Don Gibson--Oh, Lonesome Me (1958)

     Don Gibson was born in Shelby, North Carolina in a poor family, and had dropped out of school by the second grade. He began playing the guitar as a young teenager and progressed to the point that with a few other local musicians formed the group, Sons of the Soil who recorded a side or two in 1948, but broke up the next year. In 1950 he formed a new group called, King Cotton Kinfolk who spent the early 50's signed to RCA then Columbia developing his sound and his songwriting abilities.
     In 1955, he had written a song called, "Sweet Dreams" which caught the attention of a friend who worked for Acuff-Rose Publishing. He was offered a contract, but Gibson only signed with the provision that he would be given a chance to record. The song was recorded by Faron Young who took it to number 3 on the country charts, and several years later would become a signature song for Patsy Cline.
     This hit opened up the chance again to record with RCA. His recording was another self penned song, "Oh Lonesome Me" which not only became a number one hit on the country charts, but reached number seven on the top 100 as well. This began a long career for Gibson which duel country/pop hits into the early 60's and a force on the country charts through the late 70s. Besides the two hits mentioned he also wrote, "I Can't Stop Loving You" which became a massive hit for Ray Charles in the early 60s. He passed away in 2003 of natural causes.

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Patsy Cline--Crazy (1961)

    Looking back over 50 years now it seemed like a natural pairing, the great Patsy Cline and the great Willie Nelson....two giants of country music right?
    Well at the time it wasn't seen as such. Cline had a hit in 1957 with, "Walkin After Midnight" which had gained exposure through her appearance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. She didn't have a crossover hit for another 4 years. Much of this was due to her contract with Four Star Records, who clearly didn't know what to do with her, and some of it to Cline herself who was more comfortable singing honky-tonk music.
     Her 1960 contract with Decca-Nashville and relationship with producer Owen Bradley changed all of that however. Bradley's use of strings and directly marketing for crossover exposure wasn't necessarily Cline's cup of tea, but after over 5 years and 50 recording, most going nowhere, she was willing to work with Bradley to change her style.

     The difference was magic. The first hit from this professional union was, "I Fall To Pieces" which might have done even better if she had been able to promote it. However, she was involved in a car wreck that took her out of commission for some time. While recovering she was introduced to a song that songwriter Willie Nelson had pitched to her husband. He loved the song called, "Crazy", as did Owen Bradley, Cline however hated it. She was still very uncomfortable singing in the "Nashville Sound" style that was Bradley's trademark, and Nelson's demo of the song she thought too difficult for her to sing.
     Nelson was a songwriter who was just starting to get on his feet in Nashville, having just moved there a couple of years before, he got a gig playing bass for Ray Price's touring band. He had some success writing for Faron Young, Roy Orbison and Billy Walker. It was Walker in fact who he had written "Crazy" for in the first place, but Billy rejected it and Willie was looking for someone to record it.
     Stories vary about how she was able to wrap herself around the song, but the short of it is that it became her signature song and biggest hit. Over the next year and a half, before her death in March of 1963, she became not only the biggest name in country music, but became a direct mentor to a whole generation of female country singers, as well as a myriad of country and pop singers over the last 50 years. 
     "Crazy" put Nelson on the map, but never was comfortable with Nashville and it's very rigid promotion machine. It wasn't until a move to Austin in 1973 that things began to change, and Willie began his move to stardom.

   

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Patsy Cline--Crazy (1961)

     The song "Crazy" put two different artists on the musical map. The singer who made her signature song, and the writer who would later become an star in his own right.....

     By 1961, Patsy Cline had just taken a turn in her career that would help her break through in a big way. In 1955, she had signed a contract with Four Star Records, but there was stipulation that she could only record songs by Four Star songwriters. This didn't set well with her as she struggled to find a sound suitable for her husky voice. Through appearances on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts in 1957, the song, "Walkin' After Midnight" reached the charts, but it was the only song in 5 years that even charted.

     Her contract went out in 1960 and she signed with Decca Records-Nashville under the direction of legendary producer Owen Bradley. Her first single, "I Fall to Pieces" went to No. 1, but the next song, "Crazy", was one she didn't like, nor did she like the way it was sung. Part of the problem seemed to be that Nelson's demo was a faster tempo than Cline was comfortable with, and the second was the attempt to sing it with the vocal breaks like Nelson. Anyone who has heard Willie's music knows his vocal style is truly one of a kind, so an adjustment to a ballad type style, along with Patsy's smoothing out of the rough edges of the vocals created a musical masterpiece.

    Two years later Cline was gone, but in that short time, the music, and her take charge attitude concerning her career totally redefined country music for generations of women. Although it would take Nelson another decade to break through on his own terms, "Crazy" gave a hint of what would make him a star. This song, became the base for which the both of them became American icons.

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