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Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust: My Friendship with Patsy Cline

Review

Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust: My Friendship with Patsy Cline

In ME & PATSY KICKIN’ UP DUST, country music legend Loretta Lynn tells the story of how she and Patsy Cline met and struck up a close friendship that lasted until the time of Patsy's tragic death.

Loretta starts at the beginning of her life, taking readers through her childhood and explaining how she became interested in country music. Her husband, Oliver (who she calls Doo), was the catalyst who got her started singing in public. She always loved to sing but was shy about doing so in front of strangers. Oliver kept pushing her to go on stage and let others hear her beautiful voice. Gradually people took notice, and the rest, as they say, is history.

"[Loretta Lynn] writes with a true down-home country style that shows no pretense, making it feel like she is sitting in your living room sharing her stories with you."

Patsy Cline was one of Loretta’s early idols, as she was enamored of her singing style and her poise and charm. Many of the songs that Loretta sang early in her career were either tunes that Patsy had recorded or ones that Loretta had written herself that were inspired by Patsy. After Loretta started making a name for herself in the world of country music, Patsy, who was already a star, was involved in a terrible automobile accident that nearly took her life. Loretta was so moved by Patsy’s physical condition that she sang her song, “I Fall to Pieces,” on stage and dedicated it to her.

Unbeknownst to Loretta, Patsy was listening to the performance, which was broadcast live on the radio, so she was surprised when Patsy’s husband came to visit her and said that Patsy wanted to meet her. Loretta went to the hospital, and the two hit it off immediately. As Loretta tells her story, she weaves her bio in with Patsy’s, as their lives were intertwined from that point on.

Loretta gives readers an interesting window into what it was like to be a woman in the country music world during the '50s and '60s. She also offers an intriguing glimpse into her personal life, as she talks about growing up poor, marrying when she was a teenager, and living with a husband who cheated on her. She writes with a true down-home country style that shows no pretense, making it feel like she is sitting in your living room sharing her stories with you. Sentences such as this pepper her tale: “Friends, they say the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, but they soon find it’s just as hard to mow.”

If you’re a country music fan, do yourself a favor and read ME & PATSY KICKIN’ UP DUST. You’ll be glad you did.

Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin on May 29, 2020

Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust: My Friendship with Patsy Cline
by Loretta Lynn

  • Publication Date: March 2, 2021
  • Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction
  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
  • ISBN-10: 1538701685
  • ISBN-13: 9781538701683