Pam Sorendo wasn't crazy for tryin'.
Jason Rearick / The Citizen
Pam Sorendo was the winner of The Citizen's Patsy-fied contest. Sorendo won with a recording of herself singing Pasty Cline's most well-known tune, “Crazy.”
Pam Sorendo was the winner of The Citizen's Patsy-fied contest. Sorendo won with a recording of herself singing Pasty Cline's most well-known tune, “Crazy.”
By submitting a CD of her singing the late country superstar Patsy Cline's “Crazy,” Sorendo won The Citizen's “Are You Patsy-fied?” contest.
And she will soon collect the prizes: two tickets to the opening night performance of “Always...Patsy Cline” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, a hair and nails treatment from Hairlooms in Auburn, dinner for two at the Springside Inn and a wine tasting and overnight stay at the Inn at the Finger Lakes.
The contest asked local residents to express how “Patsy-fied” they are in 25 words or less. Sorendo was the only entrant to also submit a recording of her singing perhaps Cline's most well-known work. She actually recorded the song a few years ago for inclusion on a Christmas CD she made for her relatives.
When she saw the call for submissions for the contest, Sorendo knew her recording was a ready-made case for her to win.
“I saw it in the paper, ripped it out and showed my husband, and said ‘I'm going to try this,'” she said.
“Crazy” may prove a challenging composition to some singers, but Sorendo's recording is the result of only one take. After hearing it, her father, Tom Minnoe, told her there was no need for another attempt.
“You just feel a song,” Sorendo said. “It's just easy to feel it when you sing it.”
Sorendo calls her father a “huge inspiration” who, along with Sorendo's mother, Betty, introduced Pam to country music.
“She was very enthusiastic about it, and she still is,” Betty said.
Sorendo used to sing with her father and his Silver Spur band, a popular musical group among Auburn families in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. These days, Sorendo performs at weddings and backyard parties in the area.
Cline is one of several country music artists Sorendo has revered since her childhood, along with Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette and others. At that age, Sorendo sang in school choruses and plays as she grew up in Auburn. Her fellow students would even ask Sorendo's teachers to permit her to sing in class should they wrap up their work early.
At 15, Sorendo was awarded a junior division state championship by the Country Music Association by performing a series of country songs.
Sorendo currently prefers the country stylings of Wynona Judd, whom she met when the singer performed at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse last December.
“I was just raised on country, it's like it was born and bred into me,” she said. “I still have all my old CDs and records.”
Sorendo's devotion to country music runs so deep that she even sang in her sleep during a recent operation. When she woke, her nurses complimented her voice.
She was actually told she won the “Patsy-fied” contest shortly before her operation. The Citizen collaborated with the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse to organize the competition, which was based on a definition of the term as “A condition ascribed to an individual who, while normally sane and controlled, becomes an absolute lunatic in the presence of anything pertaining to Patsy Cline.” That definition came from a devoted Cline fan's Web site.
Jessica Harkins, who organized the contest on The Citizen's end, felt Sorendo matched this description the most among the 15 entrants.
“She was the most out-of-the-box in her entry and went above and beyond what was called for,” Harkins said.
Although Sorendo has enjoyed singing the work of classic country artists - and the rewards that reaps - she is hoping to produce her own music at some point in the future.
“She talked about going to Nashville when she was in her late teens, and she still talks about it now from time to time,” Betty said.
Considering the weighty musical talent that won her the “Patsy-fied” contest, Sorendo would be “Crazy” not to try again.
If you go
What: “Always...Patsy Cline”
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12; performances run through Saturday, Sept. 29
Where: Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, 6861 E. Lake Road, Owasco
Tickets: $25 to $39
For details: Call 255-1785 or visit merry-go-round.com
And she will soon collect the prizes: two tickets to the opening night performance of “Always...Patsy Cline” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, a hair and nails treatment from Hairlooms in Auburn, dinner for two at the Springside Inn and a wine tasting and overnight stay at the Inn at the Finger Lakes.
The contest asked local residents to express how “Patsy-fied” they are in 25 words or less. Sorendo was the only entrant to also submit a recording of her singing perhaps Cline's most well-known work. She actually recorded the song a few years ago for inclusion on a Christmas CD she made for her relatives.
When she saw the call for submissions for the contest, Sorendo knew her recording was a ready-made case for her to win.
“I saw it in the paper, ripped it out and showed my husband, and said ‘I'm going to try this,'” she said.
“Crazy” may prove a challenging composition to some singers, but Sorendo's recording is the result of only one take. After hearing it, her father, Tom Minnoe, told her there was no need for another attempt.
“You just feel a song,” Sorendo said. “It's just easy to feel it when you sing it.”
Sorendo calls her father a “huge inspiration” who, along with Sorendo's mother, Betty, introduced Pam to country music.
“She was very enthusiastic about it, and she still is,” Betty said.
Sorendo used to sing with her father and his Silver Spur band, a popular musical group among Auburn families in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. These days, Sorendo performs at weddings and backyard parties in the area.
Cline is one of several country music artists Sorendo has revered since her childhood, along with Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette and others. At that age, Sorendo sang in school choruses and plays as she grew up in Auburn. Her fellow students would even ask Sorendo's teachers to permit her to sing in class should they wrap up their work early.
At 15, Sorendo was awarded a junior division state championship by the Country Music Association by performing a series of country songs.
Sorendo currently prefers the country stylings of Wynona Judd, whom she met when the singer performed at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse last December.
“I was just raised on country, it's like it was born and bred into me,” she said. “I still have all my old CDs and records.”
Sorendo's devotion to country music runs so deep that she even sang in her sleep during a recent operation. When she woke, her nurses complimented her voice.
She was actually told she won the “Patsy-fied” contest shortly before her operation. The Citizen collaborated with the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse to organize the competition, which was based on a definition of the term as “A condition ascribed to an individual who, while normally sane and controlled, becomes an absolute lunatic in the presence of anything pertaining to Patsy Cline.” That definition came from a devoted Cline fan's Web site.
Jessica Harkins, who organized the contest on The Citizen's end, felt Sorendo matched this description the most among the 15 entrants.
“She was the most out-of-the-box in her entry and went above and beyond what was called for,” Harkins said.
Although Sorendo has enjoyed singing the work of classic country artists - and the rewards that reaps - she is hoping to produce her own music at some point in the future.
“She talked about going to Nashville when she was in her late teens, and she still talks about it now from time to time,” Betty said.
Considering the weighty musical talent that won her the “Patsy-fied” contest, Sorendo would be “Crazy” not to try again.
If you go
What: “Always...Patsy Cline”
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12; performances run through Saturday, Sept. 29
Where: Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, 6861 E. Lake Road, Owasco
Tickets: $25 to $39
For details: Call 255-1785 or visit merry-go-round.com
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