“They have done a wonderful job,” she said, graciously. “They have put some elegance in there and they built something beautiful.”
On April 7, the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Patsy Cline Museum took place with founders Shannon Miller, Bill Miller and Mayor Megan Barry, along with Fudge. “That was a lot of fun,” she admitted.
Regarding the new museum, Fudge said, “There is a timeline that tells all about her. There are some artifacts from the drug store where she worked as a teenager and it moves right on into the different aspects of her wardrobe and how those came about with some beautiful examples that have been gathered. We were very lucky to be able to work some loan agreements with some people that had some of the clothing and I’ve had some myself. Bill Miller, who worked at putting this together, was able to find some wonderful pieces.”
Fudge continued, “You can also walk through her house that she lived in Tennessee. It is very interesting and very exciting.”
In 1973, 10 years after her death, Patsy Cline was the first female solo artist inducted into the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum; moreover, in 2002, Country Music Television (CMT) named Patsy Cline as its No. 1 woman in the history of country music in its “40 Greatest Women of Country” episode, and rightfully so. “Isn’t that amazing? After all these years, that was quite an honor I must say,” Fudge said, in reference to her life’s accomplishments. “My mom is still relevant today, over 50 years after her death.”
At the museum, actress Beverly D’Angelo (who portrayed Cline in the feature film Coal Miner’s Daughter) did a “wonderful little intro film for us.” “Beverly is so excited to be included, and she said that the role of Patsy was really special in her life,” she said. “Beverly did a wonderful job of telling the story.”
Fudge had nothing but the kindest remarks about contemporary vocalists Martina McBride and Trisha Yearwood for keeping her mom’s memory and music alive (especially when they cover her songs at their shows or at the Opry). “Martina is wonderful, and so is Trisha Yearwood. They certainly look up to Patsy, and that’s quite an honor,” Fudge said. “The Grand Ole Opry was a significant milestone for my mom. She was really excited too.”
In 1995, Cline was posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award, and the trophy is on display at the Patsy Cline Museum. “You can see that Grammy in the museum. It was presented to her posthumously by Barbra Streisand and Peggy Lee,” she said. “We were very excited to be able to display mom’s awards during the time that she was with us, and along with those awards was the diamond award for selling 10 million copies of her Greatest Hits LP, and also the Lifetime Achievement award.”
Most impressive about the Patsy Cline Museum is that one could spend an entire day there as one embarks on a musical journey. “You could if you really wanted to. It’s wonderful. You could go through it with your leisure and take all the time necessary. It really is interesting, and I’ll probably go through it a few times myself,” she said, with a sweet laugh. “It has been a pleasure putting this museum together with Bill and Shannon Miller. I look forward to seeing lots of people there. I’ve really had a good response so far. The fans seem to enjoy it.”
The museum is located at 119 Third Avenue South (on the second floor) in Nashville. To learn more about the Patsy Cline Museum, check out its official homepage and Facebook page.
