February-March 1963

Patty and Loretta and Patsy are in a corner, the show is over, and there are trunks everywhere, and Randy Hughes is buzzing around, and there is just girl talk going on, and Patsy says out of nowhere: "You know I've been thinking that we should do an allgirl album, just the three of us, some of the old songs and some of the new. Gospel on one side, new stuff maybe on the other."

Patty says, "Wow, that would be wonderful, what do you think, Loretta?" and Loretta says,"I think it would be the best thing ever."

"Well," says Patsy, "first thing after this Kansas City tour, and the Decca release, and we get a list and we go in to Owen and say, Here, we're going to do this."

"Will they agree?" says Patty.

"Honey, it is time you noticed that when you sell a ton of records around here you get power. And I aim to spread it around some more."

"Well," says Loretta,"You sure enough know how to do that."

They laugh, big and loud. Patsy gets up: "Well, girls, see you in the funny papers." They all embrace, and wish her a safe trip. Ray Walker of the Jordanaires comes up, and says a few things, and then Patsy moves away, and he says "Patsy, honey", and she turns around, and he says "Be careful, baby, we sure love you...". And she starts to go down the stairs at the back entrance of the Ryman, and she turns her head over her shoulder and says: "Honey, I've been into two bad ones... The third one will either be a charm, or it'll kill me".

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March 6

They are all backstage crying and people are out on the benches in the front crying and praying. There are flowers everywhere, you can barely walk around backstage. The stage manager keeps removing them, and they keep coming back.

"I don't know, Loretta, I don't."

"Come on, you know she would want it like that."

"But it's her song. No one is ever going to sing it again."

"Well, I'm dying here, Patty, but I am going to sing one. "A Poor Man's Roses" You know she loved that."

"I don't think I can even go on, I am so broke up."

But her time comes, and she walks out, and bows her head for a moment, tears pouring down her face, and then she takes a step forward, nods to the band, and she starts: "Cra-zy..." And there is a collective intake of breath, and she does it exactly like Patsy, down to the breaks in the voice, and the audience suddenly becomes frightened, it is uncanny, as if it had all been a mistake, a bad rumour, and there she is, as she was, and Patty shakes like she is possessed, and maybe she is, and she builds it to a climax, and then it is over, and she stands there for a second, in the hush, and when she walks off she never sings that song again.