Patsy Cline, country & western superstar, born 1932

Mega-star Patsy Cline, born September 8, 1932 in Winchester, Virginia, is one of the most influential vocalists and one of the most successful country artists ever.  She began performing on a radio station when she was fifteen, which led to more appearances.  She made her first national television appearance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, where she performed Walkin' After Midnight, her first big hit.

Her first single to reach #1 was I Fall to Pieces in 1961. 

She was killed in a plane crash in 1963.  

In 1973, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the first female artist to be included. In 1995, Cline received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.  Her hits I Fall to Pieces and Crazy have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame,

Patsy Cline records "Crazy" 1961

Patsy Cline, one of the queens of country music, recorded Crazy, a ballad composed by Willie Nelson, August 21, 1961.  It has been covered by many other artists, but Patsy's performance has made the song hers.  It reached #2 in 1962. 

Patsy Cline releases "I Fall To Pieces" 1961

The Queen of country music, Patsy Cline released her first #1 hit I Fall to Pieces, January 30, 1961.  It was mainly ignored by radio stations at first, but soon found an audience.  It entered the Billboard Country charts in April and made a slow rise to #1, to #12 on the Billboard Pop chart and #6 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart.  Cline proved that a female could have cross-over hits on both charts. 

The success of I Fall to Pieces gained Cline an invitation to  join the Grand Ol'  Opry.  Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #238 of the top 500 Songs of All Time.  RIAA ranked it as 107 on the list of Songs of the Century.