Remembering Roy Orbison: All-Star ‘A Black & White Night’ Concert Highlights
By Andy Kahn Dec 6, 2016 • 1:25 pm PST
Today is the 28th anniversary of the untimely death of legendary musician Roy Orbison. The acclaimed songwriter and easily recognizable singer was a truly singular voice in the early days of rock ‘n’ roll. His life was mixed with professional success and personal tragedies and was tragically cut short on December 6, 1988 at the age of just 52 following a heart attack.
His emotive vocal delivery and earnestly sentimental songwriting was displayed through his classic compositions such as “Only The Lonely,” “Blue Bayou,” “Crying” and his hit “Oh, Pretty Woman.” Orbison performed those songs and several others at a performance taped for an HBO live concert special and live release A Black & White Night. Recorded in September 1987, an all-star cast of supporting musicians appeared alongside Orbison including such popular rock artists as Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits and many others. The talented band that night was also made up of drummer Ron Tutt, bassist Jerry Scheff, pianist Glen D. Hardin and guitarist James Burton.
Additional guests appearing on stage included k.d. lang, Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, T-Bone Burnett and Jennifer Warnes. Watch a majority of the all-star performance in the officially shared clips below:
