CMT News

A number of friends of Roy Orbison gathered Monday (May 1) at RCA's historic Studio B in Nashville to honor the late singer's memory and to commemorate what would have been his 70th birthday on April 23. Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell presented the singer-songwriter's widow Barbara Orbison and son Roy Kelton Orbison with a proclamation honoring his achievements and contributions to Nashville and its worldwide image. Studio B is where Orbison recorded some 200 of his songs, beginning with "Crying," recorded there on May 1, 1961. Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees said he and his brothers probably would not have gone into music had they not heard the early Orbison hits. "'Crying' is the only single I bought in my life," Gibb said. "When I heard that, I had to have it. Every record that man made has touched my life." Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn and record executive Mike Curb, who wrote songs with and produced Orbison when he ran MGM Records, also lauded the late singer. The proclamation is viewable on Orbison's Web site.