Celebrating the life of

Patsy Cline

08 Sep 1932 - 05 Mar 1963

Patsy Cline was an American singer and one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. She successfully moved from country to pop music, selling millions of albums amidst her career. The Timeline below highlights the incredible life Patsy Cline led, which was cut far too short as a result of her horrific plane accident.

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8 Sep 1932

Mary Carr Cline was born as Virginia Patterson Hensley in Winchester, Virginia on September 8, 1932, to Hilda Virginia (née Patterson; 1916–1998) and Samuel Lawerence Hensley (1889–1956). Mrs. Hensley was only 16 years old at the time of Cline's birth.

1945

Mary Carr Cline taught herself how to play the piano around the age of eight. She later discovered her passion for singing.

1945

Mary Carr Cline and her mother performed duets at church social events. They also often sang in their local Baptist choir.

1946

Mary Carr Cline’s first radio performances began at WINC in the Winchester area. Whilst also appearing in talent contests and creating a nightclub cabaret act similar to the performer Helen Morgan.

1947

Mary Carr At age 15, Cline wrote a letter to the Grand Ole Opry asking for an audition. Several weeks later, she received a return letter from the Opry asking for pictures and recordings.

Aug 1952

Mary Carr Clarence William "Bill" Peer had a radio show and a band, Melody Boys and Girls. Where Cline began working full-time under the stage name Patsy.

Oct 1952

Mary Carr In October 1955 Cline broke both professionally and personally with Peer, with whom she had been having an affair.

1953

Mary Carr Patsy married her first husband, Gerald Cline, in 1953. She kept her surname as her stage name.

1954

Mary Carr In 1954, Cline signed her first contract with the 4 Star Record Company, Inc. She recorded her first songs in Nashville: "Hidin' Out," "Honky-Tonk Merry-Go-Round," "Turn the Cards Slowly," and "A Church, a Courtroom, and Then Goodbye."

1957

Mary Carr Cline skyrocketed to fame when she appeared on the nationally televised Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts program. She sang a pop tune, "Walkin' After Midnight," and won.

1957

Mary Carr Cline was awarded "star of the month" in 1957.

1957

Mary Carr Cline's single "Walkin After Midnight" featuring on her first album, became a hit. It shot all the way to number three on Billboard's country chart. More importantly, however, "Walkin"' also rose to number 17 on the pop charts. This song was used to bridge the gap between country and pop.

1957

Mary Carr Cline release her first studio Album “Patsy Cline”. She recorded 12 songs for the album, a mix of honky tonk, rockabilly, and country pop.

1957

Mary Carr Cline divorced Gerald in 1957. She later married Charles Dick. The couple had two children together, a daughter Julie and a son Randy.

1958

Mary Carr After Cline gave birth to her first daughter Julie, in hopes of restarting her career, Cline and her family moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

1960

Mary Carr Patsy proudly joined the cast of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee—a true sign of her place in country music.

Feb 1961

Mary Carr Randy Dick was born in 1961.

Oct 1961

Mary Carr In 1961 she was invited to perform as part of the Grand Ole Opry's show at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She was joined by Opry stars Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones, Jim Reeves, Bill Monroe, Marty Robbins, and Faron Young.

Oct 1961

Mary Carr Cline released her second studio album “Showcase”, recorded with The Jordanaires. The album produced two singles that became hits on both the Billboard country and pop charts. The first, "I Fall to Pieces," became Cline's first number one hit on the Billboard country chart and also reached the Top 15 on the pop Top 100 in 1961.

Nov 1961

Mary Carr Flyer for the November 29, 1961 Grand Ole Opry concert at Carnegie Hall.

Nov 1961

Mary Carr Patsy Cline–autographed program from November 29, 1961.

Dec 1961

Mary Carr Cline's Opry performance at Carnegie Hall resulted in her receiving numerous awards. By the end of the year, Cline had won several major industry awards including "Favorite Female Vocalist" from Billboard Magazine and Cashbox Magazine's "Most Programmed Female".

1962

Mary Carr Cline released her third studio album “Sentimentally Yours”. The first single, "She's Got You" was released early in 1962 and became a #1 hit on the Billboard Country Chart and crossed over into the Pop chart to #14, becoming another major crossover hit for Cline.

5 Mar 1963

Mary Carr Patsy Cline tragically died at the age of 30 as a result of a plane crash.

6 Mar 1963

Mary Carr The aircraft came down in Camden, Tennessee, along with their pilot and Patsy’s manager, Randy Hughes. The plane was found 90 miles (140 km) from its Nashville destination in a forest outside of Camden.

8 Mar 1963

Mary Carr Shortly after takeoff from a refueling stop, the pilot lost control of the small Piper PA-24 Comanche while flying in low visibility conditions, and subsequently crashed into a wooded area, leaving no survivors.

1973

Mary Carr In 1973, Cline was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the first female solo artist in Country Music history to receive that honour.

1992

Mary Carr In 1992, the U.S. Postal Service honored Cline, along with Hank Williams, on a U.S. postage stamp.

2005

Mary Carr Several documentaries and stage shows were released during this time, including the 1988 musical "Always...Patsy Cline". A 1991 box set of her recordings was issued that received critical acclaim. Her greatest hits album sold over 10 million copies in 2005. In 2011, Cline's childhood home was restored as a museum for visitors and fans to tour.

2017

Mary Carr In 2017, the Patsy Cline Museum opened in Nashville, Tennessee. The museum includes Cline's actual stage costumes, as well as her original scrapbook and record albums. It also features other artifacts, such as the soda fountain machine from Gaunt's Drug Store, where Cline worked as a teenager. As the museum is visited thousands of times a day, her music also continues to be celebrated today.