2004-11-27
(THEME)
VOICE ONE:
I'm Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Doug Johnson with People
in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about a young woman
named Virginia Patterson Hensley. No one but her family would
remember that name. The world remembers her as Patsy Cline.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
That song is called "Walkin' After Midnight. " It was Patsy
Cline's first big hit record. She recorded it in nineteen
fifty-seven. It became number three on the list of country music hit
recordings and number twelve on the list of most popular music.
Patsy had worked for many years to make that first successful
record. She began singing when she was a young girl in her home town
of Winchester, in the southern state of Virginia. Patsy sang
anywhere she could. She sang at weddings and dances. She sang at
public eating places for eight dollars a night. Those who knew her
said she worked hard to improve her singing.
In nineteen fifty-four she won a country music competition near
her home. She was twenty-two years old. She was asked to appear on a
country music television program in Washington, D.C. She also sang
on radio programs in the Virginia area and recorded some records.
VOICE TWO:
In nineteen fifty-seven, Patsy Cline appeared on a national
television show in New York City. It was on this program that
millions of people first heard her sing. She sang "Walkin' After
Midnight," a song she had recently recorded. Her appearance on the
television program helped make that record a major hit.
Patsy continued to record more songs. Within two years she had
another major hit. It was called, "I Fall to Pieces." By this time
Patsy's voice had already become something special. She had learned
to control not only the sound but the feelings expressed in her
songs. It was the slow, sad love songs that her fans enjoyed most,
songs like "I Fall to Pieces. "
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Patsy Cline's recording of "I Fall to Pieces" became her first
number one country music hit. It was also a hit with fans of popular
music. Patsy was a major star. She also had begun performing at the
country music theater, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
Those who knew her after she became a recording star say Patsy
Cline was a very good friend. She liked to help young musicians.
Later, many of these young musicians became important stars
themselves. One of Patsy's biggest hit songs also helped two of
these young musicians become known. The song is called
"Crazy. " It was written by an unknown musician who later became
a major country music star. His name is Willie Nelson.
If you listen carefully to Patsy Cline's recording of "Crazy,"
you can hear the beautiful piano playing of another young musician,
Floyd Cramer. He also became a major recording star. Listen to Patsy
and Floyd perform Willie Nelson's song, "Crazy."
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
On March sixth, nineteen sixty-three, Patsy Cline was killed in
the crash of a small airplane. She was only thirty years old. She
was flying home to Nashville. She had taken part in a special
concert in Kansas City to raise money for the family of a country
music radio performer who recently had died.
Patsy Cline was buried near her home town of Winchester,
Virginia. Thousands of people came to her funeral. Ten years after
her death, she became the first woman performer elected to the
Country Music Hall of Fame.
VOICE ONE:
In nineteen eighty-five, Hollywood producers made a movie about
the life of Patsy Cline. It was called "Sweet Dreams. " Popular
actress Jessica Lange played Patsy. No one really could sound like
Patsy Cline. So the producers used her old records in the movie.
Mizz Lange moved her mouth so she appeared to be singing. People who
had never heard of Patsy Cline saw the movie and enjoyed her
singing. They began buying her records. Today, her records still
sell thousands of copies each year as new fans discover her.
We leave you with a song Patsy Cline recorded only a month before
she died. It sounds almost as though she was singing in Special
English. The song is called "Faded Love. "
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by
Lawan Davis. I'm Doug Johnson.
VOICE ONE:
And I'm Shirley Griffith. Join us again next week for People in
America in VOA Special English.