At any rate, Patsy's hands were now full: on August 25, 1958, Patsy gave birth to Julia Simadore Dick, who would occupy most of Patsy's time for the next 12 months or so.
courtesy Guy W. Shackleford
Patsy Cline with daughter Julie
"I don't miss the rat
race a bit. Well, maybe a little."4
(Patsy to Brenda Lee)
"I guess I'm just not cut
out to be a housewife."4
(Patsy to her best friend, Patsy Lillis)
"Sitting around the house
playing the wife and mother is driving me crazy!"1
(Patsy to Charlie)
Patsy was determined to get things going again, and began touring. In February 1959, her husband had been discharged from the Army, and Patsy's relationship with him would be a constant string of battles punctuated with passionate reunions. As a man of the 1950s, he was not wild about her being a career girl.
Patsy often threatened to leave him when the battles got hot, but she never followed through with it.
During Patsy's hiatus, Owen Bradley had been promoted at Decca and would now have far more control to guide Patsy to even greater success in the years to come. Also during her time off, Decca had released 5 more singles of Patsy's, none of which met with any success. Her first post-maternity session in January 1959 also included the fine male quartet, the Jordanaires, for backup:
"I don't want no four men covering me up!"3
courtesy Johnny Franklin
The Jordanaires
Of course, once Patsy heard the result of her work with the Jordanaires, she was thrilled! She was upset once when the Jordanaires were unable to provide backup at one of her sessions ~ they were needed at an Elvis session.
"Well, you turned me down for The Hoss ~ the biggest Hoss of all!"4
Even so, her records were not making it on the radio. And the pickings from McCall's catalog were so awful that even Patsy couldn't work magic with them!
"I don't have any money,
Owen. I'm really up against it. He won't give me any money unless I
record."1
(during her
bleak period in 1959, crying and referring to McCall)
Patsy knew that she had no choice but to move from Winchester to Nashville, the epicenter for all things country and western. She and her husband and baby Julie headed south!
"We haven't had a fuss
since we've been here. He brings me breakfast in bed, but Lord help the
kitchen!"4
(writing home shortly after her move to Madison, TN)
After settling in, Patsy once again went on an extended tour. It was during this tour that she was involved in a major car accident. She was not critically injured, but it was a foreshadowing, perhaps, of events yet to come. Also during this tour, she met yet another man who would prove to be an important figure in her life: Randy Hughes. A musician and artist manager, Hughes took over the reins of Patsy's career masterfully. He advised her to let the remainder of her contract with McCall run out, and then she would be in control of her destiny at last.
In January of 1960, she recorded her last session under McCall!
But Patsy had one more pressing concern:
"Mr. Devine, do you think
I could ever become a member of the Grand Ole Opry?"1
(to Opry stage manager, Ott Devine)
I'm sure you can imagine the result! Patsy was granted membership, and a steady string of regular performances on the Opry followed.
courtesy BMI/Michael Ochs Archives
Patsy Cline
"Verbiage? What's that?"4
Now that her contract with McCall had expired at last, there was some gunfire exchanged between Patsy and Owen over what was to be her first song under her nice, shiny new Decca contract: Harlan Howard's "I Fall to Pieces." Upon her arrival for her first session under this contract on November 16, 1960, the fight erupted.
"It's a pretty song, but it's not for
me."4
(her initial
response upon hearing "I Fall to Pieces")
"Well, if I cut it, that's the way it's going to be. Swing's always been good to me, and I'm just afraid to get away from it, and I guess I just feel like I have to have a little touch of it in everything I do."4
"I like that, even if it wasn't me!"4
(upon
listening to the final version of "I Fall to Pieces")
"Well, I gotta learn that damn song.
I'm getting requests for it, and I guess I gotta learn it."4
(her
sentiments once "I Fall to Pieces" became a huge hit)
"I all but kissed his ass to have him give
me songs, but he don't want a 'nobody' recording his songs!"4
(joking about
Harlan Howard's attitude towards her during her dry spell)
"This is my second hit record now, and I never thought I'd be able to get the first one, let alone the second one."4
"Boys, they can't take that icebox now, they'll never get my car now! I've paid cash for it, it's mine, and I'm a-keepin it!"3
Where did Patsy get the money?
"Owen gave it to me because, baby, I've got a hit record!"3
"Ain't that a kick in the head?"4
(upon learning that
Winchester was creating a "Patsy Cline Day," which never materialized)
Credits: 1-Mark Bego, 2-Trudy Stamper, 3-Joan & Brian Gray,
4-Margaret Jones, 5-Buddy Killen
Copyright © 1998 Patsified! All rights reserved.