On This Day in 1961, Patsy Cline Recorded “Crazy”—the Biggest Hit of Her Tragically Short Career

On this day (August 16) in 1961, Patsy Cline stepped into Owen Bradley’s Quonset Hut Studio in Nashville to record “Crazy.” The song would go on to be one of Cline’s biggest hits. Decades later, it is among her signature songs.

Cline’s life and career were tragically short. She died in a plane crash at just 30 years old. At the time of her death, she had only recorded three studio albums. However, her impact and influence on country and pop music are nearly immeasurable. Her vocal style helped to shape generations of future singers.

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[RELATED: On This Day: Patsy Cline Battles for Her Life After a Car Accident While “I Fall To Pieces” Hits No. 1]

Cline released “Crazy” as the second single from her album Showcase in 1961. It reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the publication’s Country and Adult Contemporary charts. While “I Fall to Pieces” and “She’s Got You”—the singles before and after “Crazy” were No. 1 country singles, this was her biggest crossover hit. Today, it is considered a country standard and has been covered by countless artists across various genres.

Patsy Cline Was Injured When She Recorded “Crazy”

Willie Nelson wrote “Crazy” but had a hard time finding an artist to cut it because it contained chords outside of the norm for country music. Country singer Billy Walker recorded the demo and Hank Cochran eventually played it for legendary producer and father of the Nashville Sound, Owen Bradley. He knew the song would be good for Patsy Cline.

Bradley assembled a dream team of backing musicians and vocalists for Cline. Floyd Cramer played guitar, Bob Moore played bass, Buddy Harman was on drums, and Harold Bradley played guitar. He also enlisted The Jordanaires to sing backup.

Unfortunately, Cline had recently suffered broken ribs in a car accident. As a result, she couldn’t hit the high notes in the original session. As a result, Bradley told her to go home and rest while the musicians assembled the backing track. According to Songfacts, A mostly healed Cline returned to the studio two weeks later and, while standing on crutches, recorded the now iconic vocal track in one take.

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