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A record producer, Phillips had a knack for discovering artists who would later become household names, such as Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich and Ike Turner. But there was one other guy he worked with that went even further, an unknown who he prodded until he finally agreed to record one of his songs: Elvis Presley. Originally, Presley only wanted to record a couple of songs for his mother. It took Phillips a year to convince him to cut a record for the public, starting with "That's All Right". "It was like Camelot," Johnny Cash once said. "For one shining moment in history there was a unique situation, never before and never after. And he was the man who brought it all about." He was one of the first to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Phillips died in Memphis July 30 from respiratory problems at age 80. From This is True for 27 July 2003 Suggestions for further reading:
 By: Peter Lehman List Price: $23.95 Amazon Price: $21.55 Editorial Review: Roy Orbison's music whether heard in his own recordings or in cover versions of his songs is a significant part of contemporary American culture despite the fact that he died almost a generation ago. Few of today's listeners know or remember how startlingly unique he seemed at the height of his career in the early 1960s. In this book, Peter Lehman looks at the long span of Orbison's career and probes into the uniqueness of his songs, singing, and performance style, arguing that singer/songwriters no less than filmmakers can be considered as auteurs. Unlike other pop stars, Orbison was a constant presence on the Top 40, but virtually invisible in the media during his heyday. Ignoring the conventions of pop music, he wrote complex songs and sang them with a startling vocal range and power. Wearing black clothes and glasses and standing motionless on stage, he rejected the macho self confidence and strutting that characterized the male rockers of his time. He sang about a man lost in a world of loneliness and fear, one who cried in the dark or escaped into a dream world, the only place his desires could be fulfilled. This was a man who reveled in passivity, pain, and loss. Lehman traces Orbison's development of this alternative masculinity and the use of his music in films by Wim Wenders and David Lynch. Widely admired by fellow musicians from Elvis to Jagger, Springsteen and Bono, Orbison still attracts new listeners. As a devoted fan and insightful scholar, Lehman gives us a fascinating account of 'the greatest white singer on the planet', and a new approach to understanding individual singer/songwriters. Author note: Peter Lehman is Director of the Interdisciplinary Humanities Program at Arizona State University. He is the author of "Running Scared: Masculinity and the Representation of the Male Body" (Temple), and the editor of "Masculinity Bodies/Movies/Culture".  By: Roy Orbison List Price: $12.95 Amazon Price: $10.36 Editorial Review: 19 songs, including: Blue Angel * Blue Bayou * Candy Man * Crying * Dream Baby * Falling * I'm Hurtin' * It's Over * Oh, Pretty Woman * Only The Lonely (Know The Way I Feel) * Running Scared * You Got It * and more.  By: Roy Orbison List Price: $19.95 Amazon Price: $19.95 Editorial Review: 38 of his best, including: Blue Angel * Blue Bayou * Claudette * Crying * Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) * Falling * It's Over * Oh, Pretty Woman * Only The Lonely (Know The Way I Feel) * Pretty Paper * Running Scared * You Got It * and more.  By: Roy Orbison List Price: $12.95 Amazon Price: $11.01 Editorial Review: Now you can put all of Orbison's best songs in your back pocket! This collection includes 38 songs: Blue Bayou * California Blue * Candy Man * Communication Breakdown * Crying * Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) * Falling * I Drove All Night * I'm Hurtin' * In Dreams * It's Over * Mean Woman Blues * Oh, Pretty Woman * Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel) * Pretty Paper * Running Scared * Working for the Man * You Got It * and more. Roy Orbison: Black & White Night List Price: $24.99 Amazon Price: $24.99 |
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