Patsy now hit the concert trail and threw herself into more recording sessions.  But her sessions would never be the same:  Owen began incorporating strings into Patsy's sound!  Then in August 1961, Patsy found herself listening to a demo record that she absolutely hated.  The name of the tune?  "Crazy."  However, with a little persuasion, she went on to nail it in one take, with her own signature style, and the rest, as they say, is history!

"I can sing that better, hoss."1
            (to Owen Bradley after the first take on "Crazy")

"Well, we finally did it!  I think I've found out who I am and what we've been looking for.  We don't have to search for my identity anymore.  This is it ~ we're doing it!"1
         (to Owen Bradley, listening to the playbacks from that magical session)

It was time to introduce her new single at the Opry:

"I recorded a song called 'I Fall to Pieces,' and I was in a car wreck.  Now I'm worried because I have a brand-new record, and it's called 'Crazy!'"1
            (prior to singing "Crazy" at the Opry for the first time)

"I guess that's gonna be my song!"1
            (after receiving 3 standing ovations that same night)

"Harlan, you sure are a slut!  That's a dirty song, y'know?  It's talking about gettin laid!"1
            (to Harlan Howard regarding "Foolin Round")

With a smash hit on her hands, the awards poured in.  On November 27, 1961 her 2nd album, "Showcase," was released.  But the highest honor of all:  Patsy performed at Carnegie Hall, along with several other Opry stars!

courtesy MCA
Patsy Cline & "the Hicks from the Sticks" arrive in New York, November 1961
Clockwise surrounding Patsy:  Minnie Pearl, Jim Reeves,
Faron Young, Bill Monroe, Grandpa Jones

"We're gonna be in 'high cotton' next week ~ Carnegie Hall in New York City!  That ole Dorothy Kilgallen in the New York Times [sic] wrote 'everybody should get out of town because the hillbillies are coming!'  Well, at least we ain't standin on New York street corners with itty-bitty cans in our hands collecting coins to keep up the opera and symphonies.  Miss Dorothy called us Nashville performers 'the gang' from the Grand Ole Opry ~ 'hicks from the sticks.'  And if I have the pleasure of seeing that wicked witch, I'll tell her how proud I am to be a 'hick from the sticks!'"1
            (onstage during a concert, November 25, 1961)

"She was chicken to show her face!"1
            (after her Carnegie Hall performance, upon learning that Kilgallen had not attended)

courtesy Les Leverett/WSM
Patsy Cline performs at Carnegie Hall, November 1961

Dottie West recalled Patsy's words about the experience:

"As I walked from the dressing room to the stage up this flight of stairs, all I could think of when I touched the railing was of all the famous, fantastic people ~ singers and musicians of all kinds ~ who had walked up those stairs to the stage.  I got a rush as I walked onstage and heard this mob cheering.  I could feel the good vibes as I moved up to the microphone.  You really don't need a mike in that place!  The acoustics are so good, you can just stand there and be heard even by the people sitting way up in the Gods ~ the last row of the uppermost balcony."1

"Cut the B.S., hoss.  Come on over and let's hear the goddamned masterpiece."4
            (to Hank Cochran when he pitched "She's Got You" to her over the phone)

Patsy instantly fell in love with Hank's song, and it become her next hit single.  In December 1961, Patsy was diagnosed as suffering a "nervous breakdown" and was ordered to bed for two weeks.  With all of the events that had occurred in the whirlwind of 1961, it's easy to see why she was exhausted!

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Credits:  1-Mark Bego, 2-Trudy Stamper, 3-Joan & Brian Gray,
4-Margaret Jones, 5-Buddy Killen

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