Honky Tonk Angel (64 page)
Authors: Ellis Nassour
Books
Coal Miner’s Daughter
, by Loretta Lynn with George Vecsey; a Bernard Geis Associates Book, Henry Regnery Company, Chicago; 1976.
The Country Music Encyclopedia
, compiled by Melvin Shestack; Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York; 1974.
The Country Music Story
, A Picture History of Country and Western Music, by Robert Shelton and Burt Goldblatt; Castle Books, Secaucus, New Jersey; 1966.
The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs 1947-1976
, compiled by Vincent Terrace; A.S. Barnes and Company, New York; 1976.
Web sites
wwwpatsyclinetribute.com
A variety of Patsy Cline television appearances, transferred from film to video, can be found at
www.youtube.com
.
D
eep gratitude goes to Mrs. Hilda Hensley, who began this book with me, for sharing her love and memories of her daughter, and to Charlie Dick, the first person interviewed.
The bulk of photographic memorabilia documenting Patsy’s career was taken by WSM-Grand Ole Opry cameraman Les Leverett. Without Mr. Leverett’s untiring cooperation, drive for perfection in the processing stage, and his loyal friendship, this book could not have been realized to the fullest extent.
For their valued cooperation, thank you to the Country Music Foundation Library and Media Center, the Grand Ole Opry, and MCA Records/Nashville.
For source material I thank BMI; Civil Aeronautics Board; Clark County Library, Las Vegas; Jimmy Dean; the Handley Library Stewart B. Bell Jr. Archives, Winchester, Virginia (Rebecca Ebert); Paul Harvey for permission to reprint a portion of his March 5, 1963, broadcast; the Kansas City
Star
, H. R. and Barbara Nash for access to a former home of Patsy Cline and Charlie Dick and mementoes; the Nashville
Banner
and
Tennessean
; the New York City Library for the Performing Arts; the Paley Center for Broadcasting, New York; Time, Inc.; the United States Departments of the Air Force, Army, and National Guard; the Winchester
Star
, and Vanderbilt University Libraries.
Thanks to Acuff-Rose/Sony-Tree Music, Cedarwood Publishing, Cheerleader Music, Loretta Lynn Enterprises, Sure-Fire Music, and Warner Chappell Music for permission to quote song lyrics.
No words can express my gratitude to those who gave so generously of their time to create an oral history of the lives of Patsy Cline and those closely connected with her. Special thanks go to Kathy Hughes (the former Mrs. Randy Hughes and daughter of Cowboy Copas), Jean Shepard (the former Mrs. Hawkshaw Hawkins), Larry Peer, Joseph and Catherine Shrewbridge, and Jenny Yontz (first wife of Bill Peer).
Deep appreciation is due Loretta Lynn for sharing her memories of Patsy during our association and for remembering Patsy in her autobiography,
Coal Miner’s Daughter.
Thanks are due to Marie Flynt for access to her Patsy Cline correspondence; Alfredda Rhoades and Erma Schonfield, Kansas City, for sharing memories and
mementoes of Patsy Cline’s last concert; Louise Seger for sharing her Patsy Cline correspondence; and Ronnie West, son of Gerald Cline, for establishing contact with the Cline family.
I greatly appreciate the assistance of James Baroutas, Guy Cesario, Christie’s New York (Whitney Richardson), Gina Cline (daughter of Gerald Cline), Bill Cox, Tim Davis, Jim Fitzgerald, Walter Gidaly, Phil Hunter, Jim Kniceley, Linda Lenzi, Philip Martin, Faye Morgan, Michael Nassour, the Rapid City [SD] Chamber of Commerce (Stevie Wessel), and Dustin Watson.
At Chicago Review Press I thank Lisa Reardon, Mary Kravenas, Michelle Niebur, and Jonathan Hahn, with special thanks to senior editor Yuval Taylor.
Photographs, interview transcripts, and research materials from this book have been donated to the Country Music Foundation Library and Media Center and to the Handley Library Stewart B. Bell Jr. Archives, Winchester.
I am truly grateful for the praise so many have given this book, which was a labor of love. I’m deeply humbled that my ability to render the recollections of Patsy Cline by Charlie Dick, Hilda Hensley, Jan Howard, Brenda Lee, Roger Miller, Dottie West, Del Wood, Faron Young, and so many others has moved you. A writer can have no greater goal or honor.
ELLIS NASSOUR
2008
E
llis Nassour is a native Mississippian and New York-based arts journalist. He is the author of
Rock Opera: The Creation of Jesus Christ Superstar
, has written for
The New York Times
and New York
Daily News
, and was associate and contributing editor (music, film, theater) of Oxford University Press’s
American National Biography
.
Nassour has developed an original stage musical based on his Patsy Cline biography. The spoken word of the revue
Always, Patsy Cline
is verbatim from interviews with Patsy Cline fan and his family friend Louise Seger. Robyn Archer’s Australian and West End revue
A Star Is Torn
also featured excerpts. Nassour is featured with k.d. lang on Bravo TV’s
The Voice
segment on Patsy Cline and provided source material for numerous TV and radio tributes including the Virginia Public Television documentary
Patsy Cline: The Lady Behind the Legend
.
As vice president of artist relations for MCA Music, Nassour participated in the development of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s
Jesus Christ Superstar
and the careers of Elton John (supervising his American debut and first U.S. tour), The Who, Bill Cosby, Neil Diamond, Loretta Lynn (and her
Coal Miner’s Daughter
campaign), Brenda Lee, Conway Twitty, Florence Henderson, Rick Nelson, and classical guitarist Andres Segovia. At MCA/Universal Studios, he worked with Academy Award-winning composer Alfred Newman on the release of his last score,
Airport,
and on the Broadway revival of
The Boy Friend
, starring Judy Carne and Sandy Duncan. Independently, he worked with disco diva Gloria Gaynor, Broadway composers Jerry Herman and Stephen Sondheim, and crossover star Sarah Brightman.
Ellis Nassour began the St. Patsy’s Day tradition at New York’s Cowgirl restaurant and was instrumental in getting Patsy Cline named to the Cowgirl Hall of Fame.
Warner/Unichappell Music, Inc.; © 1950; all rights reserved; used by permission.
Members of the band contend that when the first three songs were commercially released by Decca, it was with their instrumental backing, for which they were never officially paid.
Coral was to be the company’s country label.
McCall refused because it was not a Four-Star song.
Owned by Harry F. Byrd, former Virginia governor and Democratic senator.
Many family members didn’t know this until they saw the 1985 biographical film
Sweet Dreams,
starring Jessica Lange as Patsy Cline.
Not released in Patsy’s lifetime.
Cohen had put aside his plan to make Coral a country label.
Since the Godfrey show sent Patsy two tickets, she may have made money on the deal.
The technique used for recording a live TV program on film.
Had she forgotten her 1955 appearance?
The only known releases on which Patsy contributed music under the name Virginia Hensley. Virginia Hensley is also listed in the credits of Four-Star writer Barbara Vaughn’s 1956 “Wicked Love,” on which Patsy may have cut a demo.
Used by permission of Teddy Wilburn, Sure-Fire Music, Inc.
Though Patsy claimed the unusual middle name was Delilah’s sister’s name from the Bible, she actually fell in love with it when she saw Cecil B. DeMille’s 1949 film
Samson and Delilah,
starring Hedy Lamarr and Victor Mature, one of her idols. However, the name assigned Angela Lansbury as the villainess’ sister was Semadar.
Pearl eventually joined the act. The Butlers later took in and were mentors to Dolly Parton, who was generous to them upon her success. But when hillbilly music fell from fashion and the couple knew nothing else, there were harsh times. Their furniture and antiques were auctioned for back taxes, but Pearl was still the ever-gracious hostess.
A nickname he acquired from his country and western movie.
Later a Lebanon, Pennsylvania, WVLV Radio disc jockey.
In 1992, at the age of seventy-five, she still plies her craft in Winchester.
The Louisiana Cajun fiddler.
Not to be confused with Patsy’s 1956 recording.
One of several pseudonyms he used. His name is Donald Lytel.
Later a top Nashville agent.
Special-product albums, such as
Ernest
Tubb’s Mid-Nite Jamboree.
Carried briefly Friday nights by NBC while ABC decided on renewal of “Jubilee, U.S.A.” The program featured rotating hosts: Tex Ritter, Jimmy Wakely, Carl Smith, Snooky Lanson, and Rex Allen.
The police report put full blame on young Mrs. Clark.
In fact, he wasn’t on hand.
It’s unclear whom Patsy means, though the sister of Muhammad Reza Pahlevi, the late Shah of Iran, was in the audience.
“She’s Got You” by Hank Cochran; © 1962, Pamper Music, Inc.; copyright renewed by Sony-Tree Music Publishing; all rights reserved; used by permission.
Perhaps Charlie only spoke of doing this, since he did father a child in his marriage to Jamey Ryan.
One of the original stars of the Wheeling, West Virginia, Jamboree and later a member of the Opry.
Wagoner has claimed several of those: with Norma Jean, Tammy Wynette, and a lengthy affair with former singing partner Dolly Parton.
The 1957 Bobby and Viotet Lord tune.
The Decca star from the Louisiana Hayride. After marrying country star Carl Smith, she retired to their quarterhorse and cattle ranch.
She donated these to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1981.
He was married to Wright’s sister Louise.
“I Miss You More Today,” by Lorene Allen and Loretta Lynn, © 1972 Sure-Fire Music Company; all rights reserved; used by permission.
© 1977, Outer Banks Music Company. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
“Strange,” by Mel Tillis and Fred Burch, © 1961. Cedarwood Publishing Company; all rights reserved; used by permission.
“This Haunted House,” by Loretta Lynn, © 1964, Sure-Fire Music Company; all rights reserved; used by permission