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Originally Posted by Flower Child
I've recently re-discovered Patsy Cline, a woman whose name I've known my whole life but whose music I've really failed to appreciate until now. It may have been the circumstances I was in, the rain, the old pickup, out in the country, with my grandpa, that made this song feel so right. I wish I could have just frozen that moment in time and kept it forever because it was so special. I felt like I was living in a moment back some 60 years ago. I owe it all to Patsy Cline and this old country classic.
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Reading what you wrote and listening to the song, Walkin' After Midnight, made me realize I know next to nothing about Patsy Cline, Flower Child. So I just finished reading the Wikipedia description of her and listening to around 15 more of her songs, such as "Crazy" (which she apparently didn't like).
She really does have a strong, warm voice! I am amazed it can come out of her with her waist so cinched in like it is! And her songs do have a straight-forward simplicity to them that is appealing, like you said, with love or broken love as the main topic (rather than sex).
Her transition from singing country songs to country/pop songs (for which she stopped wearing "country clothes") is one I want to learn more about, because I like it when people break out of their genre of origin. So, I'll be interested to read what you write about her music, since I'm not sure to what degree her music is considered country vs. pop.
Her life story is really interesting, FlowerChild! I didn't realize that she is hailed as one of the first major women singers to gain status and respect as a solo musician, even able to be the main act of shows. She was tough and stood her ground in the industry. I also didn't realize she died so young (30) in a plane accident, leaving her husband and 2 young children. That was sad to read. Her life and her career were so short!
Two quotes about her life stood out for me when I read them:
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To help support her family after her father abandoned them, she dropped out of high school and worked various jobs, soda jerking and waitressing by day at The Triangle Diner[3] across the street from her school, John Handley High. At night, Cline could be found singing at local nightclubs, wearing her fringed Western stage outfits she designed herself and were made by her mother, Hilda.
Her grave is marked with a simple bronze plaque, which reads: Virginia H (Patsy) Cline "Death Cannot Kill What Never Dies: Love."
Patsy Cline - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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What a beautiful quote to have on a grave marker.
Thanks for bringing Patsy Cline to my attention! I bet your grandpa has fond memories of hearing her when he was younger...and a very nice memory of hearing her with you, too!