Orbison

Although he shared the same rockabilly roots as Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison went on to pioneer an entirely different brand of country/pop-based rock & roll in the early '60s. What he lacked in charisma and photogenic looks, Orbison made up for in spades with his quavering operatic voice and melodramatic narratives of unrequited love and yearning. In the process, he established rock & roll archetypes of the underdog and the hopelessly romantic loser. These were not only amplified by peers such as Del Shannon and Gene Pitney, but also influenced future generations of roots rockers such as Bruce Springsteen and Chris Isaak, as well as modern country stars the Mavericks.

Although he shared the same rockabilly roots as Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison went on to pioneer an entirely different brand of country/pop-based rock & roll in the early '60s. What he lacked in charisma and photogenic looks, Orbison made up for in spades with his quavering operatic voice and melodramatic narratives of unrequited love and yearning. In the process, he established rock & roll archetypes of the underdog and the hopelessly romantic loser. These were not only amplified by peers such as Del Shannon and Gene Pitney, but also influenced future generations of roots rockers such as Bruce Springsteen and Chris Isaak, as well as modern country stars the Mavericks.

Amazingly, it has been 30 years since Roy Orbison‘s 1987 television ‘comeback’ show A Black & White Night. To mark the occasion ‘Roy’s Boys’ – Alex Orbison and Roy Orbison Jnr – have gone back to the source footage and audio and re-edited, remastered and, if you are feeling fanciful, ‘re-imagined’ the television special, to create an expanded audio/visual document that will be available on CD/Blu-ray or CD/DVD in February. The concert – filmed at Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles – was shot using seven separate cameras and there were hundreds of hours of footage that went unused and unseen. Roy’s youngest son Alex has gone back to this source material and, with the help of co-editor Luke Chalk, re-edited to reflect the correct set order as seen by those who attended the show.

Amazingly, it has been 30 years since Roy Orbison‘s 1987 television ‘comeback’ show A Black & White Night. To mark the occasion ‘Roy’s Boys’ – Alex Orbison and Roy Orbison Jnr – have gone back to the source footage and audio and re-edited, remastered and, if you are feeling fanciful, ‘re-imagined’ the television special, to create an expanded audio/visual document that will be available on CD/Blu-ray or CD/DVD in February. The concert – filmed at Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles – was shot using seven separate cameras and there were hundreds of hours of footage that went unused and unseen. Roy’s youngest son Alex has gone back to this source material and, with the help of co-editor Luke Chalk, re-edited to reflect the correct set order as seen by those who attended the show.