Patsy Cline Lives At Nashville’s Newest Museum

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The concept of a crossover hit did not exist before Patsy Cline invented it. Born Virginia Patterson Hensley in 1932, she began her career in the genre then called Country and Western, wearing buckskin and fringe cowgirl outfits stitched up by her mother, Hilda. When she tragically died in a plane crash just a few years later, at 30 years old, Patsy Cline was a stylish modern woman at the top of the pop charts.&nbsp;With a rich, expressive contralto voice, she is credited with creating what became known as the Nashville Sound, a pop-infused approach to country music that’s light on the twang and heavy on the drama.

Cline was the first female country artist to get billing over a male. She was the first country singer to headline her own show in Las Vegas and the first woman in country music to perform at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Her hit “Crazy,” penned by Willie Nelson, is still the all-time number one jukebox song. She overcame poverty, a devastating automobile accident and significant professional obstacles to become a confident artist who called the shots in her career. At a time when managers and promoters routinely stole performance proceeds from artists, Cline demanded her money before she took the stage, saying &quot;No dough, no show.&quot;

Two years ago, a museum dedicated to Patsy Cline opened on the second floor of a red brick 19^thcentury building on Nashville’s Third Avenue. Among the displays are outfits she performed in, records, videos, artifacts and personal objects. Visitors especially respond to mid-century modern rooms from her Nashville home, recreated here.

Perhaps the most affecting object in the museum is the wristwatch Patsy Cline wore when the private plane she traveled on crashed on the evening of March 5, 1963. The hands are stopped at 6:20.

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The concept of a crossover hit did not exist before Patsy Cline invented it. Born Virginia Patterson Hensley in 1932, she began her career in the genre then called Country and Western, wearing buckskin and fringe cowgirl outfits stitched up by her mother, Hilda. When she tragically died in a plane crash just a few years later, at 30 years old, Patsy Cline was a stylish modern woman at the top of the pop charts. With a rich, expressive contralto voice, she is credited with creating what became known as the Nashville Sound, a pop-infused approach to country music that’s light on the twang and heavy on the drama.

Cline was the first female country artist to get billing over a male. She was the first country singer to headline her own show in Las Vegas and the first woman in country music to perform at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Her hit “Crazy,” penned by Willie Nelson, is still the all-time number one jukebox song. She overcame poverty, a devastating automobile accident and significant professional obstacles to become a confident artist who called the shots in her career. At a time when managers and promoters routinely stole performance proceeds from artists, Cline demanded her money before she took the stage, saying “No dough, no show.”

Two years ago, a museum dedicated to Patsy Cline opened on the second floor of a red brick 19^thcentury building on Nashville’s Third Avenue. Among the displays are outfits she performed in, records, videos, artifacts and personal objects. Visitors especially respond to mid-century modern rooms from her Nashville home, recreated here.

Perhaps the most affecting object in the museum is the wristwatch Patsy Cline wore when the private plane she traveled on crashed on the evening of March 5, 1963. The hands are stopped at 6:20.