The Official Website of The Soul of Rock and Roll
Over the weekend Roy Orbison was honored by the Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Association! Check out this video featuring Raul Malo, Vince Gill, Radney Foster, and others talking about their respect for The Big O-
TxHSA 2016 Roy Orbison (in HD) from TxHSA on Vimeo.
Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Association to Induct Joe Ely, Will Jennings, Roy Orbison and JD Souther Into Hall of Fame During Its Annual Awards Show
AUSTIN, Texas, January 21, 2016 — The 10th Annual Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Association (TxHSA) Hall of Fame Awards Show will take place Sunday, February 21st, 2016 at ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin, Texas. This year’s honorees include music legends Roy Orbison, Joe Ely, JD Souther and Will Jennings. A limited number of seats are available to the public, with ticket sales now available online. In addition, two hundred new floor seats have been made available today.
“Our 2016 Hall of Fame show will be a music aficionado’s dream,” said Joe Ables, Texas Heritage Songwriters’ board member and founder of Austin’s landmark Saxon Pub. “If live performances from our very own 2016 Texas State Musician Joe Elyand past TxHSA honoree Robert Earl Keen aren’t enough, just wait until you hear our other star-studded performances. Rita Coolidge will join 2016 Grammy Award nominee Rodney Crowell to perform the mega-hits of Will Jennings, while 2016 Grammy Award nominee Raúl Malo will light up the stage with some incredible hits of Roy Orbison!”
Congratulations Loretta Lynn & Jack White!
The two will join Roy Orbison with their own plaques on Nashville’s Music Mile on June 4th at the park’s grand re-opening. The event is open to the public.
White’s Third Man Records, also based in Nashville, offers four 7″ vinyl reissues of Roy Orbison’s Sun Records singles. CLICK HERE to check out “Rockhouse/You’re My Baby”!
Master painter and designer Drew Struzan is slated to receive the Saul Bass Award for his work. Perhaps best known for his movie posters for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and other films, Struzan got his start designing album covers for artists ranging from Liberace to Roy Orbison.
50 years ago today, August 1, 1964, Roy Orbison’s smash hit “OH, PRETTY WOMAN” was recorded!
Released as Monument Single #851, it was a massive hit, breaking all previous sales & radio play records worldwide. The song was initially controversial, viewed as too sexual for public radio. The opening guitar riff was thought to be lascivious, the drums too aggressive. Censors especially didn’t like the line “come with me baby” and Roy had to change it for the Ed Sullivan show and other television appearances like musicians (Rolling Stones, The Doors) would have to change their lyrics for TV in the future.
Still considered by many to be the top Rock and Roll song of all time, it directly influenced many great rock riffs like The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” and The Beatles’ “Daytripper,” both from 1965. It introduced the rock guitar riff used as a compositional element in song structure.
Here’s a photo of the song’s writers- Roy Orbison & Bill Dees- accepting an award for over 1 million sales in Canada! Mercy!!!!
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for our celebration of all things “OH, PRETTY WOMAN!”