Patsy Cline was tough. She wore pants when most women in country music wore gingham dresses, survived a nearly-fatal car crash at the height of her career and never stopped in her pursuit of her career.

Today, it would be hard to find a woman in country music who doesn’t say Cline paved the way for them, with her powerful vocals and genre-bending songs.

A new documentary delves into the country music legend’s life, early death and continuing influence. "Patsy Cline: American Masters" premieres this Sunday night on PBS. 

I spoke with the film’s director, Barbara Hall, about it, and I started by asking her about how Cline — then known of Virginia Patterson Hensley — got her start.