Uncommon 1957 Clip Of Patsy Cline Performing 'Walkin’ After Midnight'

Jun 15, 2020 by apost team

In a rare live performance from January 1957, Patsy Cline performed on a CBS show titled Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, singing the song Walkin' After Midnight.

The track became her first major hit single and proved to be a crossover from the country to the pop music charts. It established her success as a musician, and it's just incredible to see her in such an early stage of her career live on video.

In the black-and-white video from 1957, Patsy Cline is standing by a piano, as she begins singing the opening lines of Walkin' After Midnight, which go:

"I go on walking, after midnight / Out in the moonlight, just like we used to do / I'm always walking, after midnight / Searching for you." 

Accompanied by a band consisting of producer Owen Bradley on the piano, and Grady Martin and Hank "Sugar Foot" Garland both on guitar, the mood is jovial and fun. Patsy keeps the camera's gaze for a majority of her performance, looking straight down the barrel of the camera. She strolls around the piano, giving an air of nonchalance to her performance, although you wouldn't know it from her voice, which is as strong and powerful as ever.

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After this performance, Walkin' After Midnight gained a strong response from viewers, leading to a release from the record label. The single came out on February 11, 1957, and hit number 2 on the Billboard country music chart, as well as number 12 on the pop chart, acting as one of the first crossover tracks from country to pop. 

It became Cline's first major hit single, although she didn't have another one until 1961. Walkin' After Midnight sold many copies and is widely considered to be one of the greatest songs in country music. Which is lucky that Cline was able to record it since the song wasn't originally written for her. The writers, Alan Block and Donn Hecht showed it to Cline while working at Four Star Records, but the singer actually didn't receive the song well. After the label came to an agreement with her about recording it, this hit was made, although it followed quite a road to get there.

Walkin' After Midnight has been covered by many artists including Kelly Clarkson, Garth Brooks, and many more. But if we're honest, there's no version of it like the original by Patsy Cline.

Do you remember first hearing Walkin' After Midnight? Let us know about it in the comments and be sure to pass this on to any friends who also love Patsy Cline!