PATSY CLINE - Walkin' After Midnight

by Jim Meyer

Patsy Cline was killed in a small plane crash near Cambden, Tennessee on March 05, 1963. She was just 30 years old. Just days before, she'd told her friends, Dottie West and June Carter of a sense of impending doom and had even written out a will on a piece of Delta Airlines stationary. One always wonders what could have been...but then again, her musical legacy is sublime.

Having spent the afternoon listening to Texas music,  I went off looking for more traditional fare. This is my absolute no. 1 favorite Patsy Cline song.  Yes, I like it more than "Crazy" and "She's Got You":

I challenge you to listen all the way through without taking a shot (or several) of whiskey. Produced by the mighty Owen Bradley, founder of the "Nashville Sound."

Just about every female country singer out there has tried to imitate her -- but I've heard only two that got it right. One is k.d. lang, and the other is LeAnn Rimes. This is downright scary:

By the way, the Patsy bio-pic "Sweet Dreams" is not terribly realistic, but you do get to watch Jessica Lange for two hours, and she had the good sense to just lip-synch the originals.