THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 26, 1995 TAG: 9503260226
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3A EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: EDENTON LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
Two country legends that seem to live on and on and on are Hank Williams Sr. and Patsy Cline, both of whom died after only a few years of professional success.
Almost every man and woman singing country today includes some Hank Sr. music. A fair amount of Patsy Cline songs also make the rounds; her wannabes seem to be everywhere.
One of Nashville's biggest hits is a show featuring a Cline clone. Dennis Hitchcock and Circa '21 have three Patsy shows going - one in Minnesota, one in Branson, and one on the road.
The road show, concentrating on the famed artist's hits, will be at College of the Albemarle Tuesday.
``A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline'' stars Lisa Layne, a 32-year-old Dallas native who has done well in showbiz as Lisa Layne.
She was onstage with her father's band when she was 4, and performing in Vegas with Carol Burnett three years later .
In the 1980s, she sang the music of the 1950s and '60s with Vince Vance and the Valiants, performing with such folks as The Temptations, Fats Domino, The Platters, The Coasters, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, etc.
The Valiants-Layne major claim to fame is ``All I Want For Christmas Is You,'' which resurfaced on the Billboard charts in 1993 and '94 and still gets a lot of December airplay.
She often performs, as herself, in Music City but currently is concentrating on portraying Patsy Cline in a show that has enjoyed extended runs in Boston, Kansas City and St. Louis.
``I started in February. We do one or two shows a day - work 10 days then take a day off,'' said Layne, calling last week from Buffalo. ``Patsy had to go through a lot more b.s. than I do. She was a trailblazer in a male-dominated business. She made it easier for those of us who followed.''
Cline did not have it easy at first, a fact echoed in the production, which follows her climb to stardom from her Winchester, hometown to the Grand Ole Opry, Las Vegas and Carnegie Hall.
``The show's format is like an anthology. The deejay does most of the talking. He tells the story,'' Layne said. ``When I first heard that the show would have just two people and a band, it sounded easy. It's not, but it's very entertaining, even if you're not a country fan.
``I've seen old people, kids, longhaired rockers. They all eat it up,'' she said. ``Patsy is popular because of a mixture of things - her sound, the songs and her producer.''
Layne does not look like Patsy until she steps onstage. A feverishly working backstage crew helps her with lots of makeup, and many changes from one flashy dress to another.
Cline had thick black hair - Layne is a long-haired redhead.
But the still wildly popular sound is there, and that is the bottom line.
Cline's ``Greatest Hits'' CD went multiplatinum in 1991 - quite something for an artist who died in 1963.
``I try to do the songs the way people know them - the nuances, the little hiccups,'' Layne said. ``When Patsy sang a song, people said she was in it, living it.''
The audience favorites, as expected, are ``Crazy'' and ``Sweet Dreams.''
Layne's favorite is the lesser-known, less typical Cline piece, ``Poor Man's Roses.''
``I felt I could do Patsy Cline,'' she said, ``and it is working.'' by CNB