Orbison tribute set for theatre (From Thurrock Gazette)

Orbison tribute set for theatre

7:30am Monday 1st October 2012 in News

A TRIBUTE to Roy Orbison and some of his famous friends hits the Thameside Theatre stage next month.

Barry Steele will be belting out the Big O’s monster hits, alongside a host of other tributes for acts including Ray Charles and Elvis, on Friday, October 5, from 7.45pm.

A spokesman for the theatre, in Orsett Road, Grays, said: “If you love good music, then this is the show for you as Barry Steele presents his all live spectacular multi media tribute to the Big O, featuring classic Orbison hits from the 1960s right through to the late 1980s when Roy joined a band of men, who called themselves the Traveling Wilburys.

"Add to the mix the sounds of the Shadows, Ray Charles and our special star guests Peter Jackson, as Johnny Cash, Boogie Williams, as Jerry Lee Lewis, and Paul Molloy, as Elvis, and you have yourself a spectacular fusion of good old rock‘n’roll and contemporary musical genius all on one stage.”

American singer songwriter Roy Orbison was born in 1936 and was at the height of his career with Monument Records between 1960 and 1964, when 22 of his songs charted on the Billboard top 40.

Among his biggest hits were Only the Lonely, Crying and Pretty Woman. Elvis Presley and Bono have both said Orbison’s voice was the greatest and most distinctive they had ever heard.

Orbison was initiated into the second class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 by longtime admirer Bruce Springsteen. He died of a heart attack in 1988.

In 2002, Billboard magazine listed Orbison at number 74 in the top 600 recording artists.

Tickets for the show are £18, or £16 for groups of four or more. To book, call the theatre box office on 0845 300 5264, or log on to www.thurrock.gov.uk/theatre