“Sweet Dreams,” a tribute concert in honor of country music queen Patsy Cline, will take place at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, at Vashon Center for the Arts.
The show — produced annually for the past 10 years by islander Debra Heesch at Seattle’s Triple Door — is being brought back to Vashon after a successful 2016 presentation in VCA’s Kathline L. White Hall.
This year’s show will include a number of singers who have performed in the show in the past — V. Contreras, Star Anna, Jennifer Hopper, Jessica Lynne and Kate Voss. This year, up-and-coming Seattle country music phenom Miller Campbell has joined the cast, and special guest appearances will also be made by Christine Goering and Elaine Summers, a well-known island artist and musician.
Band members include Seattle country steel guitar god Dave Harmonson and other celebrated players.
For Heesch, the show is the latest incarnation of a tradition born years ago, when she lived in West Seattle and often hosted hootenannies with Seattle musicians in the basement of her home. After hearing Cline’s songs repeatedly sung, Heesch had the idea to produce an entire show around the music, and present it in Seattle on the singer’s birthday. One thing led to another, and 10 years later, the show is still well-attended and beloved, Heesch said, not only by audiences but also by its cast of singers.
“It’s always super fun to be backstage with the women, and they always can’t wait to do it again,” Heesch said.
Cline, who died in a plane crash in 1963, had a rich contralto voice and spent much of the late 1950s and 1960s touring with chart-topping hits that included “Sweet Dreams,” “Walking After Midnight,” “I Fall to Pieces” and “Crazy.”
The singer would have been 86 years old this year, Heesch noted, adding that she is eager to welcome islanders to hear some of her favorite singers interpret Cline’s songs and tell stories about how the singer influenced their careers.
“They all have beautiful voices, they all dress up, and they make sure they do it right.”
Advance tickets for the show are $18 for VCA members, $20 for seniors and students and $25 general admission; order them at vashoncenterforthearts.org. All tickets at the door will cost $28.
