On August 29th, 1964, Roy Orbison released his signature song ‘Oh, Pretty Woman.’ It spent three weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the second single to hit number 1 for Roy, and it was his last. Do you remember what clothing accessory Roy always wore?
The record sold 7 million copies and signified the peak of Roy’s career. It was certified Gold within months of its release and was the fourth-ranked song in all of 1964.
In the performance video, the band is wearing nice suits, surrounding Roy. There are three other guitar players, a bassist, a drummer, and a pianist. Roy strums his guitar while singing, and they are all having fun performing the hit song.
Roy sings the hit lyrics, ‘Pretty woman, walking down the street. Pretty woman, the kind I like to meet. Pretty woman, I don’t believe you. You’re not the truth. No one could look as good as you, mercy.’
‘Pretty Woman’ was used for the title of the 1990 film starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, along with the 2018 Broadway musical. Roy’s success may have been due to his unique style. He sang in an operatic manner leading to his nicknames ‘The Caruso of Rock’ and ‘The Big O.’
Roy would perform standing motionless while wearing black clothes that matched his dyed black hair. He topped off the outfit with his signature dark sunglasses. He had to deal with stage fright his whole career, and it was believed that the glasses helped him stay calm.
From 1960 through 1966, Roy had 22 singles reach the Billboard Top 40. His hits included ‘Only the Lonely,’ ‘Crying,’ and ‘In Dreams.’ His unique style and stage persona made Roy Orbison a legend in American music.
