“I just loved the way her voice hung on your bones like an apron.”
This is Grammy-nominated recording artist Grace Potter talking about the legendary singer Patsy Cline, as she reflected on her performance of the singer’s hit song, “Strange.”
Potter is one of the participants in Great Performances presents Patsy Cline: Walkin’ After Midnight, which is a star-studded concert filmed at the historic Ryman Auditorium, Cline’s home stage in Nashville, to celebrate her life, legacy and music.
In addition to Potter, the concert features artists from numerous genres including country, pop, rock, gospel, bluegrass and more from numerous artists such as Wynonna, Ashley McBryde, Beverly D’Angelo, Crystal Gayle, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Mickey Guyton, Kristin Chenoweth, Rita Wilson, Natalie Grant, Kellie Pickler, Pam Tillis, Tigerlily Gold, Reyna Roberts, Tami Neilson, Tiera Kennedy, Mandy Barnett, Annie Bosko, The Isaacs and Home Free.
The program also features archival interviews and commentary from fellow artists and those who knew Patsy including her husband, Charlie Dick, and friends like Loretta Lynn, Dottie West, Roy Clark and Owen Bradley.
Julie Fudge, Cline’s daughter points out that, “The fact that we’re here, 61 years after her passing, talking about it right now, is a testament to what [her] legacy is all about.”
Speaking about listening to her mother’s music, Fudge reveals, “I was a child of the ’70s and listened to anything but [her music]. But at the same time, I became a true fan of Patsy. And so it’s not just listening to Mom, it’s listening to Patsy, and understanding what people hear, and what people feel when they hear those things.”
As for the inception of the event, Fudge adamantly says, “Do you know how many people have covered Patsy? Do you know how many people have openly expressed their influence or their admiration, and where they all are? ‘Cause they cover ever genre.”
Actress and singer Beverly D’Angelo, who starred in the film Coal Miner’s Daughter as Patsy Cline, in a reflective tone, says, “I was [at the Ryman] when I was 27, standing on that stage, singing “Sweet Dreams.” And now I’m looking at, I’m 72…”
She reveals that she was reluctant to perform in the special, even approaching executive producer Barbara Hall with her trepidation. “I said, ‘I can’t. I haven’t sung for 20 years.’ I said, ‘I just want to get out of here. I want to get in a car. I want to do what I did when I was a kid, and I want to drive from Los Angeles to Nashville, and stop along the way at those little roadside bars, and tune up my voice, and get back in front of audiences, and then I’ll hit Nashville. We got so excited about it.”
Ultimately, D’Angelo couldn’t do her proposed LA to Nashville tour, but she did muster up the courage to sing at the Ryman in honor of Cline.
She adds that she thinks that one of Cline’s real gifts as an artist was, “that she really could take on any song and make it like her own, where you go, ‘there’s no other way to sing it.’ I felt that at the tribute.”
As for why she thinks people are enamored with Cline all these years later, and yearn to keep her voice and spirit alive, D’Angelo says, “She just did her thing, and people listened and wanted to hear more. And I think that [it’s] an unfinished story, and we are all compelled to finish it for reasons we can hardly even explain.”
‘Great Performances — Patsy Cline: Walkin’ After Midnight’ premieres Friday, November 22nd. Check your local listings for exact air time. The tribute is also available for streaming on the PBS App.
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