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N0KFQ > TODAY 21.01.15 16:00l 53 Lines 2555 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 45332_N0KFQ
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Subj: Today in History - Jan 21
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Sent: 150121/1455Z 45332@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.62
Jan 21, 1957:
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts introduce America to Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline, one of the most important figures in country music
history, first gains national attention with her winning
appearance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts on January 21, 1957.
Widely admired for her incredible voice, Cline also stood out for
her trailblazing independence as a female star in an era very
much dominated by men. As many classic recordings as she left
behind, her career was hampered for many years by a terrible
recording contract and cut short by her tragic death in an
airplane crash en route to Nashville from Kansas City in March
1963.
Arthur Godfrey was a major figure in American radio and
television in the 1940s and 1950s, presiding as host over a
number of different programs in both mediums simultaneously. From
his morning news and chat show on CBS radio to his variety shows
on CBS television, Godfrey was a popular and ubiquitous presence
for the better part of two decades. His most popular program was
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, a program featuring amateur
entertainers making their national television debuts. Among the
future stars who got a critical early break by appearing on
Talent Scouts were Tony Bennett, Lenny Bruce, Marilyn Horne and
Pat Boone. A certain loose-hipped young singer from Memphis by
the name of Presley failed to earn a spot on Talent Scouts in
1955, but otherwise the show's track record was admirable. After
several years of struggling for a breakthrough in small venues
and on regional radio, Patsy Cline made the most of her
invitation to Talent Scouts, wowing the studio audience with her
performance of the now-classic "Walkin' After Midnight."
"Walkin'" made it to #2 on the country music charts and #12 on
the pop charts, strongly hinting at Cline's crossover potential.
But the strict terms of her recording contract with a small label
called Four Star limited her to working with that label's stable
of songwriters, who failed to write another hit for Patsy for the
duration of her contract. It was not until 1960, when Cline
signed on with Decca Records that her fortunes improved. Under
the direction of the legendary Nashville producer Owen Bradley,
Cline scored a #1 country hit with "I Fall to Pieces," another
with "She's Got You," and then a top-10 country and pop hit with
the Willie Nelson-penned "Crazy," the classic recording for which
Patsy Cline is perhaps best remembered.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
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