This is a subscriber-only article
Patsy Cline was the first solo female artist to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame back in 1973.
Ten years earlier, on 5 March 1963, she died in a small plane crash in Tennessee that also claimed the lives of two other Opry stars at the time, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas, as well as her manager Randy Hughes, who was piloting the plane.
It seemed for a few years that tragedy just stalked the Opry stars. Johnny Horton, on the cusp of a huge career in country music with chart-topping songs such as North To Alaska, The Battle of New Orleans, and Springtime In Alaska, died in a road traffic accident in November 1960 at the age of 35.
And on 31 July 1964, country music lost Jim Reeves, one of its biggest and most enduring legends, when his plane went down in Tennessee.
Legacy
Patsy Cline was just 30 at the time of her death but her enduring legacy continues to inspire and enthral performers and country music lovers down through the decades.
The lady from Virginia holds iconic status and, along with Kitty Wells, is seen as one of the most influential singers in her chosen genre, opening many doors for the likes of Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and other female singers who became superstars in their chosen field.
Sligo native Sandy Kelly has become synonymous with the music of Patsy Cline since she made the move to country music in the late 1980s.
At the time, the former Ireland Eurovision representative was encouraged to make the move by record company executive Shay Hennessy.
Sandy was at a crossroads in her musical life.
The easy-listening pop scene had taken a nosedive and the disco era was in full swing. But Shay was convinced there was a market for a Patsy Cline-style singer.
I had major reservations about it at the start but he convinced me to record the Willie Nelson song Crazy, which was a huge hit for Patsy Cline.
"I relented and am I glad that I did. That song changed my entire career.
“Within months I had my own show on RTÉ and I later got to record duets with Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and a whole host of American legends in Nashville.
"Within months my whole life began to focus on country music and the way in which it connects with the hearts of people.”
Tribute show
In the early 1990s, Sandy had the idea to do the Patsy Cline tribute show.
She became enthralled with the music of the lady from Virginia and the spell she cast not just on country music followers but the much wider public who found solace, joy and love in the songs of Patsy Cline.
After all, from her massive 1957 hit with Walking After Midnight to other classics such as I Fall To Pieces, Faded Love, She’s Got You, Crazy, and Sweet Dreams, all the material was there to touch base with a ready-made audience.
Sandy scripted the show, featured in the lead role and, for many years, had George Hamilton IV, the Opry star and gentleman of country music, as the superb narrator of the show.
Sadly, George died suddenly in 2014 while making plans to travel to London to star alongside Sandy in another Patsy Cline story tour.
Sandy Kelly and George Hamilton.
“Harold Bradley, the legendary Nashville session musician who performed on hundreds of albums, including those of country stars such as Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley and Slim Whitman, introduced me to Charlie Dick, husband of Patsy Cline, before I started doing the Patsy Cline tribute shows.
"Charlie helped me research so much about Patsy and her life,” says Sandy.
“I also got to know their daughter Julie. I have visited Winchester, Virginia, hometown of Patsy, and spoken to locals who knew her as the local girl who achieved fame in Nashville.
"This gives one a much better understanding of Patsy and what she meant to the people in her home area.
"Along with George Hamilton, I attended the Patsy Cline memorial weekend in Virginia and also visited the scene of the accident in Camden, Tennessee.”
Sandy retains fond memories of the early years of the show when, under the promotional expertise of Mervyn Conn, she fronted the show in London’s West End.
“We played to full houses and standing ovations. I loved every minute of it and George Hamilton did likewise. He was an absolute gentleman.
“I am so much looking forward to meeting devotees of the musical legacy of Patsy Cline at our shows all over Ireland in February and March.
"I am also very pleased to have Gerry Guthrie and his excellent band as part of this tour.
“Gerry got his first job on the circuit as lead guitarist with me when he was just 19. He sings songs of that era, including numbers from Hank Williams and others, on the show.
"We are all looking forward to the 13-date tour, which gets underway this week in Westport.”
The Patsy Cline Music and Memories Show, starring Sandy Kelly, with special guest Gerry Guthrie, will play 13 shows during February and March. The tour starts in Westport Town Hall Theatre on 8 February. For a full list of dates and more details about the show, visit www.tomkellypromotions.com.
SHARING OPTIONS: