Patsy Cline Chronology

1932
Born Virginia Patterson Hensley, on September 8, at Winchester Memorial Hospital, Winchester, Virginia.

1946 - 1947
Virginia Auditions For Disc Jockey Joltin' Jim McCoy at Radio Staion WINC, Winchester. She Wins A Regular Spot On McCoy's Saturday Broadcast.

1948
Virginia Catches the Ear of Wally Fowler When Fowler Brings His Oak Ridge Quartet To the Palace Theater In Winchester. Fowler Invites Virginia to Audition For WSM In Nashville.

The Hensley's Travel To Nashville. Virginia Auditions For Opry Talent Manager, Jim Denney, But Does Not Receive An Immediate Offer For Employment. She Returns To
the Clubs and Taverns Around Winchester.

1952
Virginia Begins Working With Bill Peer and His Melody Boys at the Moose Lodge In Brunswick, Maryland. At Peer's Urging, Virginia Adopts the Stage Name "Patsy,"
Derived From Her Middle Name of Patterson.

Patsy Meets, and Begins Dating, Gerald Cline, From Frederick, Maryland

1953
Patsy Marries Gerald Cline On March 7, Officially Becoming Patsy Cline

1954
Patsy Wins First Prize at the National Country Music Championships, Held In Warrenton, Virginia, Sponosored By Washington, DC Promoter, Connie B. Gay. She Later Joins Mr. Gay's Radio Broadcast, Town and Country Time.

On September 30, Patsy Signs Her First Recording Contract With Four Star Music Sales. The Fine Print of the Contract Would Be A Sticking Point In Patsy's Career For the
Next Several Years.

Four Star Negotiates A Leasing and Distribution Arrangement With Decca Records.
Decca Secures Control of the Recording Sessions and Choice of Producer.

1955
On June 1, Under the Supervision of Owen Bradley, Patsy Has Her First Recording Session In Nashville

On July 1, Patsy Makes A Guest Appearance With Ernest Tubb On the Ralston-Purina Portion of the Grand Ole Opry. Many Guest Spots Follow.

1956
Patsy Separates From Gerald Cline

Patsy Meets, and Begins Dating, Charlie Dick, From Winchester

Patsy's Father, Samuel Hensley, Passes Away At Age 67

1957
Patsy Appears On the January 21 broadcast of Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. The Audience Responds Enthusiastically To Her Performance of "Walking After Midnight,"
and Patsy Wins The Contest.

"Walking After Midnight" Is Released On February 11. It Becomes A
#2 Country Hit and A #12 Pop Hit.

Decca Releases Patsy's First Album, Patsy Cline, On August 5

Patsy and Gerald Divorce

Patsy Marries Charlie Dick On September 15

1958
Patsy Gives Birth To A Daughter, Julie, On August 25

1959
Charlie, Patsy and Julie Move To Nashville

Patsy Signs A Management Contract With Randy Hughes

1960
Patsy Becomes A Member of the Grand Ole Opry On January 9

Patsy's Contract With Four Star Comes To An End, and She Signs With Decca

On November 16, In Her First Recording Session Under the New Decca Contract,
Patsy Records "I Fall To Pieces"

1961
Patsy Gives Birth To A Son, Randy, On January 21

Decca Releases "I Fall To Pieces" On January 30. The Song Begins A Slow Climb
Up The Charts.

On June 14, Patsy Is Critically Injured In A Car Accident Near Her Home In
Madison, Tennessee. She Remains Hospitalized For A Month.

While In The Hospital, "I Fall To Pieces" Becomes Patsy's First #1 Country Hit

Patsy Performs Her First Post-Accident Concert at the Cimarron Ballroom In
Tulsa, Oklahoma On July 29

During An Eight Day Period In August, Patsy Records "Crazy," Along With Tracks
For Her 2nd Decca Album

Patsy Introduces "Crazy" at the Grand Ole Opry On October 14. She Receives
Three Standing Ovations.

Decca Releases "Crazy" On October 16. It Becomes A #2 Country Hit and A #9 Pop Hit.

Decca Releases Patsy's 2nd Album, Patsy Cline Showcase, on November 27

Patsy Is Named Favorite Female Vocalist By Major Industry Publications, Including Billboard and CashBox

Patsy Performs at Carnegie Hall, In New York City, On November 29 As Part of A
Grand Ole Opry Show To Benefit the Musicians Aid Society

Patsy Records "She's Got You" On December 17, Then Takes the Final Two Weeks
of the Year To Rest and Relax

1962
Decca Releases "She's Got You" On January 10. It Becomes Patsy's 2nd #1 Country Hit, Spending Five Weeks At the Top of the Chart. The Song Also Becomes A #14 Pop Hit As Well As Patsy's First Entry On the British Charts.

Other Singles Released During The Year Include "When I Get Through With You" (#10 Country, #21 Pop), "So Wrong" (#14 Country, #85 Pop) and "Heartaches" (#73 Pop)

Patsy Joins "The Johnny Cash Show" As the Mainstay Vocalist. The Tour Includes A Performance at the Hollywood Bowl On June 15.

Patsy Purchases Her "Dream Home" On Nella Drive In Goodlettsville, Tennessee

Decca Releases Patsy's 3rd Album, Sentimentally Yours, on August 6

For the 2nd Year In A Row, Industry Publications Name Patsy Favorite Female Vocalist

Patsy Performs A 35 Day Engagement, November 23-December 28, At the
Mint Casino's Merri-Mint Theater In Las Vegas, Nevada

1963
A Last Minute Addition, Patsy Performs at A Benefit Concert In Kansas City On March 3. Randy Hughes Flies Patsy, Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins To Kansas City
In His Piper Comanche.

After Being Delayed By Bad Weather, Patsy, Randy, Cowboy and Hawkshaw Depart For Nashville On the Afternoon of March 5. Dodging the Weather Along the Flight Path, They Make A Refueling Stop In Dyersburg, Tennessee. Departing Dyersburg at 6:07pm, the Plane Encounters Turbulent Weather and Crashes Near Camden, Tennessee at Approximately 6:30pm. There Were No Survivors.

Patsy Scores Several Posthumous Hits, Including "Sweet Dreams (of You)," #5 Country and #44 Pop, and "Faded Love," #7 Country and #96 Pop. Decca Releases Patsy's 4th Album, A Deluxe Two Record Retrospective Entitled The Patsy Cline Story, On June 10.

For the 3rd Consecutive Year, Patsy Is Named Favorite Female Vocalist By Leading Industry Publications. Daughter Julie Accepts the Awards at the Country Music
Festival Ceremonies In November.

1964 - 1969
Decca Continues To Release Patsy Cline Singles, With Several Registering On the Charts, Including "He Called Me Baby" (#23 Country, 1964) and "Anytime" (#73 Country, 1968).

Decca Releases Patsy's 5th and 6th albums A Portrait of Patsy Cline and That's How A Heartache Begins. Decca's Budget Subsidiary, Vocalion, Releases the Albums Here's Patsy Cline and Country Great.

Decca Releases Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits On March 13, 1967. The Album Goes On To Become the Biggest Selling Hits Collection By A Country Female Artist.

1973
Patsy Becomes the First Female Soloist Elected To the Country Music Hall of Fame

1985
Sweet Dreams, A Feature Length Film Biography, Is Released

1995
Patsy Is Given the Lifetime Achievement Award From the National Academy
of Recording Arts and Sciences

(NOTE: The Lifetime Achievement Award Is Presented By the Recording Academy's National Trustees To Performers Who, During Their Lifetimes, Have Made Creative Contributions of Outstanding Artistic Significance To The Field of Recording.)

1998
Patsy's Mother, Hilda Hensley, Passes Away At Age 82

1999
Patsy Receives A Star On the Hollywood Walk of Fame

2004
Sam Hensley, Jr., Patsy's Brother, Passes Away At Age 64

2008
The "Sweet Dreams: The Life and Times of Patsy Cline" Symposium Is Held at the
Virginia Historical Society in Richmond

2011
Patsy's Childhood Home, at 608 S. Kent Street in Winchester, VA Opens To The Public

2012
The "Patsy Cline: Crazy For Loving You" Exhibit Opens at the Country Music Hall of Fame
in Nashville, TN For A 10-Month Run

2013
The "Becoming Patsy Cline" Exhibit Opens at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley
in Winchester, VA For An 11-Month Run