Archives for August 2015

Roy Orbison MGM Records Years Get Royal Treatment With Box Set and Unreleased Album: Exclusive

Roy Orbison MGM Years – Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Roy Orbison is celebrated primarily for his years with the Sun and Monument Records labels, where he recorded such career-defining hits as “Ooby Dooby,” “Only the Lonely,” “In Dreams,” “Crying” and “Oh, Pretty Woman” in the ’50s and early ’60s. But 50 years ago, at the height of Beatlemania, the singer was the object of a fierce bidding war that led to a $1 million move to MGM Records. His eight-year, 12-album tenure there was not as commercially successful as his previous years, but with top 40 and international hits like “Ride Away” and “Breakin’ Up Is Breakin’ My Heart,” it was still creatively vital. And Orbison’s heirs are ensuring that era of his career gets its due.

In December, Roys Boys LLC — the Nashville-based company run by sons Wesley, Roy Jr. and Alex Orbison — will release a pair of projects from the MGM vaults through Universal Music Enterprises. The 153-song MGM Years will feature all of Orbison’s albums plus a rarities compilation, while One of the Lonely Ones is an unreleased 12-track album recorded in 1969 but shelved due to what Alex calls “a logjam of releases” and some financial issues with the label. A copy of that album will be included with the first 500 preordered physical copies of the box set, and with preorders of the digital version.

Alex says the two releases mark the ­beginning of a campaign to put the MGM catalog, much of which has been long out of print, back into ­circulation. Universal’s purchase of Polydor Records, which previously had taken over the MGM catalog, made the company the partner for Roys Boys and for worldwide releases of the catalog. “We have creative control and final say on everything,” adds Alex. “In essence, we’re the record company.” More:

Missing Elvis: Ten songs Elvis should have recorded, but didn’t

Missing Elvis,

During an incredible career cut short by an early death at age 42, Elvis recorded about 700 songs.

Despite being so prolific, there are many other songs we would have liked to hear him sing.

Elvis wasn’t just the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. With his amazing versatility, he was also a master of pop ballads, country, R&B, and gospel.

We have listed 10 songs, including at least one from each of these genres that we believe he should have recorded.

Only the Lonely: According to legend, the great Roy Orbison was intending to offer Elvis this song, but the Memphis resident was unavailable when Roy drove through town. So Roy recorded it himself in 1960 and it became his first huge hit. Because Elvis had great respect for Roy, he didn’t cover any of his songs. You can get some idea of how Elvis would have handled the song by listening to Ronnie McDowell’s 1990 version.

Twelfth of Never: Johnny Mathis’ major 1957 hit would have been a good addition to Elvis’ list of recordings. His 1974 unpolished rehearsal of the song exists and makes clear a studio recording would have produced an appealing, easy-listening version that would be appreciated by lovers everywhere.

It’s Just a Matter of Time: This gem, recorded in 1959 by silky smooth Brook Benton, was Brook’s first major hit, and also arguably his best. It has been covered by many pop and country singers, and should have been part of Elvis’ catalog. It would have been especially good as a 1970s recording, when Elvis’ baritone voice had become deeper.

Bring It On Home: While this 1962 Sam Cooke song featuring Lou Rawls doing backup vocals wasn’t his most popular hit, it was certainly one of his most soulful. Elvis’ natural feel for soul would carry the song, just as it did in his cover of Jerry Butler’s “Only the Strong Survive.” We can close our eyes and hear Kathy Westmoreland and the Sweet Inspirations singing “Yeah, yeah” at the end of the verses.  More

 

B.C. woman finds biological dad on Facebook living as Elvis impersonator in Thailand

Elvis Impersonator – After spending the first 46 years of her life without knowing her father, a Kelowna, B.C., woman decided to try to find him by sending out a personal plea in a video she posted on Facebook.

“I have never met my biological father. My mom was a teenage mom and my father was a visitor to Canada from the Netherlands,” she says in the video. “All I know is that he was born in the Netherlands. He visited Canada in 1968 when my mother got pregnant with me.”

Within three days, she discovered he’s been living in Thailand for the last 16 years, performing as an Elvis impersonator for charity. He’s also worked as an actor and musician.

“I guess he’s very, very well-known and a little bit famous in Europe,” she says.

Her father, Cees de Jong, performs as Colin Young in Thailand, where he has two young children named Elvis and Priscilla.

A long search

Dodaro had tried off and on to find her Dutch father for years with no success, because he has one of the most common first and last names in the Netherlands: Cees de Jong.

“It’s kind of the equivalent of searching for John Smith in North America,” says Dodaro.

But once she posted her video on Facebook, the search took on a life of its own. People started sharing it and tagging their friends of Dutch descent, she says.

Eventually a newspaper in the Netherlands picked up the story and a reporter took on the chase to find Dodaro’s father. He tracked down de Jong’s phone number in Thailand.

When the reporter asked Dodaro if she would like to call her father, she said she was too scared. MORE: