Orbison’s sons unite to create new song
Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison is honored with a star posthumously on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with family members, from left, sons Wesley, Alex, wife Barbara Orbison, and Roy Jr. in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Roy Orbison’s three sons are all musicians but never really got to play music with their dad – until now.
Wesley, Roy Jr. and Alex Orbison have helped create a new song by their father that will appear on the 25th anniversary reissue and expansion of Orbison’s final album, “Mystery Girl.” They found an old vocal track for a song called “The Way is Love” originally recorded on a boombox and were able to reclaim it using technology that had to be created to accomplish the work. They then added new instrumentation with the help of another son of a music legend, co-producer John Carter Cash.
“It really brought us closer together in a lot of ways,” said Alex Orbison, 38, who contributed drums and backing vocals to the track.
“Mystery Girl” will be re-released May 20 with “The Way is Love” one of nine previously unheard songs. Alex Orbison also directed a documentary. Orbison was going through a career renaissance at the time he released “Mystery Girl.”
Orbison died in December 1988 at age 52.