Missing Roy…
A voice so sweet, and yet so powerful… So effortless… A full four octave range… Roy Orbison checked out suddenly with a massive heart attack in 1988 at the young age of 52. His writing and performing talents were revered by many. During his too brief career, he performed with a long list of top acts such as The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Emmy Lou Harris, Elton John, The Eagles, and Bob Dylan.
Crank up the volume, get your feet in toe tapping position, and enjoy this 1988 performance of Pretty Woman. It’s from the special Black & White Night recorded at the Coconut Grove in LA. Watch the all-star cast closely and you’ll spot many notables such as The Boss, Elvis Costello, and Tom Waits. The dueling guitars in the middle of the work is majorly awesome. Enjoy…
For a change of pace, Roy and Friends offered up Crying, which along with almost everything else Roy did has been covered by many big names since. Watch for the unmatchable trio of backup singers Jennifer Warnes, Bonnie Raitt, and k.d. Lang…
What a remarkable talent! Why do we lose so many of our best performers at such early ages?
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Ah, memories! Pretty Woman had to be one of the landmark anthems of my formative years. I just loved that opening guitar riff…
Only The Lonely. My favorite Roy.
The two you picked are great, too.
Great stuff.
Who’s that sharing the mic with Bruce Springsteen and doing the hand claps? I can’t decide if it’s Jackson Browne or Townes Zan Zant - though I’m sure if there is a connection with the latter.
Great clips you’ve found!
All smiles,
Pagan Sphinx
Pagan — I think that is Jackson Browne. The other bearded guitarist sharing mike with Costello is J. D. Souther — I think…
I too think it’s Jackson Browne. He has that strong jaw.
And what I meant to write was that I could not think what the connection would be to Townes Van Zant, but I typed it all wrong.
And good guess on J.D. Souther. Wow. You’re taking me back a long way…