Tragic Life of Roy Orbison

Roy Orbison Songs

Roy Orbison the gifted songwriter and singer, that some of his critics refer to his style as being operatic and giving him the nick name of “the Caruso of Rock”. Roy Orbison made famous such classic hits as; Oh Pretty Woman, Only the Lonely, Crying, Running Scared and You Got It.

The Tragedies

He had a tragic life. First losing his beloved first wife Claudette in a tragic motor cycle accident, and then losing two of his three boys in a house fire.

On June 6, 1966, Roy and Claudette were riding their motor bikes in tandem, heading to the National Drag Races in Bristol, Tennessee. After the races they were heading home just a few miles out of Hendersonville. Roy told Claudette he would show her a short cut, so he pulled ahead. Roy was out of sight when Claudette was hit by a truck at an intersection. The impact threw her off the bike; she hit the hood of the truck and ended up under the truck. She was rushed to the hospital where she later died of her injuries.

Shortly after Claudette’s death, on the evening of September 14, 1968 Roy was not home; he was performing in Birmingham. That evening at Roy’s home in Hendersonville, his sons Roy Duane, Tony and Westley were down stairs playing with fire, using a lighter. Suddenly a corner of the bedding caught on fire and the boys tried to put it out, to no avail. Their grandfather was able to save the youngest son, Wesley but the two older boys, Roy Duane and Tony perished in the fire.

Roy Orbison died of a heart attack in 1988 at the age of 52.

Too Soon To Know

The song “Too Soon To Know” was written days before Claudette’s death but it served as her eulogy. Even though the song was about the end of a love affair, it could have also been sung for the end of a loved one’s life. After Claudette’s death the song quickly went to #3 in Britain but stalled at #68 on the US charts. Listen to this beautiful heartfelt song as Roy sang it in Melbourne Australia in 1973 live concert, you can almost hear the pain in Roy’s voice.

 

There were sightings of Elvis, Charlie Chaplin, Roy Orbison and others around Parksville Qualicum Beach last weekend

TRIBUTE FESTIVAL

TRIBUTE FESTIVAL: Visitors to the Coombs Emporium got a blast from the past May 23 when a parade of performers from the Vancouver Island Tribute Festival rolled in. Gord Rebel as Roy Orbison and Paul Romhany as Charlie Chaplan were among the stars that mingled among the statues. The annual festival, a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society, was held at the Parksville Community and Conference Centre May 22-24, featuring artists performing the music of icons including Elvis, Rod Stewart and The Beatles.

Source: Tribute Festival bring stars to Parksville – Parksville Qualicum News

A group of local ladies have hatched a plan to bring renowned tribute acts to the area at the end of May, including Elvis, Cher, Alan Jackson, The Judds and many more, and donate the proceeds to the Canadian Cancer Society. Organizers of the event (a group of local Elvis fans, plus supporters from around the Island) have traveled near and far catching tribute shows. When they started talking about bringing a festival to this area they discovered that four of them were breast cancer survivors, so they settled on making the event a fundraiser.

Sherry Judson said tribute artists keep past eras of music alive for future generations and allow many people who might not otherwise have access to the music a chance to take it all in.

“These tribute artists are so talented and so entertaining, and they bring the music to us,” she said