Died On This Date (December 6, 1988) Roy Orbison / Rock ‘n Roll Pioneer
themusicsover Roy Orbison
April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988
Roy Orbison was one of rock ‘n roll’s true pioneers. With his uniquely beautiful and almost operatic voice, dark and sometimes melodramatic songs, and a sound that was equal parts country and rockabilly, Orbison would directly inspire such future greats as Bruce Springsteen, Bono, John Lennon and Tom Petty. When describing his voice, Barry Gibb once called it “the voice of God.” Orbison began learning to play the guitar his father gave him on his 6th birthday. As he grew older, he found his biggest inspiration in the music of Jimmie Rodgers, Lefty Frizzell, and Hank Williams. In 1956, he was offered a contract by Sun Records who released his first single, “Ooby Dooby” which sold a respectble 200,000 copies. Over the course of the next several years, he recorded no less than 20 top 40 singles, including “Only The Lonely,” “In Dreams,” “Crying,” and of course, “Oh, Pretty Woman.” When the British Invasion hit American soil during the early ’60s, Orbison, like many of rock’s first generation, were ironically pushed aside for the bands who found great inspiration in them. The ’70s found Orbison’s music embraced by some of the era’s most popular musicians. Artists like Springsteen, Linda Ronstadt, Gram Parsons and Nazereth were covering his songs either on record or in concert. In 1987, Orbison experienced a career revival thanks to a televised tribute and live album that found him sharing the stage with Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Jeff Lynne, Jackson Browne, and Bonnie Raitt. A year later, he was back in the studio as part of the Traveling Wilburys, a supergroup that included George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan. Their first release sold over 3 million copies in the U.S. alone. During that time working with the Wilburys, Orbison was also busy recording what supposed to be his comeback album, Mystery Girl. Later that year found him making a handful of promotional dates for the Wilburys, putting the finishing touches on his album, and preparing for what he hoped would be his second shot at stardom. But on December 6, 1988, Roy Orbison, 52, died of a heart attack at his home. During the year that followed, Mystery Girl was released and it’s first single, “You Got It,” was a smash hit that cracked the top 10 in the U.S. The album reached #5 in the U.S. and #2 in the UK, putting him back where he was when he started his career, on top.
What You Should Own
Allan Sherman was a popular humorist, television producer and parody singer-songwriter who had a massive top 40 hit with his 1963 novelty single, “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh,” a song about a child’s rough time at summer camp. It was sung to the tune of “Dance of the Hours” by Amilcare Ponchielli. That was followed by another humorous hit, “The Twelve Gifts of Christmas.” Such songs were a direct influence on likes of Weird Al Yankovic. Sherman’s career actually began in television. From 1952 to 1967, he was the producer of I’ve Got a Secret, which was based on an idea of his. He began putting out novelty records in the early ’60s. His specialty was taking old folk songs and changing the lyrics to poke fun at his Jewish heritage. One such hit of his was “Sarah Jackman” sung to the tune of “Frere Jacques.” Sherman’s popularity was short lived though, likely due to the fickle tastes of music fans. Some have even specualted that the changing mood in America after the assasanation of John F. Kennedy lead to his decline in popularity. Sherman tended to eat and drink heavily, leading to health problems as he grew older. He suffered from diabetes and lung disease and died of emphysema at the age of 48.
Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler was was a Green Beret medic who served for the US Army in Vietnam. In 1966, Sadler co-wrote and sang lead on “Ballad of the Green Berets.” Ironically, the pro-military song became a massive hit during an era mostly associated with the anti war movement. The song sat at the top of the charts for five weeks and sold approximately nine million copies. Sadler later became a published author, writing more than 20 adventure books. On November 6, 1989, Barry Sadler died from a serious gunshot wound he suffered a year earlier. While traveling in Guatamala in 1988, he was shot in the head while in a taxi cab. He laid in a coma for several months and ended up suffering brain damage and was partially paralyzed. The shooting was originally reported as a robbery and never officially solved, but some have claimed it was an assassination attempt by those who believed that Sadler was training the Contras.
Marie Gianini was part of the comedy, dance and vocal duo, the Avon Sisters, who spent many years performing through the Midwest and entertaining troops with the USO. Forming the duo with her sister, Theresa Frisby, perhaps her biggest thrill came when President Franklin Roosevelt called her to thank them for their hard work. Marie Gianini was 85 when she passed away at a care center on November 6, 2009.