On This Day in 1963, Patsy Cline Unknowingly Began Her Final Recording Sessions, Cutting Covers of Multiple Timeless Pop and Country Standards

On this day (February 4) in 1963, Patsy Cline walked into Bradley Studios in Nashville to begin what would be her final recording sessions. Between February 4 and February 7, she cut 12 songs, 10 of which later appeared on The Last Sessions.

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After more than five years of releasing singles that mostly failed to chart, Cline was just starting to find consistent chart success in the early 1960s. When “I Fall to Pieces” reached No. 1 in 1961, it was her first charting single since 1957. It also kicked off a string of hit singles that included three top 10 singles and her second No. 1, “She’s Got You.”

[RELATED: On This Day in 1961, Patsy Cline Released a Single That Topped the Chart While She Was Recovering From a Near-Fatal Car Accident]

Unfortunately, a month after she began her final recording sessions, she was killed in a tragic plane crash. Cline left behind unreleased music and an enduring legacy that has inspired countless artists over the years.

Patsy Cline Recorded Country Classics and Hits

Patsy Cline was gaining a reputation as a crossover artist, with many of her later singles reaching both the country and Hot 100 charts. In her final sessions, she was seemingly looking to heighten her crossover status with a collection of pop and country standards.

During the sessions, she took on the Irving Berlin-penned “Always” and “Love Letters in the Sand,” popularized by Pat Boone. She also dove into classic country songs. For instance, she recorded a shining rendition of Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” Cline also recorded a version of “Crazy Arms,” which was a genre-defining hit for Ray Price.

Two of the album’s singles became hits after Patsy Cline’s death. “Sweet Dreams (Of You)” reached No. 5 on the country chart in May 1963. “He Called Me Baby” reached No. 23 on the country chart in December 1964.

The Last Sessions includes 10 of the 12 songs she recorded in early February 1963. Her renditions of “Faded Love” and “I’ll Sail My Ship Alone” weren’t included on the LP.

Before that compilation hit record store shelves in 1968, the songs from Cline’s final sessions appeared on three posthumous albums–The Patsy Cline Story, A Portrait of Patsy Cline, and That’s How a Heartache Begins–all of which were released in 1964.

What Cline Recorded in Her Final Sessions

Below is a list of the 12 songs Patsy Cline recorded in her final session.

1. “Faded Love” (Bob Wills, John Wills, Billy Jack Wills)
2. “Someday (You’ll Want Me to Want You)” (Jimmie Rodgers)
3. “Love Letters in the Sand” (J. Fred Coots, Charles F. Kenny, Nick A. Kenny)
4. “Blue Moon of Kentucky” (Bill Monroe)
5. “Sweet Dreams (Of You) (Don Gibson)
6. “Always” (Irving Berlin)
7. “Does Your Heart Beat for Me” (Arnold Johnson, Russ Morgan, Mitchell Parnish)
8. “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home” (Hughes Cannon)
9. “He Called Me Baby” (Harlan Howard)
10. “Crazy Arms” (Ralph Mooney, Chuck Seals)
11. “You Took Him Off My Hands” (Harlan Howard, Skeets McDonald, Wynn Stewart)
12. “I’ll Sail My Ship Alone” (Moon Mullican, Henry Bernard, Lois Mann, Henry Thurston)

Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images