Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night

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Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night is an acclaimed 1988 Cinemax television special originally broadcast on HBO starring Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll pioneer singer/songwriter Roy Orbison.

Described as a cinematographic masterpiece, the performance at the Ambassador Hotel's Coconut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles was taped on September 30, 1987 as a tribute to Orbison's more than thirty-year contribution to Rock and Roll. Two songs, Blue Bayou and Claudette, were taped but not included in the broadcast due to time constraints.

Few early performers were more gifted than Roy Orbison, whose vaulting operatic tenor voice brought a haunting intensity like no other to songs of heartbreak and lost love.

Filmed in black and white, the January 3, 1988 televised special introduced Orbison to a whole new generation of fans. Put together by musical director, T-Bone Burnett, Orbison was accompanied by a who's who supporting cast. The star-studded lineup is all the more noteworthy for the restraint with which they collaborate. All were fans, and all were volunteers who had lobbied to participate resulting in a cohesive honoring of a great star through stirring performances. And in the audience can be seen further devoted Orbison admirers, Billy Idol, Kris Kristofferson and others.

On piano was Glen D. Hardin, who had played piano for The Crickets and for many years with Elvis Presley. Lead guitarist James Burton and bassist Jerry Scheff also played with Presley both in concert and in the studio. Male background vocalists, with some on guitar, were: Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Steven Soles. Singing the female background vocals were k.d. lang, Jennifer Warnes, and Bonnie Raitt.

From this performance, Orbison's 1964 #1 hit song "Oh, Pretty Woman" was nominated for a Grammy Award for best live performance. Re-released as part of a CD bearing the same title as the television special, the song won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Recorded on VHS and later DVD, the performance was used by PBS stations to assist in fund raising. It proved to be the single most successful fund raiser in PBS history.

The year following this performance, Roy Orbison died of a heart attack.

An album was made in 1989 by Virgin Records from the televised broadcast titled "A Black & White Night Live".

Adapted from the article Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night, from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.