The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE, VA (VR) –Elvis Presley and Patsy Cline, both born during the Great Depression, achieved international fame early in their careers as vocalists who helped shape American music during the 20th Century.
Cline, who was born in Winchester, Va. on Sept. 8, 1932, dropped out of high school in 1947, after Samuel Lawrence Hensley, her father who was an amateur singer, abandoned her mother, Hilda Virginia Patterson Hensley, in 1947. Patsy, who was 15, began singing and working at odd jobs to help her mother make ends meet. She sang at local radio stations and joined Bill Peel’s band which enabled her to gain experience and develop her contralto voice.
Cline’s breakthrough moment came in 1957 when she sang “Walkin’ After Midnight” on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, a performance that vaulted her into the national spotlight. In 1958, she moved to Nashville and signed a recording contract with Decca Records, where producer David Bradley assisted her in bridging from country music to popular music. Her blend of country and pop vaulted her to international fame for No. 1 hits such as “Fall To Pieces” (1961) and “Crazy” (1962).
After suffering a nearly fatal car crash that left her forehead scarred, Cline recovered and continued touring. However, after performing at a charitable benefit in Kansas City, Kansas, Cline elected to return to Nashville by flying back rather than by car.
Her manager, Ramsey D. “Randy” Hughes, was her pilot, and despite the warning about dangerous winds and poor visibility due to cloud cover he received, Hughes, after landing in Dyersburg, Tennessee to refuel, decided to compete his flight plan to reach Nashville. His Piper-PA-24 Comanche plunged from the sky nose first into a forest near Camden, Tennessee, killing all aboard: Cline, Harold Franklin “Hawkshaw” Hawkins, Lloyd Estel “Cowboy” Copas, and Hughes.
A photo of Elvis Presley was found after her death, the last photo Cline had entered into her photograph album. Like Cline, Elvis had achieved international fame as a vocalist, recording numerous No. 1 hits. In 1973, four years before Elvis died, Cline became the first female vocalist to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Elvis, like Cline, gained national prominence by performing on national TV, “The Ed Sullivan Show.” He had already attained widespread recognition in the South after graduating from Humes High School in Memphis in 1953. In 1954, Elvis connected with Sam Phillips at Sun Records, and his baritone voice bridged gospel music, with country music, with pop and rhythm and blues.
By 1956, Elvis was the top recording artist with RCA Victor, and his recording of “Heartbreak Hotel” vaulted him into orbit in the world of music. Soon he was the top recording artist on the planet, selling 500 million records worldwide.
Dubbed as King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis dominated the 1950s music charts before being drafted into the US Army in 1958. He severed in Germany, where he met his wife-to-be, Priscilla.
During his career as an entertainer/vocalist, Elvis won three Grammy Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Also, he starred in 28 movies, beginning with “Love Me Tender,” a movie he made his Hollywood debut in with established movie stars, Debra Pageant and Richard Egan.
Elvis recordings topped the charts in the United Kingdom where he charted the most No. 1 hits, and he holds the record for the most certified gold and platinum albums. Such hits as “Love Me Tender” (1956), “Jailhouse Rock” (1957), “Blue Hawaii” (1961) and “Viva Las Vegas” (1964), continue to be played on radio stations across the nation along with his “Suspicious Minds” (1968).
The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll continues to be celebrated by many Elvis tribute artists, including Michael Hoover who defeated 95 other Elvis tribute artists in an International Elvis Tribute Artist Competition in Memphis. Hoover will team with Denise Glass to pay tribute to Elvis and Patsy Cline respectively on stage at The Historic Masonic Theatre on Sat., August 8, at 7:00 p.m.
