Tag: amazing grace

Pasty Cline – Lean Rimes – folks, it’s not Patsy singing that song.

Spearcarrier

A reader contacted me in private over one of my older posts, the Amazing Grace one. (And now I have found out I can’t hit “older posts” on my blog. I need that fixed. But I don’t wanna lose my theme. I wish someone could help!!!!)

Now I had never heard of Lean Rimes until tonight – but what the reader had to say was important enough for me to take a good look at her. Pretty young lady. Sounds eerily like Patsy Cline. And there’s apparently a huge debate on the internet if the following song is by Patsy or Lean.

When I first found the song, it sounded a *lot* like one of the songs my Grandmother used to play from her old Patsy Cline albums – this happened back in the days when Rimes would have been in or just getting out of diapers. So I find this, my memory makes an attchment, and I thought some of the way the voice goes high and slightly scratchy like mine would have been because Patsy recorded this at a young age or something. Well, no. It’s just not Patsy is all – but I understand why folks would be fooled. Here’s Rimes again:


LeAnn Rimes – Acapella Amazing Grace (Music In… by Schutzengerl1205

By contrast here is one of my favorite songs being performed by Patsy “live”:

And look at that gorgeous corset!!!! I want that dress. LOL

But anyway, Patsy’s voice – although very similar – doesn’t quite do the scratchy highs. She does do the country “twang” on occasion but certainly doesn’t play excessively notes the way Rimes likes to do. At least, not in this rendition.

And if you close your eyes you can tell the difference between the two ladies.

So I stand corrected, and it’s a good thing. Credit should go where credit is due.

Amazing Grace

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Download here: Kat Blue – Amazing Grace

The reason why I did this one is sort of a long story. Growing up, I’d known by association that my family was kin to Patsy Cline in a cousin sort of way. Ever so often my grandmother would get out her Patsy Cline music, listen to it, and lament to me the death of the great Cline in that famous plane crash. If you look at Cline and a photo of my young grandmother, you can even see a slight family resemblance so long as you forget that all people look alike when you get down to it.

Well, okay, it’s definitely a family resemblance… but they were both from the same region and people in the same region tend to do things like resemble one another.  So I dislike the idea of saying “Oh well! She’s just family!” if it’s all the same to you.

There was a story once about how Cline and family lived across the mountain from each other and would visit. This got translated down to Loretta Lynn somehow and my own mother in later years, but when you’re a young child and  your grandmother is your best friend you tend to notice tiny dropped hints. Not much was ever said about Cline personally by my grandmother, just a two sentence lament about how tragic it was that the plane took her life. And how wonderful her music was.

I’m grown now and able to pick up on subtle clues, so I realize my grandmother wanted to talk more… but I never got the hint. I just thought she was a fan lamenting the death of her idol. I’d know what to say now to get her to talk, but she’s not with us anymore. She’s reading a book by the River Cumberland in the afterlife.

There’s a beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace by Lean Rimes that many attribute as Patsy Cline. I was also fooled at first but a good reader pointed out to me the mistake. Rimes’ voice is pure,she sounds close to Cline, the notes are fabulous, and really. I could never sound like that. And if you want an idea of how Cline may have sounded singing it… (text in purple due to fact correction 3-18-2013).

I’ve a cousin who has been digging through the family tree that came to me about the Patsy Cline cousin connection. Well, I knew that, I could only respond. And then I realized – oh. My grandmother wasn’t sad because she was a fan. It was something else.

This got me thinking about the song Amazing Grace, which I’d gotten with someone a few years ago to sing and do but it never panned out. I decided I was going to do it, so four hours of playing with sound and basically learning how to do things later I’ve got this not-so-great-sounding piece for you to have for free.

I did some research and found the original lyrics and chose alternative stanzas no one uses anymore. According to the Wikipedia article, it was written by John Newton and first published in 1779. It’s been one of the most beloved gospel songs ever since.