Texas Musicians Top Ten: Roy Orbison (#2)

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There was severe weather last night, and we have another watch today. This, they say, is an “addition” to the forecasted wild weather later on this evening. They call it the “ring of fire,” that awful heat bubble that’s baking the bread in the Midwest while the wheat’s still growing. No Johnny Cash on this list (he was from Arkansas), but there IS a great Texan to present you with today. #2: Roy Orbison Let’s face it…there are singers, and then there’s Roy Orbison. Compared to his growl in “Oh Pretty Woman,” David Lee Roth sounds like a baby burping. Orbison was the total package, as his hall of fame inductions indicate: he was a good musician, a songwriter…and oh, that voice. Although 60 million different styles of music took over and pushed Orbison to the background, he never lost his appeal or influence (as you can see by the number of superstars backing him in the clip below). Sadly, just as he was enjoying a resurgence in popularity thanks to his membership in the Traveling Wilburys, which introduced him to people who weren’t born when he had his initial success, a heart attack claimed his life at the age of 52. If you’ve ever seen the Wilburys’ video “The End of the Line,” they pay tribute to him with a guitar in a rocking chair while Orbison’s line plays. What a legend. Roy Orbison Born Roy Kelton Orbison April 23, 1936, Vernon Died December 6, 1988, Hendersonville, Tennessee (heart attack) (age 52) HALLS OF FAME: Rock and Roll, Nashville Songwriters, Songwriters, Rockabilly, Musicians, Texas Country Music I first heard the Everly Brothers’ version of this song that Roy wrote about his late wife Claudette. This is from the fabulous Black and White Night show.