Patsy Cline - Three Classic Albums Plus (Patsy Cline / Showcase / Sentimentally Yours) (Digitally Remastered) (2018)

In many ways Patsy Cline is as much defined by her tragic death as she was by her music. In this respect she joins the likes of Buddy Holly, Hank Williams and Jim Reeves in the “what could have been” game. In pure musical terms, however, Patsy Cline was already a huge star when she died in that awful plane crash in 1963. Unlike Hank Williams, who was pure country, “The Cline” had taken a similar route to Jim Reeves into the pop crossover market. In fact most of her greatest hits were in that category, from “Crazy” to “I Fall To Pieces” to “Walking After Midnight”. In the rare footage of her she cuts a tragic figure probably because we know what would happened to her but in fact her life was largely happy and successful. She was married twice and had two children. She was certainly a feminist pioneer, in all respects from her strength of character, her clothes, her attitude, her support for other female singers such as Loretta Lynn and Dottie West. Her famous “no dough no show” contract with promoters meant she had control over her own career, quite remarkable in those days. But of course all this is forgotten when you drop the needle and listen to that voice. Which it is now time to do, so settle back “Hoss”, and enjoy the show, oh, and I assume you have paid your dough??!!