Dickey Lee recorded "Patches" in a studio built by Jack Clement in Beaumont, Texas. Clement had come across the song written by Mann and Kolber while he was working for Chet Atkins at RCA, and he and Bill Hall produced the song for Lee. The song was initially released in the fall of 1961, however, the song was met with resistance from radio stations who refused to play the song as it dealt with teen suicide, and it failed to enter any chart for four months.
Dickey Lee recorded "Patches" in a studio built by Jack Clement in Beaumont, Texas. Clement had discovered the song written by Mann and Kolber while working at RCA with Chet Atkins, and he along with Bill Hall produced the song for Lee. The song was initially released in 1961 but faced resistance from radio stations who were unwilling to air it due to its sensitive subject matter, and it failed to gain traction on the charts.