Too)'. Of course I remember 'Faded Love', 'Crazy Arms' and it was my first exposure to anyone singing Irving Berlin's 'Always'. It was my favorite record that my parents played (my mother had a Julie London record I was fond of, too, but she can't sing like Patsy). One night we were watching a country music awards show, and I asked my parents if Patsy Cline was going to be on the show; they said no, she was dead. She had died in a plane crash. I felt really crushed, even at that young age.

    I didn't pay much attention to The Cline until about mid-1984 (I didn't see 'Coal Miner's Daughter' until about 85-86 on video). I was in a bar and they played 'You Made Me Love You'. I remember thinking, 'God, she's better than I remembered', so I went and bought 'The Patsy Cline Story'. I had never heard 'Sweet Dreams' before. What a stunner that one is to someone who has never heard it before (if you can find anyone who's never heard Patsy Cline before, get them to sit down and listen to her sing and watch their reaction, It can be priceless).

    When I finally did see 'Coal Miner's Daughter', the Patsy character was actually as I envisioned her when I was a kid. Even though she sang heartbreak songs, I knew, even at that early age, that this woman was no wilting wallflower. The tragedy of her death is that her career was so short, but she's just about managed to wipe up the floor with the lot of them anyway. She's the greatest female singer of any genre I've ever heard."
    Ron Gould, Aug 9, 1997.

  • "About five years ago one of my colleagues at work asked me who my favorite singer of all time was. I didn't hesitate for a moment and replied, 'Patsy Cline', but no one ever asked me how or why she became my favorite singer until Cathy came up with the idea for this page.

    I first heard Patsy Cline sing when I was about 8 years old. 'She's Got You' had just been released and my babysitter lamented about her boyfriend breaking up with her as she listened to it. She told me that the singer was speaking for her through that song. All I knew was that I liked what I heard and wanted to hear more. Fortunately I could, because my mom bought some of Patsy's records. My father had been killed in an accident around the same time I first heard of Patsy Cline. My mother must have found solace in her songs because I used to hear her playing Patsy's records every night after she put us to bed. I fell asleep many a night listening to Patsy's incredible voice. Patsy's own tragic death followed a little over a year later and I remember how sad I was when I learned of it.

    During my formative years I listened to the music of my era, however, every so often I would go back and play those Patsy Cline records. Through my teen and college years I endured the teasing of friends who couldn't understand how a New Yorker such as myself could like country music, or even pop music for that matter! I've always enjoyed a variety of music and as I entered adulthood I continued to listen to all types, but I always found myself being drawn back to Patsy. Over the last 20 years I had played my three Patsy tapes over and over but never ventured beyond the songs that were on them. (My loss for sure!)

    I am an avid reader of biographies and when reading about the life of a singer, I try to listen to their music as I'm reading about their life. Over the years I've read all the Patsy Cline biographies. (Naturally, I've seen the movies 'Sweet Dreams' and 'Coal Miner's Daughter' several times as well). It was while reading some of Patsy's bios that I came to realize just how much of her work and talent I was missing out on by not having more of her CD's. I then acquired a few more.

    When I first gained access to the Internet, one of the very first searches I made was for information on Patsy. Imagine my pleasant surprise when I discovered Per's tribute. Shortly thereafter I purchased the 4-CD Patsy Cline Collection. The brief snippets of dialogs were especially thrilling to hear as were so many of the songs I had only known by title from the list of Favorite Patsy Songs.

    No one can sing like Patsy or interpret songs the way Patsy has. The pure quality of her incredible voice, her raw emotion, her inflection and phrasing makes each and every one of her recordings a special and magical experience. As I've said before, Patsy Cline was my favorite singer when I was a child, and over the years I've come to appreciate and love her even more."
    Sue Benedetto, Aug 1, 1997.

  • "I am a big Loretta Lynn fan, and have been for many years. So of course I was thrilled when the movie "Coalminer's daughter" was shown on Swedish television for the first time, about ten years ago. I hadn't heard of Patsy back then, and when I watched that movie I was very preoccupied with Loretta, and Sissy Spacek's brilliant performance. But when I saw Beverly D'Angelo, I was intrigued by her role, the songs she sang, and the tragic accident that took Patsy's life... But for some reason I didn't dig into the story about Patsy Cline at that time, and I didn't buy any records.

    But then, a couple of years later, when I saw "Sweet dreams" for the first time... Just at the beginning of the movie, at that dance, I heard Patsy's voice for the first time, singing "San Antonio Rose", and I was stunned! I just sat there, probably with my mouth half open, and just listened to that unbelievable voice... That movie really changed my life, because since then I have read all I could find about Patsy's life, and I have collected every recording I could get my hands on! I listen to Patsy almost every day, and I love every minute of it! But sometimes it goes three or four weeks between the times when I listen to a particular song, and it's just like rediscovering the song, and it sounds even better than the last time. When I hear a Patsy song I never think, "Oh no, not that one again..." Instead I think, "Oh yes! That one... What a wonderful song, and what a wonderful singer..."

    Naturally, after being connected to the net, I began searching for info about Patsy, but I didn't find much... I thought, "Do I have to do everything myself?" Apparently. The world lacked a good web site about Patsy, so I just went ahead and made one. That was June 1996, and little did I know then, about the response I was going to get from Patsy's fans all over the world... The Fan Forum has become something of a success, and the site is constantly growing, thanks to ideas, pictures and info that comes in from devoted fans, and maybe I still get an idea myself, now and then... I am very proud of the site, and that so many fans have visited it. And when Patsy's husband Charlie and their daughter Julie began visiting the site... Oh, it was an honor beyond description! I feel very good about all of this, and I want to thank all you folks out there for visiting this site, and for participating. Keep visiting, keep letting your ideas flow, and above all, keep loving Patsy!"
    Per Jonsson, Jul 20, 1997.

  • "I can remember hearing Patsy's 'Walking After Midnight' on a history of Country Music radio program. I really liked the song, but did not get hooked. I was a huge Loretta Lynn fan and when her movie and book came I kept hearing about Patsy and got really intrigued. Had to read everything I could find. So I went to the libraries and found some country music history books and started. I just thought she seemed the most fascinating person! Found some cassettes with Four Star material and thought the variety (type of country) was really cool.

    This first record buying show I went to, I found a 7 inch vinyl disk w/ 4 or 6 songs on it. I thought it was neat and besides I didn't have some of these songs. That EP was 'That's How a Heartache Begins'. My favorite tune on this record was 'Bill Bailey'. I mean, she starts out slow and then goes faster towards the end. That started my learning of collecting records, as well as my collection. One of the first videos I saw was a partial clip for 'Crazy' and the first full one was 'Lovesick Blues' (Ozark Jubilee). She has such style and class. Not many singers have that today!

    Over the years I have had the pleasure of making friends with about two dozen people. Whether it be through mail or face to face, it is great to have so many friends that all love Patsy. It has been a great thrill to be active in this Web page and to have met some of you. It just goes to show that Patsy is still 'current'. I think Patsy will continue to be popular and a huge influence on people and performers through the 21st century."
    Jimmy Walker, Jul 2, 1997.

  • "I remember I was watching cartoons one afternoon when I was still in grade school. One of the commercials was for a country music compiliation record that had various artists singing thier biggest hits. During the commercial, Patsy was featured singing 'I Fall to Pieces'. I couldn't believe my ears!! I ran into the kitchen where my mother was cooking supper and asked her about Patsy and 'I Fall to Pieces'. She told me that that was one of her biggest records, and that she remembered her. I asked her if she had done anything recently, and then she dropped the bomb on me and told me about the plane accident. I was crushed. But that planted a seed in me. I had to find out everything I could about her, except records and literature were hard to find concerning her back then. Then 'Sweet Dreams' came out, and I was 10 years old all over again. I picked up right where I left off. And the rest they say is history. Patsy is a true friend to all of us indeed - always entertaining, always there to cheer us up when we need it. It's just like her grave marker says - 'Death cannot kill what never dies'. Patsy will always be alive to us through her music, and I for one am thankful for that."
    Mark Ogletree, Jun 29, 1997.
  • "I was 9 when I saw the movie 'Sweet Dreams' and from that time I've always had this deep love for Patsy as a singer and as a person. A friend gave me my first Patsy tape and it was the 'Greatest Hits' cassette. Needless to say, I wore it out along with a twofer cassette that contained the 'Showcase' and 'Sentimentally Yours' albums. People always ask me if I have a favorite song, and that is the hardest thing I've ever had to do is define my favorite song. I mean there are so many outstanding titles to choose from. People have known me to be obsessed with Patsy, but that is something I can't help-her voice just lingers and inhaibts the room that I am in. Her music is a great pick me upper, and I find myself listening to her more than any of my faves (Connie Smith, Dottie and others). I love reading the books on her, and I always laugh out loud when I read some of the humorous stories about her. She'll always be number one even when today's breed has died away. Patsy, I miss you, and I wish I could've met you."
    Wade Settle, Jun 26, 1997.
  • "How can I say this. The reason I turned out to be a Patsy Cline fan? The reason for this is because: After seeing the movie 'Sweet Dreams', starring Jessica Lange as Patsy. I have always been able to sing since I was a little girl from the age of three. My entire family which is large, has musical talent. Wheather it be singing or instruments. I always loved to sing all the songs of certain performers I chose to sing, but when I heard Patsy, I just can't tell you how her voice affected me! What a gift from GOD she had. No one, not anyone will ever match that voice she had. After hearing that woman sing, I chose not to sing anyone elses songs, but hers, and only hers, since 1985. I dedicated my life to singing her songs and trying to sound like her as much as possible, instead of singing in my own voice, which isn't bad either! I watched the Biography on Patsy entitled: "Remembering Patsy", I've read just about every book written about Patsy. I vowed to myself one thing, that I would start a scrapbook on her, that's underway now. Not that I will idolize her more than the big man himself, which is GOD. It would be a terrible sin and Patsy would agree. Another reason for becoming one of her fans is because after reading about her life, etc., turns out, that we not only have alot of the same things in common with one another, but my mannerism and ways are just like hers were. I'm here to tell you hoss, if you ask my opinion, and don't like the answer I gave, then why did you ask?! Patsy pulled no punches, got right to the point and was blunt about her comments to people, and so do I. So, hope you all hosses liked my story, and go ahead and SHAKE-A-LEG, me and Patsy don't care which one it is. Go ahead and LET YOUR HAIR DOWN, LET'S SEE WHATCHA YOU LOOK LIKE. AAAAAAAAEEEEEE!!!! 'LORD'S-A-MERCY I HATE TO STOP' --- stop singing that is. These are all quotes from Patsy's live recordings at the Grand Ole Opry. Check it out at your local library sometime and listen to the things she says. The songs, so you'll know you have the right CD are: 'I've Loved & Lost Again', 'A Church, A Courtroom and then Goodbye', 'There He Goes', 'Walkin After Midnight', 'Lovesick Blues', one of my favs, 'How Can I Face Tomorrow', 'Loose Talk', 'Crazy Dreams', 'Lovin in Vain', 'I Fall To Pieces', 'She's Got You' and 'Crazy'. Later Hosses, GOD BLESS. REST IN PEACE PATSY... WE ALL LOVE YOU"
    Holly M. Parker, Jun 22, 1997.
  • "I first watched the movie 'Sweet Dreams' at the age of 12 and learned of the legendary Patsy Cline. Before I saw this movie I never knew she existed, everyone in my household at that time were all heavy metal and rock listeners, so that's about all I ever heard, which really sucked at times!!!!! But after I saw this movie I had to find out more about this great lady, her songs stuck with me and played in my head everyday and I was only 12 at the time! About a year later I saw the movie again, we didn't have a VCR so I had to wait until HBO showed it again, and believe me I burnt up the pages of TV Guide hunting for when it would be shown again! It finally came back on and my family was not a rich family so we had no VCR, no stereos only little bitty radios with one speaker and a tape player, so I got a blank tape (that I found, don't even know what was on it and at the time I didn't care) and that old tape player and I sat down in front of the TV and recorded that whole movie on cassette tape, her music, the whole movie I tell you!! And I wore that tape out, I learned everything she said all her funny little sayings, and sometimes used them when ever the mood suited me, which was most of the time, my husband can tell you right now that I don't take much crap from people either, so alot of her sayings came in very handy for me, but I think her all time favorite saying, that I still use to this day is 'People in hell want ice water, that don't mean they get it!' I love that and I can just hear her saying it right now as I write this, don't you know she came up with some doozies and I use every one I can get my hands on!!!!!!! I love them!!!!!!! And I love everything about Patsy, her talent, her music, her big heart, and the records she left behind for all of us to enjoy, she will live on forever in my heart as well as probably a billion others, she is the alltime favorite female artist in my book!!!!!! We all Love You To Pieces, Patsy!!!!!!"
    Donna Maggerise, Jun 20, 1997.
  • "My introduction to Patsy Cline came in 1987 when I saw a movie called 'Desert Hearts'. The movie features 'Leavin' on Your Mind', and when it came on, I sat up and thought, 'Who the heck is THAT?' I couldn't spot it on the credits, so I went to a couple of music stores until someone knew the answer. I picked up one of her albums... and then another... and then another..."
    Karra Porter, Jun 20, 1997.
  • "Well, I guess it started about 4 years ago when I was staying at my grandparents house for part of my summer vacation. My grandma Judy kept this tape in her car called 'Heartaches'. Everytime we would go somewhere I would have that tape playin'. I just loved the song 'Heartaches' and still do... Sometimes me and my grandmother would make up funny songs like: 'Toothaches, what does it matter how my tooth aches?' Ya know, just a silly song. I was once washing her car, the car was off but I had it set so I could listen to the radio while I was washing, and I had that tape on... And I wore the car battery out!! Whoops! Well, anyway, my grandmother told me that Patsy had died in a plane crash and that made me even more intrigued by her. After that summer was over and I was back at home, I ordered my first Patsy tape called 'The Patsy Cline story'. The rest is history... I'm now a member of the "Always Patsy Cline" fan club... She sure has changed my life :-)"
    Amber Miller, Jun 19, 1997.
  • "One of the strangest things made me want to obtain Patsy's music in the first place: In October 1996, as I watched 'Sweet Dreams' for the 2nd time, I decided to get a greatest hits CD. But part of the reason why is because of the song 'Sweet Dreams' -- the sound of the song itself made me extremely sad. There is something about the phrase 'the whole night through' that moved me. The word 'whole' echoes throughout the studio, and it made Patsy come to 3-D life for me, because in order to make an echo, you have to be alive while you do it. Of course I know Patsy lived, but there are times when you listen to her that it becomes 3-D life, not just 2-D on a compact disc. It becomes present, not past."
    Lisa Flood, Jun 16, 1997.
  • "I first heard of Patsy in March 1986 when I was 15. I had just finished some homework and was about to go to bed as it was quite late. For some reason I put on the TV and I can vividly remember seeing a young girl talking to a man on a bulldozer (or something similar). The film turned out to be 'Coalminer's Daughter'. It caught my attention and I decided bed could wait. Eventually I realised it was a biographical film (I had never heard of Loretta at this point). A character appeared in due course by the name of Cline, Patsy Cline - a sassy, savvy woman who took no crap from anyone. Brilliantly played by Beverly D'Angelo. Exactly the sort of person I intended to be (once I'd worked up the nerve!!!!!!). At this point I thought I had better look out for some of her songs. A couple of months later I was manning a second-hand stall at the local town fair when one caught my eye. It was a book by Ellis Nassour called 'Patsy Cline'. I don't know how it got there as it was not available in this country until 1993 when it was released as 'Honky Tonk Angel'. It just seemed like a massive stroke of luck that just a few weeks after I had heard of Patsy I would find the first biography of her in this small out of the way town. About the most unlikely place I can imagine it to be. Since I read the book I've been a humungous fan of the lady and her music and everyone knows it!!! I'm so happy that I decided not to go to bed that night cos if I had I wouldn't have found the greatest singer in the world. I put up with a lot of crap from people at school cos I didn't live for the latest boy band, but I just ignored them - at least it meant they had heard of Patsy, even if they didn't yet know how great she is!!!!!!!!"
    Catherine Simpson, Jun 16, 1997.
  • "I first heard the name Patsy Cline when I saw 'Coal Miners Daughter'. I was 4 years old then around 1980. It wasn't until I was about 14 that I came to hear the original music. I had a tape that my aunt had dubbed off an LP. I just stuck it in the tape machine while helping her clean house. When I heard the voice, however, I stopped and listened because I was so taken with the distinctiveness of her vocal delivery. It was absolutely breathtaking. As I grew up and continued to listen to Patsy I became more aware of her life story. First through the movie 'Sweet Dreams' which I thought was done as well as could be expected. What I mean is it must have been a challenge to write a screenplay about the life of someone that could never be summed up fully in an hour and a half. I own all of the biographies and videos about Patsy and when I was a sophomore in highschool I did extensive research to write a play about her. I am still working on that script, thus I have an understanding of what Robert Getchel must have gone through writing the movie. You just can't leave anything out of such a full life as Patsy's. She was and remains the best singer of the twentieth century. No one compares to Patsy. I will always remember that day I was introduced to the music. It still gives me chills to think what a profound effect Patsy has on my soul. She is the goddess that I pray to. I'll be loving you always, Patsy."
    Mark Willix, Jun 14, 1997.
  • "Though I was already sixteen years old when Patsy died, I never heard a Patsy Cline song until the movie of Loretta Lynn's life, "Coal Miner's Daughter" was released. Of course, it was Beverly D'Angelo singing, not Patsy, but the song 'Sweet Dreams' mesmerized me -- I was flabergasted! What a voice - what emotion, and this from an actress portraying her! I had to have the original and immediately went to the record store and purchased the 'Greatest Hits' album. After that, I embarked on a mission to find a copy of every single thing Patsy ever recorded, bought several different compilations, the videos, etc. From there I went on to hunt down original copies of the albums -- I dare say that Patsy Cline is a 'hobby' for me. There is not a day that goes by that I don't listen to Patsy, and I never tire of it. At first my wife and kids thought I was a bit 'obsessed' but now they are all Patsy fans also. It's amazing to me that so many young people are into Patsy's music. In August, 1995, my family and I had the great privelge to see the 'Always, Patsy Cline' show at the Ryman in Nashville, with Mandy Barnett - something I'll never forget. This month, we're going to see the show again here in Chicago. My only regret is that I didn't 'discover' Patsy sooner, while she was still with us - I might have had a chance to see her in person somewhere."
    Guy Cesario, Jun 14, 1997.
  • "Well, I've always known who Buddy Holly is, my mother was talking about the plane crash that killed Buddy, Ritchi V., and J.P. Richardson. Well I think I was only 10 or 11 at the time. Anyways, my mother started talking about Patsy Cline. She was telling me that her and Buddy were both killed in a plane crash. Well, I thought she meant that Patsy and Buddy were in the same plane. But, I was wrong. I kinda knew who Patsy was but, I didn't know her as well as Buddy. Then when the movie 'Coal Miner's Daughter' came out I saw Beverly D'Angelo playing Patsy, and something just hit me. Ever since then, I've really been into Patsy, Loretta Lynn, and Buddy Holly. When I saw 'Coal Miner's Daughter' I thought Patsy was really cool. The first songs I ever heard from Patsy was 'I Fall to Pieces' and 'Back in Baby's Arms'. Now, Patsy is my favorite. It's too bad she had to go away. She will forever live in my heart. Always Patsy."
    Kathy Harrison, Jun 14, 1997.
  • "I was introduced to Patsy Cline's music by my parents. I came along late in their lives, and grew up listening to their favorite artists. It was very common for us to sit in the living room on a Sunday, playing records. One day, my mother came home with copies of the 'Sentimentally Yours' and 'Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits' albums. Even though I was only 3-4 years old, I became enchanted by this incredible voice. 'I Fall to Pieces' became my immediate favorite. I can remember taking the 'Greatest Hits' album and my kiddie record player into the kitchen and listening to it over and over again. So much, that my mother didn't want to hear Patsy for a while. As I grew older, I learned more about Patsy and collected other albums. I was thrilled each time I found something 'new'. I joined the Patsy Cline Fan Club as soon as I learned of it, and maintained my membership off and on as the years passed. I joined the 'Always' club when it was founded in 1993, and remain a member. I've collected almost every book, tape everything I see on TV, and clip every article I find. For 23 of my nearly 27 years, Patsy Cline has been an important part of my life. Her music is still as fresh and exciting to me today as it was the first time I heard it. And, when I hear certain songs, I remember my parents (who have passed on) and smile."
    Bill Cox, Jun 14, 1997.

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