Fifty years ago today, America lost three of its most beloved county singers. Patsy Cline, along with fellow Grand Ol’ Opry stars, Lloyd (Cowboy) Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Patsy’s manager, Randy Hughes, died in a plane crash that shocked the nation. The group, along with several other entertainers, had done three benefit shows in Kansas City on March 3, but stormy weather kept them grounded the next day. On the following day, they were all weary and anxious to get back home. Even though the weather had improved only slightly, pilot Randy Hughes thought they could get home by flying into and out of small airports between storms. It turned out to be a devastating decision. On the evening of March 5, their plane hurtled into the woods near Camden, Tennessee, just 85 miles from their Nashville destination.
A half-century has passed, but people haven’t forgotten and still cherish the legacy Patsy left. Her fringed skirts. Her laughter. Her ability to say what was on her mind. Her unparalleled ability to sing a country ballad that still pulls heart strings today.
While I don’t remember the exact day of her tragic death, I grew up hearing “Crazy” and “Sweet Dreams” on the radio. If there was a playlist of the songs of my teenage years, Patsy’s songs would be on it. As an adult, I’ve become even more enamored with her talent and the impact she had on the American music scene.
These impressions and songs became the soundtrack for my novel Sweet Dreams which hits the shelves in two months. The title is inspired by the song Patsy made famous. Ironically, it was recorded in February of 1963, but not released until a little over a month after her death. I wonder today what dreams Patsy might have had during that recording session. What things she aspired to. What dreams she had for her two young children. What she might have done if she’d known . . .
And so I sat down to write, not Patsy’s story, but that of two cousins on the brink of adulthood. Two young women with very different backgrounds and dreams. It was my belief as I wrote it – and now – that dreams are the backbones of what we do with this life, the glimmer on the horizon that pulls us ever forward. Dreams are the air we breathe, the world full of possibility and promise. Without them, we would wither away.
In honor of Patsy Cline’s legacy, I’m giving away an autographed ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of Sweet Dreams (also available for preorder here). I’ve never done this before – ARCs are reserved for reviewers and are precious few to come by. However, since so many have asked, I’m going to part with one of my copies, because there’s no greater dream realized that having fabulous readers like you.
HOW TO ENTER: Leave a comment and tell me if you remember Patsy Cline, and if you do, what is your favorite song of hers? Tweet about this post or link on your FaceBook page and I’ll give you an extra entry for each. Just be sure and let me know in the comments that you’ve done so. I’ll draw for the winner one week from today – March 12.
And now, because I know the song is playing in your head, enjoy Patsy singing “Sweet Dreams.”