''Showcase'' is a studio album by American country music singer

Patsy Cline Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, Patrice, or Patricia). Among I ...

, recorded with

The Jordanaires The Jordanaires were an American vocal quartet that formed as a gospel group in 1948. Over the years, they recorded both sacred and secular music for recording companies such as Capitol Records, RCA Victor, Columbia Records, Decca Records, Vocal ...

and released November 27, 1961. It was Cline's second studio album and her first since ''

'' in 1957.

Background

The album produced two singles that became hits on both the ''Billboard'' country and pop charts. The first, "I Fall to Pieces," became Cline's first number one hit on the ''Billboard'' country chart and also reached the Top 15 on the pop Top 100 in 1961. The follow-up single, "Crazy," was nearly as big a hit as "I Fall to Pieces," peaking in the top five on the ''Billboard'' country chart and in the Top 10 on the pop Top 100. "Crazy" was recorded after Cline's month-long hospitalization following a near-fatal car accident that June. The original cover showed three different photos of Cline from a 1957 promotional photograph, according to Jay Orr and Ron Roy in the album's liner notes. After her death, the album was re-released on Decca in 1963 and peaked for the first time on the ''Billboard'' 200, reaching number 73. The cover was changed to the more familiar shot of Cline in a white blouse, red capri pants and gold booties,. The album was reissued in 1973 by

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

(which took over Decca in 1973) and it was later digitally remastered and re-released on a CD/LP/Cassette in 1988, which included the same cover as the 1963 re-release. ''Showcase'' was also released internationally. In 1961, the album was released in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Brunswick Records Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916. History From 1916 Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing produ ...

and in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Festival Records Festival Records (later known as Festival Mushroom Records) was an Australian recording and publishing company founded in Sydney, Australia, in 1952 and operated until 2005. Festival was a wholly owned subsidiary of News Limited from 1961 to ...

Recording sessions

Recording began November 16, 1960 at the Bradley Film and Recording Studios in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

over five sessions, ending August 25, 1961. ''Showcase'' was the first set of sessions after Cline's near-death in a car crash in 1961. The recordings teamed her up with

, who recorded also on Cline's 1962 album on Decca. Legendary country producer

Owen Bradley William Owen Bradley (October 21, 1915 – January 7, 1998) was an American musician and record producer who, along with Chet Atkins, Bob Ferguson, Bill Porter, and Don Law, was one of the chief architects of the 1950s and 1960s Nashville sou ...

produced the album. Bradley helped smooth Cline's sound to develop her own style of the

Nashville sound The Nashville Sound originated during the mid-1950s as a subgenre of American country music, replacing the chart dominance of the rough honky tonk music, which was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s, with "smooth strings and choruses", "sophist ...

Individual tracks

This album includes many cover versions of previously recorded hits on the country and pop charts by other artists. The remakes include pop singer

Gogi Grant Myrtle Audrey Arinsberg (September 20, 1924 – March 10, 2016), known professionally as Gogi Grant, was an American pop singer. She is best known for her No. 1 hit in 1956, "The Wayward Wind". Life and career Grant was born Myrtle Audrey Arin ...

's "The Wayward Wind,"

Bonnie Lou Mary Joan Okum (née Kath; October 27, 1924 – December 8, 2015), known by her performing name Bonnie Lou, was an American musical pioneer, recognized as one of the first female rock and roll singers. She is also one of the first artists to gain ...

's "Seven Lonely Days,"

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

's "True Love," and

Bob Wills James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although S ...

' "San Antonio Rose." In addition, Cline recorded remakes of her 1957 hits, "Walkin' After Midnight" and "A Poor Man's Roses (Or a Rich Man's Gold)."

Track listings

Vinyl version

Compact disc version

Digital version

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the original 1961

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

of ''Showcase''. Musical personnel * Byron Bach – cello * Brenton Banks – violin * George Binkley III – violin * Owen Bradley – organ (session 3 only) * John Bright – viola * Cecil Brower – viola * Patsy Cline – lead vocals *

Floyd Cramer Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "half step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signature ...

– piano *

Hank Garland Walter Louis Garland (11 November 1930 – 27 December 2004), professionally Hank Garland, was an American guitarist and songwriter. He started as a country musician, played rock and roll as it became popular in the 1950s, and released a jazz al ...

– electric guitar *

Buddy Harman Murrey Mizell "Buddy" Harman, Jr. (December 23, 1928 – August 21, 2008) was an American country music session musician. Career Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Harman played drums on over 18,000 sessions for artists such as Elvis Presley, Jerry ...

– drums *

Walter Haynes Walter Haynes (December 14, 1928 – January 1, 2009) was an American steel guitarist and music producer who worked with such artists as Patsy Cline Jimmy Dickens, Del Reeves, The Everly Brothers and Jeanne Pruett. He also co-wrote a number ...

–

steel guitar A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...

* Randy Hughes – acoustic guitar * Lillian Hunt – violin *

– background vocals *

Ben Keith Bennett Keith Schaeufele (March 6, 1937 – July 26, 2010), better known by his stage name Ben Keith, was an American musician and record producer. Known primarily for his work as a pedal steel guitarist with Neil Young, Keith was a fixture of ...

– steel guitar * Doug Kirkham – drums *

Grady Martin Thomas Grady Martin (January 17, 1929 – December 3, 2001) was an American session guitarist in country music and rockabilly. A member of The Nashville A-Team, he played guitar on hits such as Marty Robbins' "El Paso", Loretta Lynn's " Coal ...

– electric guitar *

Bob Moore Bob Loyce Moore (November 30, 1932 – September 22, 2021) was an American session musician, orchestra leader, and double bassist who was a member of the Nashville A-Team during the 1950s and 1960s. He performed on over 17,000 documented record ...

– acoustic bass * Suzanne Parker – piano *

Hargus "Pig" Robbins Hargus Melvin Robbins (January 18, 1938 – January 30, 2022), known by his nickname "Pig," was an American session keyboard player. Having played on records for many artists, including John Stewart, Dolly Parton, Connie Smith, Patti Page, Lore ...

– piano Technical personnel * Owen Bradley – Producer

Chart performance

References

{{Authority control 1961 albums Patsy Cline albums Albums produced by Owen Bradley Decca Records albums MCA Records albums