Roy Orbison’s Son Details Sprawling ‘MGM Years’ Package
That’s especially true of One of the Lonely Ones, a planned 1969 LP that has also been released for the first time ever. The early 1969 sessions for the album, which began as Orbison was coming out a period of grief and seclusion, represent some of the most haunting, beautiful material he ever recorded. The LP’s emotional highpoint is a breathtakingly gorgeous rendition of the 70-year-old Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” which will especially resonate with Orbison’s British fan base as LFC (Liverpool Football Club) and other European teams commonly play a version of the song before their matches.
From his early days, country music’s influence on Orbison was evident. Although he only achieved one Top Ten country hit in his lifetime (a 1980 Grammy-winning duet with Emmylou Harris, “That Lovin’ You Feelin’ Again”), Orbison’s MGM tenure included two LPs that were tributes to a pair of titanic country songwriters, Hank Williams and Don Gibson. The album celebrating the latter artist was released in 1967 and included Orbison’s versions of such iconic hits as “Sweet Dreams” and “Blue Blue Day.” Having previously cut several of Gibson’s songs, Orbison had a two-fold purpose for the full LP: it served as a tribute to one of his favorite writers and also took the pressure off Orbison to write songs for his next project. The disc of Williams tunes, released in 1970 and aptly titled Hank Williams the Roy Orbison Way, presented the songs of the Hillbilly Shakespeare in the inimitable style of the man who was called rock & roll’s answer to opera’s Enrico Caruso.
In spite of Orbison’s tendencies toward shyness and the brooding, mysterious nature of some of his best-loved material, his son says the singer easily connected with people he would encounter throughout the world and never hesitated to spend a few precious moments with them.
“Whether it was Tom Petty or Jeff Lynne, or somebody who wanted to get an autograph in the Melbourne airport, my dad — even if he was jet-lagged or tired — would stop and give a moment of time. No matter who it was, my dad was just kind and gentle with everyone,” Alex says. “I’ve been waiting for someone to show up and say, ‘Your dad was a jerk to me,’ but that never has happened. He just loved life. He’d talk for a second and find common ground then start cracking jokes.”
Orbison’s recorded output at MGM stretched from 1965 to 1973, after which he signed with Mercury. Later, he briefly returned to Monument, then recorded his final album of original material released in his lifetime for Asylum Records in 1979. In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame during a resurgence in his popularity, thanks to his partnership in the Traveling Wilburys with Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and George Harrison. Electric Light Orchestra’s Jeff Lynne, who produced those sessions, also helmed Orbison’s last original solo LP Mystery Girl, which became a posthumous Top Five hit.