On this day in music history: September 26, 1964 - “Oh, Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 3 weeks. Written by Roy Orbison and Sam Dees, it is the biggest hit for the legendary singer and songwriter born in Vernon, TX. The song is inspired by Orbison’s wife Claudette. When Roy asks her if she needs any money (to go shopping), Dees says to her “a pretty woman never needs any money”. Deciding that “pretty woman” would make a great song title, the two get right to work, writing the song in an afternoon. Recorded at Monument Studios in Nashville, TN in the Summer of 1964, “Oh, Pretty Woman” is completed in only two takes. Released in early August of 1964, it is an instant smash. Entering the Hot 100 at #51 on August 29, 1964 it hurdles to the top of the chart four weeks later. Ironically, “Oh, Pretty Woman” is his last major hit for almost twenty five years. In the years following, Orbison suffers major personal tragedies when he loses his wife Claudette in a motorcycle accident in 1966, and two years later loses two of his three sons in a house fire while he’s away on tour. After the devastating losses, he won’t perform publicly for nearly ten years. He experiences a major career resurgence in the 80’s as a member of The Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne. That success restarts his solo career when he records the album “Mystery Girl” with Lynne and Petty co-producing. Sadly, Orbison passes away from a heart attack on December 6, 1988. He scores his tenth and final top 10 hit with “You Got It” (#9 Pop) posthumously in April of 1989. “Oh Pretty Woman” is inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1999, and is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
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