This is one of the best stories – the most haunting – is the one that followed the 1963 release of Patsy Cline’s mega hit, Sweet Dreams. It was called by some, after it’s release, the most perfect of all the Patsy Cline songs for the match of tune, lyrics, and her unmistakable voice – and one of her most popular in a career studded with #1 hits. Written in 1955 by songwriter Don Gibson, it was Gibson himself who first recorded Sweet Dreams in late October of that year, a work that helped propel him to stardom as both a writer and performer. The tune had so much appeal from Gibson’s version that in 1960 another country legend, Faron Young, added his style with another recording. It, like Gibson’s, became a country hit on the billboard charts. But three years later, in February of 1963, producer Owen Bradley came to Cline and convinced her to do her own track, only one with a bigger background accompaniment. Bradley wanted to add strings and orchestra to complement Cline’s incomparable voice and interpretation of the lyrics. With some hesitation she agreed, but during the recording sessions she objected to the sound, claiming that the use of strings contradicted her traditional country sound and would offend her already well-established fan base. Bradley, one of the Nashville’s strongest personalities, convinced her otherwise, and the recording was wrapped up on February 5th, and scheduled for release on March 20th. However, Cline would not live to hear it, or enjoy its popularity. She was killed in a small plane crash on March 5th, en route back to Nashville from a benefit performance in Kansas City, Missouri. The country was shocked, of course, and when Sweet Dreams hit the air waves three weeks later it was done as a memorial to her remarkable talent, and the tragic circumstances of her death.
Songs with Banjo from Harold Hagler
