Patsy Cline

Legendary vocalist Patsy Cline, the most popular female country singer in recording history, crossed over to the Pop charts and blazed a trail for generations of artists who followed in her footsteps. ∙ Cline made her national TV debut in 1957 on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, performing her now-classic “Walkin’ After Midnight,” which shot up the Billboard Pop and Country charts. ∙ Named an official member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1960, she performed as part of their sold-out show at New York City’s Carnegie Hall the following year. ∙ Her song “Crazy,” written by a young Willie Nelson, went to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962 and was later declared the No. 1 jukebox hit of all time. ∙ Johnny Cash coheadlined the Hollywood Bowl with her in 1962, and that same year she became the first female country artist to headline her own Las Vegas show. ∙ Patsy Cline’s Greatest Hits—released in 1967, just a few years after her life was tragically cut short—has sold more than 10 million copies in the US alone. ∙ In 1973, she posthumously became the first solo female artist inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Grammys honored her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. ∙ She has been depicted in numerous films and TV shows, including the 1985 biopic Sweet Dreams, which earned actress Jessica Lange an Academy Award nomination.