The late Patsy Cline graced the stage of Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium during a career that got cut short by a March 5, 1963 plane crash. It's fitting, then, that country music's Mother Church will host the recently-announced concert Walkin' After Midnight: the Music of Patsy Cline. The star-studded show will be held on April 22 and is being billed as "a music event paying homage to her legend from her home stage."
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Several country stars are scheduled to perform, from contemporary acts (Ashley McBryde, Home Free, Mickey Guyton) and Country Music Hall of Famers (Wynonna Judd, Tanya Tucker) as well as the legendary Pam Tillis, musical theater standout Kristin Chenoweth, Hollywood star Rita Wilson and Christian music vet Natalie Grant. In addition, there's two guests who've played Cline on film or the stage: Beverly D'Angelo (the 1980 Loretta Lynn biopic "Coal Miner's Daughter") and Opry member Mandy Barnett (the play "Always... Patsy Cline," which opened in 1994 at the Ryman).
? JUST ANNOUNCED! Join us as we honor Patsy Cline in "Walkin' After Midnight," a music event paying homage to her legend from her home stage at the Ryman on April 22. pic.twitter.com/Qjh0SYFFe5
— Ryman Auditorium (@theryman) February 27, 2024
The poster promises that more names will be announced.
The Cline songbook's most earmarked pages include the Willie Nelson composition "Crazy," "I Fall to Pieces," "She's Got You," "Back in Baby's Arms" and the concert's namesake, "Walkin' After Midnight."
Cline's legend is inseparable from the Ryman. During the future Country Music Hall of Famer's six-year mainstream run, the Ryman was the home of the Grand Ole Opry. The show moved to the then-brand-new Grand Ole Opry House on March 16, 1974.
Two stories about Cline and the Opry help define perceptions about her independent streak. She successfully asked to join the show's cast instead of following the normal tradition of waiting for an invite. She also bucked tradition by becoming the first woman to wear pants —as opposed to a dress— on the Opry stage.
