Patsy Cline Collectors Page

How to start a Patsy Cline collection

People are always asking how to start a collection. Lucky for us, my pal Bill Cox has devised a terrific list that makes it easy to get everything that's been commercially released, without having to purchase more CDs than you need.

Studio Recordings:
"The Patsy Cline Collection" (4-CDs, 104 tracks, MCA Records)
"Crazy Dreams - The Four Star Years" (2-CDs, 50 tracks, Sundown Records)

Live/Radio/TV Recordings:
"Live At The Opry" (12 tracks, MCA Records)
"Live, Volume 2" (12 tracks, MCA Records)
"Discovery" (17 tracks, Prism Leisure Records)
"The Birth of a Star" (19 tracks, Razor & Tie Records)
"Live At The Cimarron Ballroom" (17 tracks, MCA Nashville)

Overdub Recordings
(Patsy's original vocals with new instrumental backup):
"Always" (10 tracks, MCA Records)
"Greatest Hits of Jim Reeves & Patsy Cline" (10 tracks incl. 1 duet, RCA Records)
"Remembering Patsy Cline & Jim Reeves" (10 tracks incl. 1 duet, MCA Records)
"Sweet Dreams - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" (12 tracks, MCA Records)
"Patsy Cline Duets, Vol. 1" (12 tracks, Private I/Mercury Records)

There are also some tracks released on other CDs you might be interested in:
"Life's Railway To Heaven," overdubbed with an orchestra, on the CD "The Heart You Break" (Point Records)
"Lovesick Blues," with harmony vocals by Loretta, Dolly & Tammy, on the "Honky Tonk Angels" CD (Columbia Records)
"Lonely Street," a duet with an unknown female singer, on the CD "Today, Tomorrow & Forever" (LaserLight Records)
"Country Radio Shows, Vol. 1" - Contains one 15 min. Army Radio Show from 1956 in which Patsy sings 3 songs, plus reads an Army Commercial, and Faron Young sings 1 song.
"Country Radio Shows, Vol. 2" - Contains one 15 min. Marine Corps Radio Show from 1961 in which Patsy performs several songs including "Crazy," "San Antonio Rose," "I Love You So Much It Hurts," and "I Fall To Pieces."

Most of these are still available in the stores, and over the Internet. If money is an issue, start with eBay.

Fakes to avoid

As an avid collector of Patsy Cline "stuff," it frustrates me to see folks confuse THE Patsy Cline with a lesser-known gal who happened to be born "Patsy Cline" in 1932 in West Virginia and sang on the C&W circuit for a period of time (see her photo, below right). I'm tired of seeing sellers either knowingly or unwittingly passing off this gal's stuff as Virginia Hensley's, and making LOTS of money in the process. Therefore, I feel it is my duty to use my website to educate folks about this.

An honest dealer named Robert Meadows shared with me the following from a small book he has about this Patsy and her singing family:

Just the Facts, Ma'am! The Fake Patsy Cline

While I certainly understand the confusion, even the most uninformed individual can easily see that the facts of one woman's life are clearly different from the facts of the other woman's life:

	Our Patsy was born Virginia Patterson Hensley on September 8, 1932, and did not become known as "Patsy Cline" until she married Gerald Cline in 1953;
	Our Patsy has a sister Sylvia, and a brother Sam a.k.a. John;
	Our Patsy never sang with anyone named Delilah or the Twilight Sweethearts;
	Although she won many contests, Our Patsy never won a contest in Maybeury, WV;
	Our Patsy never sang on a single radio show until she was in her teens;
	Although she could play the piano by ear, Our Patsy never played the guitar or sang with the Buckaroos (see next photo, below).

Patsy and Her Buckaroos Some sellers will even try to explain away the difference in the women's appearances by alluding to some mysterious, extensive cosmetic surgery undertaken by Our Patsy after her car accident in 1961. But even the best plastic surgeon can't make your blue eyes brown (with apologies to Crystal Gayle)!

So be careful out there ~ take the time to become an informed buyer. Remember: a thief without an opportunity calls himself an honest man!

* Note: there is still more to this story, and I'm researching as best I can. If and when I learn more, you will see it right here!
* And furthermore, I don't mean to imply any fault on the part of the lesser-known Patsy. It ain't your fault, honey!

Phony Patsy Cline Posters

Here are some items certain to catch the eye of the unschooled Patsifan: concert posters! Wow! The problem is, these are phony pieces of paper being churned out of people's garages for big bucks. They aren't even reproductions, because you can't reproduce something that never existed in the first place!

	Example #1 What an exciting concert this would have been, had it occurred! But I'm afraid that back in 1953, Patsy was still making the rounds at clubs, trying to hit the big time. She didn't even debut on the Grand Ole Opry until July 1, 1955, and she sure hadn't sung "Crazy" yet, as this poster indicates. Heck, this photo of her had not even been taken yet! Loretta Lynn's career had not even begun ~ she was busy having babies with Doo! Hank Williams died on the evening of December 31, 1952, so he couldn't have been around for this show anyway.

	Example #2 Keep in mind that NO true concert poster from this era included the year on it. Something to note about this poster is that Patsy never would have used such an old photo for a concert in 1962 ~ by that time, she had completely changed her look into a more upscale, cosmopolitan dame!

	Example #3 This poster has obviously been generated for maximum macabre effect. This was Patsy's last concert, just 2 days before the tragic plane crash with fellow stars Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas. Problem: Patsy was a last-minute addition to this show, so there are no promo materials in existence that could possibly have her face on them! And Loretta Lynn did not even appear at this show.

I'm not trying to spoil anyone's fun ~ if you want to have a Patsy poster splashed on your wall, more power to you, as long as you don't purchase it under the false assumption that it is, or ever was, anything other than PHONY!

Thanks to Bill Cox for his assistance with this page!

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