Bob Isaac Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 It was 24 years ago to today that we lost Roy. He was a huge influence throughout his career. In his early days he hung out with Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash before becoming one of the big names at Sun. Although his career appeared to dwindle in the '70's he was still doing a lot. Like many other big names from the '50's/'60's the British scene turned people's attention away from those big stars; but they did not go away and many like Roy bounced back into the headlines. He has left an awesome legacy, and still there are many unissued songs locked away in the Orbison vault. Sadly his second wife Barbara passed away one year exactly to this day; that is so spooky. Barbara worked so hard to preserve and continue his work and place in history. I hope that whoever is looking after the business will continue the work she did. I know a lot of people do not like Signature guitars, but I am sure there would be many who would like to see another Orbison one maybe next year. A reissue of his other custom 335 would be nice. Block inlays and a master volume control and relocated jack socket. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryUK Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 It's burned in my mind the day that John Lennon died (murdered). I was driving to London for a gig. The van was silent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Roy was one of the greats and I feel overlooked by the average music fan. He was a huge influence on so many musicians. Tom Petty has a great story about telling Roy that he probably had the best singing voice ever. Roy just replied " Yep". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swampash Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 The man had the voice of an angel. When I was 17 years old, the Traveling Wilburys Volume 1 and Mystery Girl by Roy Orbison had landed and changed my world. To this day, the best two albums I have ever heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtfCAw8zS1g (I love the photo of Roy, on the table, and his guitar in the Rocking Chair!) CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Roy was one of the greats and I feel overlooked by the average music fan. He was a huge influence on so many musicians. Tom Petty has a great story about telling Roy that he probably had the best singing voice ever. Roy just replied " Yep". John Lennon once said, that he/they wrote "Please, Please Me," with Roy in mind...his style, that is. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Isaac Posted December 6, 2012 Author Share Posted December 6, 2012 This is a Les Paul Gold Top that Roy gave to Hard Rock Cafe in New Orleans in '87, does anyone know what spec it is. I doubt it is the one he had in '55/'56, but then could be. But I think the '55 was a Flame Top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 This is a Les Paul Gold Top that Roy gave to Hard Rock Cafe in New Orleans in '87, does anyone know what spec it is. I doubt it is the one he had in '55/'56, but then could be. But I think the '55 was a Flame Top. With that headstock size, and mini-humbuckers, it's a "Norlin" era, Gold Top Deluxe. A lot of the late '60's Deluxe's still had the smaller headstock. Not sure when (exactly) the went to the larger version. Late '69 or '70, maybe??? CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 A photo of a '69...that does indeed, have the larger headstock...so, it must have changed, then? '68's seem to all have the regular (smaller) headstock. Maybe, Gibson gave that Gold Top, to Roy...who knows?! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzoboy Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 That was another devastating day in music history.We lost 3 musical giants at this time of year,John,George and Roy,it's a particularly rough time for me as I idolized all 3 of them and their deaths hit me particularly hard.God Bless them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Orbison doesn't get much credit as a picker, but my understanding is that Sam P. at Sun initially figured he was a good picker but not that much of a singer. I think besides his singing, his unique songwriting deserves equal or greater credit on grounds that it simply broke the mold of what "normal" songwriting was about. No verse, chorus, verse or verse chorus, verse, bridge, chorus verse for Roy. And his guitar is whence that came. Not at all always a happy life for a working musician, but one with incredible impact IMHO on popular music of more than a few genres. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Always wondered how much the guys in the group really knew. Look at the name. Traveling Wil..bury..s Not berries. Look at the song he (they) did. End of The Line? Not Alone Anymore? You tell me. And yes, one of the great tenors of all time. IMO Willy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 I think it was The Red Hot Chili Peppers who happened to be at a recording stuidio sometime in the mid-80's and they heard someone singing. They couldn't believe someone could actually sing like that. It turned-out that the person they heard singing was Roy. Johnny Cash and Orbison were long-time friends. Roy's home was the next house over from Johnny's (about 100 yds away). They used to walk over to each other's boat dock and play songs. Cool stuff. Marty Stuart bought the house sometime after Roy's wife died. Cash used to tell a story of how back in the early 60's Roy was having trouble getting a hit record. Cash told him to lower his voice and get rid of the sunglasses. Cash was laughing pretty hard when he told the story, so I don't know if it's actually true, or just one of those music legends. Anyway, it was a few months later that Pretty Woman hit the airways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis G Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Always wondered how much the guys in the group really knew. Look at the name. Traveling Wil..bury..s Not berries. Willy Willy, I may be wrong but I seem to remember that the name was Harrison's idea. A "Wilbury" was often referred to as something that would go wrong in the studio (i.e. amp won't work, cable goes dead, etc. kind of thing, you know, a "glitch") and since this was all kind of a "haphazard" type of get together anyway...hence their each taking Wilbury pseudonym's I also remember reading that Orbison was originally hired at Sun because of his guitar skills, not his singing voice! WTF??? Agreed, great singer, what a range! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Isaac Posted December 7, 2012 Author Share Posted December 7, 2012 Thanks for the info on the Les Paul. I never saw him play the Gold Top only a black one with a Bigsby. He also had a Les Paul in the early/mid '50's possibly before he got his White Falcon. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Hi 5 and more in memory of Roy's contribution to the world of music... Captivating melodies with deep emotion... V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 I was lucky enough to see him in concert in the '80's and he nailed it. I felt like I was in the studio with him. One of the best I've been to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 One of the worlds great voices. Every once in a while my mind wonders what it would have been like to hear him do Creep by RadioHead. Such an emotive sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 You talk "wonder what if..." Mine is I wonder what if somebody got him into an opera lead tenor position... just once... m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Isaac Posted December 8, 2012 Author Share Posted December 8, 2012 Roy classed himself as a baritone with extra range. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Wow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Hayden Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 It was 24 years ago to today that we lost Roy. He was a huge influence throughout his career. In his early days he hung out with Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash before becoming one of the big names at Sun. Although his career appeared to dwindle in the '70's he was still doing a lot. Like many other big names from the '50's/'60's the British scene turned people's attention away from those big stars; but they did not go away and many like Roy bounced back into the headlines. He has left an awesome legacy, and still there are many unissued songs locked away in the Orbison vault. Sadly his second wife Barbara passed away one year exactly to this day; that is so spooky. Barbara worked so hard to preserve and continue his work and place in history. I hope that whoever is looking after the business will continue the work she did. I know a lot of people do not like Signature guitars, but I am sure there would be many who would like to see another Orbison one maybe next year. A reissue of his other custom 335 would be nice. Block inlays and a master volume control and relocated jack socket. Bob His clean clear voice and those notes he could hit stand out in my mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaysEpiphone Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 He defiantly had a very distinct voice and that's what the record companies want. One of my favorites too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis G Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Here's about the closest you'll get the the next generation Roy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I never get tired of hearing Roy sing "Crying." An absolutly incredible voice. And when you watch him singing, it's obvious that he is not straining to hit any of the notes. The expression on his face is almost unchanged. It would have been cool to have had him linked-up with Rick Rubins for one of those Cash kind of albums where it was just Roy and a lone acoustic guitar. I'd have liked to have heard Elvis do the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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