Honky Tonk Angel: The Intimate Story Of Patsy Cline

She walked the line between sinner and saint. But when she sang, she was an angel.

Her career...came the hard way, after she battle a Virginia hardscrabble childhood and broke through the all-male barriers of Nashville to make America "Crazy" for country music.

Her image...flouted all the taboos. Brassy, big-hearted, sexy as hell, she dressed like a cowgirl or a call girl, swore like a truck driver, and seduced men like a femme fatale.

Her money...bought her a dream house and a silver fox coat. But it was too little, too late to erase the memories of mental breakdown and marriages-or avert the tragedies to come.

Her men...were lady-killers-hard-loving, big-talking country boys who would hit the bottle, let her down and break her heart.

Her music...remains haunting, earthy and selling millions...even though she fought against recording her hits, "Walkin' After Midnight" and "I Fall to Pieces," because they weren't "country enough."

Ellis Nassour is the author of Rock Opera:The Creation of Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), about Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's landmark album and stage musical. Robyn Archer's revue A Star Is Torn in Australia and the United Kingdom (including a limited engagement in London's West End) featured excerpts from the original edition of Patsy Cline. Nassour has developed, as book writer and lyricist, and original stage musical from his biography.

Nassour has written for The New York Times and New York Daily News. He's a frequent contributor of show business features and profiles of theater and opera stars. As Manager of Artist Relations for MCA Records, he participated in the development of Jesus Christ Superstar, artists Elton John, Neil Diamond, the Who, Andres Segovia, Bill Cosby, Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, and Brenda Lee, and the Broadway revival of The Boy Friend, starring Judy Carne and Sandy Duncan.

Nassour is a native of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and makes his home in New York City.