Loretta and Patsy
A couple stories from Loretta Lynn's last book, 'Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust'
Hello! I’ve been spending a lot of time lately preparing for the tour I’m going on in February as the musical director of a production called ‘Trailblazing Women of Country: a tribute to Patsy, Loretta & Dolly.’ It’s 42 shows over 9 weeks and it starts in Twin Falls, Idaho and ends in Westhampton Beach, NY. How does one prepare for such an endeavor? Great question. Besides digging into the tunes, which has been an exciting experience and also a challenge, I have been reading up on some of the history of these remarkable artists. This past week I read “Me and Patsy Kickin’ Up Dust: My Friendship with Patsy Cline” by Loretta Lynn. It was published in 2020 (Grand Central Publishing) and it was her 3rd and final book. I picked it up at Grimey’s when I was doing some holiday shopping, and thought, I’m sure there is so much more to know about this friendship. I was correct!
Dolly writes the forward! It’s short and sweet and she gets right to the point when she says:
There is not a person in the music industry who does not feel like Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn blazed a trail for the rest of us to follow. With their distinct voices, memorable lyrics and emotional stories, they set the tone for what all musicians aspire to - to this day. Nobody else sounds like Loretta, and nobody else sounds like Patsy. ~Dolly Parton
I had always heard Patsy helped Loretta come up but I never knew much more about their friendship besides that Patsy gave Loretta some better clothes. Even the story of how they met was something new to me. Patsy’s song “I Fall To Pieces” had just come out in early 1961. Patsy was in a terrible car accident later that year and was laid up in the hospital, very badly hurt. Loretta was quite new to Nashville and had by chance gotten to know Ernest Tubb, who had generously gotten her a spot on the Grand Ole Opry. Loretta, a huge fan of Patsy, decided to sing Patsy’s song “I Fall to Pieces” and dedicated it to her over the airwaves and sent her healing. Well, Patsy and her husband Charlie had a radio in her hospital room and heard the dedication. Patsy sent Charlie down to the Midnight Jamboree (where everyone went after the Opry back then) and told him to bring Loretta back to the hospital so they could meet. He did just that and this led to a tight knit friendship that was cut tragically short just 2 years later when Patsy died in a plane crash in 1963.
“We were the same age. We both grew up poor. Both of us had to grow up too fast. Neither one of us went to high school. She went to work to help support her family. Me? I married the first boy I ever kissed, followin’ him halfway across the country, having babies when I wasn’t more than a girl myself.” (Lynn, p 47)
After she got out of the hospital, Patsy had Loretta and her husband Doo over for dinner. Patsy played them some demos that had been sent over from producer Owen Bradley to check out. The label was trying to get Patsy to be more of a pop singer. One of the demos was called ‘Crazy’ and she was on the fence about wanting to record it. Her husband Charlie had met a songwriter at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge called Hugh Nelson (aka Willie Nelson) and he gave ‘Crazy’ to Charlie when he found out he was Patsy’s husband. She didn’t like the song.
In August 1961, Patsy had her first recording session since the car accident. The Jordanaires were there to back her up. Loretta was invited to the session. Patsy recorded San Antonio Rose, A Poor Man’s Roses, The Wayward Wind, and True Love. Owen pulled out ‘Crazy.’ His arrangement was ‘jazzy with a deep bass guitar and two pianos.’ (Lynn, p 70)
Patsy’s ribs were still too sore. ‘She was struggling, having a hard time with the high notes. She tried and tried again. Her lungs weren’t ready. It made her so mad. And I could tell it hurt her pride.’ (Lynn, p 70)
Owen said, ‘No sense killing yourself. Go on home. You go rest. I’ll lay down the tracks with the guys. You can come back to record when you’re ready.’ That was unusual back then, isolating a singer’s voice like that, but Owen was good. He was ahead of his time. A few days later, Patsy came back in. Owen recorded her singing ‘Crazy’ and she did the whole song in one take. (Lynn, p 71)
Decca released ‘Crazy’ in October 1961 and it went straight up the country charts. It was a hit on country, pop and adult contemporary radio. With her back to back hits, she got the attention of the label execs that had said investing in women was a bad bet. They started calling her ‘Decca Darlin’ (Lynn, p 88)
October 21, 1961, was the first time she performed ‘Crazy’ for the Opry audience. They gave her 3 standing ovations. ‘Patsy walked off the stage with tears in her eyes, real emotional. She took my hands in hers and said, I guess that’s gonna be my song.’ (Lynn, p 88)
Patsy also taught Loretta other things, like how to shave her legs, how to drive a car and how to embrace her femininity. She gave her clothes and drapes and they went on many adventures about town. She stood up for Loretta when others in the music scene made fun of her for being a ‘country bumpkin.’
Patsy invited Loretta to go on that fateful trip to sing with her, offering her $70. They were going to be flying in Patsy’s manager Randy’s little yellow plane. Loretta had a gig in Memphis and she couldn’t do it. Her last words to Patsy were, “I sure wish I could come with you.” (Lynn, p 167)
In 1977, Loretta went on to record a record of Patsy’s music with producer Owen Bradley, called “I Remember Patsy.” It’s a beautiful record, containing Loretta’s version of many of Patsy’s hit songs. I just gave it a listen yesterday as I was reflecting on their friendship. They both have this amazing quality, like Dolly says, of ‘sounding like themselves.’ For me, this has been a lifelong journey as a musician. Even when interpreting others’ music as I am currently immersed in these three artists’ discographies. There is so much there, and it is fun to find out what to borrow and try on. It’s fascinating to me to find the secret formula of what makes a song come alive. It is more than just aptitude, more than just having the perfect tone. It has something to do with putting your heart and soul into every note that gets played, and remembering to be present in the moment when the music is flowing through.
Loretta:
‘Here’s what Patsy taught me: Nobody can tell you who you are. Ain’t nobody can be you but you. Work hard and stay true to yourself.’ (Lynn, p. 3)
Sage advice from a very wise soul.
From behind the piano, much love to you! xo mp
Thank you--this was so lovely to read.