Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell Celebrates Legacy of Roy Orbison

On Monday, May 1, 2006 at RCA Studio B on Music Row, Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell will officially issue a proclamation honoring the late Roy Orbison, one of Music City's most influential writers and singers. The tribute, to be presented at 12:30 p.m. at the famed recording studio where Orbison recorded "Only The Lonely," "In Dreams" and many other hits, will cite Orbison's "significant cultural impact to the city of Nashville, the state of Tennessee and the entire world." April 23 marked what would have been Roy Orbison's 70th birthday, and Mayor Purcell's proclamation is one of many worldwide events celebrating the legacy of this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and legendary American artist. All media are invited to attend Monday's ceremony.

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Legacy Recordings recently issued the first career-spanning 2 CD set ("The Essential Roy Orbison") encompassing Orbison's key recordings from the Sun, Monument, MGM and Virgin record labels. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland recently opened "Haunting and Yearning: The Life and Music of Roy Orbison," a comprehensive exhibit with more than 100 artifacts from Orbison's career. XM Radio featured Roy Orbison Month that included a four-hour documentary and a tribute show from RCA Studio B with Rodney Crowell, Raul Malo, James Burton and others. Also, a campaign is well underway to earn Roy Orbison a much-deserved U.S. postage stamp. A petition in favor of the stamp has more than 15,000 names including Bono, Olivia Harrison, Gregg Allman, Pete Fountain, George Clinton, Dwight Yoakam, George Jones and Loretta Lynn.

Roy Orbison possessed one of the great rock and roll voices: a forceful, operatic bel canto tenor capable of dynamic crescendos. He sang heartbroken ballads and bluesy rockers alike, running up a formidable hit streak in the early Sixties. From the release of "Only the Lonely" in 1960 to "Oh! Pretty Woman," a span of four years, Orbison cracked the Top Ten nine times. Orbison's most memorable performances were lovelorn melodramas, such as "Crying" and "It's Over," in which he emoted in a brooding, tremulous voice. The melancholy in his songs resonated with listeners of all ages, but especially heartsick teenagers who knew how it felt to lose in love.

During his remarkable career, Roy Orbison received multiple Grammy awards including the prestigious Lifetime Achievement award and is also a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1990, two years after his death, Roy received a Grammy for best male vocalist for his performance of "Oh! Pretty Woman" from Black & White Night. The love and respect for the writer and singer, Roy Orbison, didn't end the day he died in December of 1988, and it is still ongoing.

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SOURCE: Legacy Recordings

CONTACT: Jed Hilly, +1-615-242-4201, jed@orbison.com, for Legacy
Recordings

Web site: http://www.legacyrecordings.com/