Thursday, November 14, 2019

Blind Item #1 - Reader Blind

There is a biopic about to start shooting.  The subject is a deceased singer who recorded in more than one genre whose peak was a number of decades ago wherein he had a couple big crossover hits.  His biggest hit was a song of regret that referenced a woman’s attractiveness.  He had hits throughout his career in the main genre he was associated with.

The singer was a naturally talented musician with a powerful voice and was tall and handsome to boot.  Unfortunately, he was plagued by alcoholism his whole life.  One famous public drunken incident was at a televised annual event.

It was always assumed that this was why at one point he just stopped recording and touring and in the following decade and a half until his death only recorded one more record.

But the real reason he stopped recording and touring was he didn’t need to. An old friend had started a company that everyone knows and patronizes.  The singer helped his friend out financially at the beginning and was a big shareholder in the company which made him extremely wealthy despite his dissolute lifestyle. 

36 comments:

Tricia13 said...

Ray Orbison?

Tricia13 said...

Pretty Woman....

Neil said...

I thought Orbison as well, but he was neither tall nor good-looking. Elvis famously said one time he was glad Roy wasn't handsome because he (Roy) was so-o-o talented.

Flashy Vic said...

The Big O had a number of hits with the Traveling Wilberrys right up until his death. And didn't he lose a wife and kid to a car crash or something?

Don't think it him.

Minxy said...

Eric Clapton?

test said...

Per https://screenrant.com/music-movie-biopics-upcoming/tldr/1, upcoming biopics include ones on Elvis, John Lennon, Teddy Pendergrass, Bob Marley, David Bowie, and Bill Monroe.

MountainMama said...

Love Roy but not in any stretch would I consider him handsome. He was a very talented musician though.

StarkGirl88 said...

Charlie Rich; The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.

Count Jerkula said...

Conway Twitty

MeliticusBee said...

Indeed.
Drunk Charlie Rich lit the paper with the name of the Entertainer of the Year on fire at the 1975 CMA awards....he said John Denver wasn't country enough....

Someone Said said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Someone Said said...

Orbison was not an alcoholic, it's Charlie Rich.

Brayson87 said...

+1 Charlie Rich guesses

"For over a decade, Rich was silent, living off his investments in semi-retirement and only playing occasional concerts."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Rich#Decline_in_activity_and_semiretirement

"Rich's destructive personal behavior famously culminated at the CMA awards ceremony for 1975,[1] when he presented the award for Entertainer of the Year, while visibly intoxicated."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Rich#CMA_awards_1975

Jimmy Mc said...

Charlie Rich and Walmart?

Count Jerkula said...

Rich and Wendy's Burgers.

https://www.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/163-dear-charlie

"Sy had set Charlie up financially by investing in the Wendy’s hamburger chain. Money would never be a problem again. "

MountainMama said...

Wow the things you learn! Had no clue Charlie Rich was a rich man due to Wendy's!!

Stupidpervs said...

Have you murdered Clapton and didn't send in a blind for it? ..2nd paragraph 13th word of the blind sets deceased ..

Stupidpervs said...

Those Elvis bio pics have been done to death..

Stupidpervs said...

Ikr...idk what people are thinking with Roy Orbison here not on any planet was he tall and handsome ..I'm guessing an older country singer

Stupidpervs said...

I'm thinking this...sounds like an older country singer with maybe gospel crossovers

Vita said...

Looks like this StarkGirl88 got it with Charlie Rich

Fascinating blind, thanks, Reader!

Waitwhat said...

Charlie Rich- Warren Buffett for friend berkshire hathoway for company

Justme said...

Because the "Queen" of this website has a pathetic existence and has to be first regardless if the answer makes any sense! She must be a total loser in life tbh.

Anonymous said...

This is definitely Charlie Rich. Everyone remember "Hey did you happen to see the most beautiful girl who walked out on me.........." Charlie Rich had at least two crossover hits I remember. The Most Beautiful Girl and Behind Closed Doors. I own both songs and I am NOT a C&W fan. I also own a handful of Dolly Parton songs for the same reason.

YummyBoogers said...

Roy Orbison was recording with Traveling Wilburys around the time he died, right? So he might not be the subject of this blind.

YummyBoogers said...

Any possibility that this could be about Willy DeVille?

shakey said...

I was kind of hoping this would be Dean Martin - I'd like to see a biopic made about him.

SnarkyAngel said...

Orbison was a kind & lovely man with a generous heart, as well as extremely talented. Glad I had the pleasure of knowing him. RIP Roy.

Angela said...

Orbison's career started to falter when he left Monument Records and signed with MGM for what was supposed to be a very lucrative contract that included films. He never found a producer who knew how to play to his strengths like Fred Foster could, he stopped working with his cowriter Joe Melson, and his divorce, then the death of Claudette (that he had remarried) and two of his sons in separate accidents were a huge blow to him.
But he kept on recording and touring during the sixties and seventies, it's just that he had a huge dry spell.

The stories I've read on him confirm what SnarkyAngel said. During a flight, he would discuss with the people seated next to him, who had no idea who he was, and talk about his hobbies such as model airplanes, or how happy he was because of his kids and never during the entire flight he would mention that he was a professional singer.

His comeback was due to David Lynch, who used "In Dreams" on a VERY memorable scene from Blue Velvet. At this point, nobody could buy his hits, because Monument Records had gone bankrupt. So, he had to rerecord the whole collection to be sure that the songs would be preserved.

The comeback also allowed him to perform a really outstanding TV special, "A Black and White Night", where he's supported by people such as Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Waits, and Elvis' live band from the seventies. The latest version, released two years ago is the one to get. It was entirely reedited from the original film rushes (and it works much better with this new edit) and it has the whole show.

After that, he was a guest on a Tom Petty solo album produced by Jeff Lynne (from E.L.O.). When George Harrison tried to record a B-side for another single of his own album (produced by Lynne), he used Bob Dylan's home studio and invited Orbison, then Petty, as Harrison had to borrow a guitar from him. That's how the Traveling Wilburys started. They gelled together in the studio, they wrote a song on the spot, and everybody agreed that the B-side, "Handle with Care" was too good for a B-side.

Then, everybody but Dylan (who was on tour) came back to contribute to Orbison's own comeback album, for which he had also got songs from U2 or Elvis Costello. Just before the album was supposed to be release, he had a diet to lose some weight, which was probably the reason for his heart attack (he also had heart surgery before, and he was a heavy smoker). "You Got It" was from that album.

Coincidentally, Tom Petty's final work was to produce a new solo album by Chris Hillman (The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas, The Desert Rose Band) called "Bidin' My Time". This is also a great album that features some of the best work by Hillman and the Heartbreakers.

E said...

I love that Yummy mentioned Willy DeVille

GentleBreeze said...

Thanks, Angela for the additional info. Of course I remember Pretty Woman, but I watched a movie in which he starred a few months ago. The whole thing wasn't good, but it spurred me to research him.
Some of what I recall, he was so nervous when singing and that is why his vibrato was so fast. He did gain and lose weight often.
He was a real talent and a decent man.

All X's said...

Neil Diamond - oil

Anonymous said...

Thanks Angela for the great educational post. I'm a lifetime fan of Orbison. I own one of the original copies of A Black and White Night. I'll have to pick up the newer version. So many greats playing and sitting in the audience on that video. There will never be another voice like Roy Orbison's.

Unknown said...

Yawn ^

MoodyJBey said...

George Michael

Urfuqued said...

I am not a fan of c&w, but Dolly is a gem.

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