courtesy Elmer Williams
Patsy Cline in the studio with Owen Bradley & Paul Cohen
Bill McCall had prepared Owen: "I'm gonna send you a girl to record. She's mean as hell and hard to get along with." But Owen said that when Patsy reported to his studio on June 1, 1955: "First trip she came down, she didn't open her mouth. She did anything we asked." The producers chose the songs for this first session, but thereafter, Patsy chose everything she sang until 1958. But to her dismay, the pickings were slim; remember, McCall only allowed her to record from his catalog so that he could make a fast buck! McCall also demanded that Bill Peer pay the musicians out of his own pocket for the first session before any recording would commence.
"Well, if you've got the money and want to go ahead, let's do it as long as he says he'll pay you back."1
June 27, 1955: Patsy and Bill Peer returned to Nashville for her debut on the Grand Ole Opry the following Saturday night! An entourage from Winchester attended her debut, for which she sang, "A Church, A Courtroom, and Then Goodbye," Ernest Tubb's personal selection from her first session.
"Oh, I got to be on the Opry, but I guess
that's the end of it, and I'll have to go back to Virginia and that'll be the end of
it!"4
(sobbing backstage after
the lukewarm response her weepy ballad had received)
The song was set for release on July 20, 1955 b/w "Honky Tonk Merry-Go-Round." That night, Patsy also appeared on Ernest's Mid-Nite Jamboree radio program. If Patsy could just be patient a little longer, her dreams were just about to come true!
courtesy Rush Studio/ MCA Records
Publicity photo, ca. 1955
Not everything was not coming up roses, however. Emotionally, her personal life was falling apart: her marriage to Gerald just wasn't working out, and whether unintentionally or by design, she was wrecking Bill Peer's marriage. His wife was suing him for divorce over his attentions to Patsy. She finally told Bill she was quitting his band.
"Well, Roy, it's time I
started moving on. I'm going to miss you. Staying on is not going to help
matters any, or help my career."1
(Patsy to
Melody Boys musician Roy Deyton)
Patsy's last performance with Bill Peer and His Melody Boys was on October 1, 1955. But she had a new gig as a regular (along with Jimmy Dean) on Connie B. Gay's TV show, Town and Country Jamboree!
courtesy MCA
Patsy Cline with Jimmy Dean, circa 1956
"I look like a damn
butterfly!"4
(referring to a
frilly costume Gay once forced her to wear)
Her first single release had not performed well, so her second single was released in November 1955, "Hidin' Out" b/w "Turn the Cards Slowly."
January 1956 saw Patsy back in the studio for her second session. Her third single was released on February 5, 1956 ~ "I Love You Honey" b/w "Come on in," but like its predecessors, it was met with almost no airplay. While she was not having the hoped-for success on a national scale, locally and regionally she was a hit. Between touring gigs for Connie B. Gay, Patsy performed with the Kountry Krackers.
Patsy had a few words of advice to a new performer on the Connie B. Gay show:
"Hey, hoss! I'm gonna
have to light a fire under your goddamn ass! You're gonna have to learn to get out
there in front of those cameras and hold your head up. Take charge when you're
singing. You walk out there like you're embarrassed to be on that stage. Are
you ashamed to be singing with us? What kind of singer are you? Ain't gonna go
nowhere with that kind of attitude. That's not humility! That's a weakness.
You gotta get up there and and show em! You gotta get em to eat right outta
your hands! You're a star. When you're doing your songs, take command,
hoss!"1
(Patsy's
advice to George Hamilton IV)
"Hey, why don't you tell em a
couple of jokes now and then; they like to feel like you're tryin to get with em."4
(more advice to
George Hamilton IV)
"Hey, chief, lighten up!
You're just out there singin them songs. You ought to crack a few funnies now
and then."4
(still more advice
to George Hamilton IV)
"Hey, there's alot of chicks
tonight on the prowl and I never see you making time with the ladies."4
(and more advice to
George Hamilton IV)
"I guess it's all right to
get your education and have something to fall back on, but you really need to make up your
mind what you're going to be and do. If you want to be a country singer, you need to
live it. And don't get above your raisin. These people out here are down-home
folks and they don't want anybody highhattin em. They're really not interested in
your college degree if you get one. They want you to give em some music you like and
entertain em."4
(further advice to
George Hamilton IV regarding his schooling)
courtesy George Hamilton IV
Patsy Cline and her pupil!
Then on April 13, 1956, Patsy's life would change forever: she met her future husband.
Credits: 1-Mark Bego, 2-Trudy Stamper, 3-Joan & Brian Gray,
4-Margaret Jones, 5-Buddy Killen
Copyright © 1998 Patsified! All rights reserved.