Portrait of Patsy: Singer brings country legend’s spirit to Hampton

Music was the order of most days at the Rhodes house in South Greensburg.

“Dad would play guitar and sing. My mother would harmonize while she was doing dishes,” Cathi Rhodes said. “I thought everyone grew up this way. I’d go to some of my friends’ houses, and I’d say to them while we were playing, ‘So, when do your mom and dad sing?’ And they looked at me like I was crazy.”

“Crazy,” as it happens, is the signature song of Patsy Cline, the country music legend whose repertoire Rhodes has been bringing to life for 17 years. She will perform her Portrait of Patsy Tribute Show during the Pittsburgh-North Hills Chapter 595 of AARP meeting scheduled for noon May 3 at Hampton Presbyterian Church, 2842 E. Hardies Road.

“I don’t try to be her onstage. I am not one of those impersonators. I sing in her style,” the Greensburg resident said. “My voice isn’t as deep as hers.”

As far as the instrumental component, Rhodes does use Cline’s backing tracks, complete with orchestration.

“You cannot put two guitars and a drum on stage and make it sound like Patsy,” she said.

After breaking into the national spotlight by performing on “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts” and reaching No. 2 on the country charts with the Willie Nelson-composed “Crazy,” Cline died 59 years ago this month when her airplane crashed in Tennessee. She was 30.

In 2005, Rhodes was asked to perform in a Ligonier Theatre production called “Always … Patsy Cline.”

“I was thrilled because my mother always played her music and sang it,” she said, “and I was familiar with most of it.”

Serving as director and set designer in addition to playing Patsy, Rhodes put on a show that promptly sold out three nights running. She repeated the feat later in the year, even adding a fourth date because of demand.

Eventually, she adapted the original concept for her tribute show, which looks to keep her busy as live music continues to gain momentum following its covid-related lull. Rhodes has been a regular at events such as the Derry Township Agricultural Fair, scheduled this year for July, and the Stahlstown Flax Scutching Festival, which has its 114th annual edition in September.

Meanwhile, she has plenty of other bookings on the calendar, including performances at UPMC Senior Communities’ assisted- and independent-living facilities.

“It’s a blessing to me when I go to nursing homes,” she said. “Once that music starts, I’ll tell you what: It is magic. They start singing every single word.”

Of course, Rhodes has visited the Patsy Cline Historic House in Winchester, Va., home of the aspiring singer when she was known by her birth name, Virginia Patterson Hensley.

“They have her actual shoes and gloves and costumes and perfume, and it’s like you expect her to walk in at any moment,” Rhodes said. “I cried. I did. The docent gave me a hanky and said, ‘That’s OK. We get truck drivers coming in here and crying.’”

Beyond Cline and country, Rhodes has an ear for many types of tunes.

“My musical tastes run everywhere, from the polka shows I used to do to bluegrass that I grew up on. My favorites are the Moody Blues,” she said, and she can talk about the stylistic differences between the progressive rock band’s original keyboard player and his successor.

As far as her own music, Rhodes has no plans to stop performing any time soon.

“I’ll keep singing ’til God takes my voice away,” she said. “I might be 85 years old, and if I still look OK, as long as I sound OK, I’m going to be out there. As long as they call me, I’ll be there.”

For more information, visit cathirhodes.com.