'Roy' and David Stark

April 23rd 2010 would have been Roy Orbison's 74th birthday, and the world continues to celebrate the music and the man. Loved the world over for a soaring 5-octave voice, and his incredible and innovative way of writing songs, "The Big O" was an artist without limits. The acclaimed Texan was a pioneer of rock and roll and is one of the very few artists to have been accepted by the world in all forms of popular music. Roy is one of the exceptional artists to have won Grammys in pop, rock and roll and country categories. With hits that spanned a 5-decade career - like "Ooby Dooby", "Oh Pretty Woman", "Only The Lonely", "Blue Bayou", "Crying", "It's Over", "In Dreams", "You Got It" and "Handle with Care" (as a Traveling Wilbury with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and George Harrison) - Roy's music is woven into the fabric of our global psyche, forever living in our hearts and our minds and capturing the imagination of new fans daily. Some of the events celebrating Roy's birthday include:

• Hard Rock Cafe Nashville will host a benefit Birthday bash for the wonderful charity Musicians On Call* Friday April 23, 2010 (including performances by Harold Bradley & Mallary Hope, Rodney Crowell, Chris Rodriguez & Eden's Edge, Jeffrey Steele, JD Souther, Sweethearts of the Rodeo, plus surprise guests). Meanwhile Hard Rock cafes around the world will be playing his music and videos in all of their locations. Last year, Roy's Birthday Bash took place at the Gibson Studio in London where SongLink editor David Stark's band the Dave Stark Five lead the all-star finale version of "Oh Pretty Woman".


• The Nashville Sounds Baseball Club (Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers) has declared their April 22, 2010 game vs. the Oklahoma RedHawks Taco Bell Throw Back Thursday and Roy Orbison Night at historic Greer Stadium in Nashville. Fans are encouraged to wear their best Roy memorabilia. The first 1,000 fans will receive a pair of Roy Orbison sunglasses. The Sounds will hold special in-game promotions where lucky winners will receive the Roy Orbison Soul Of Rock and Roll Box Set and a bottle of Pretty Woman Perfume. Sounds mascot Ozzie will present the "Pretty Woman of the Game." Barbara Orbison will throw the first pitch and Gibson will donate a limited edition Pretty Woman guitar. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com or by calling 615-690-HITS.


• Gibson Epiphone will launch a photo campaign of iconic images wearing Roy's trademark glasses; and on Roy's birthday the Jumbotron in Times Square will alight with a classic photo of the Big O himself.


• TouchTunes Interactive Networks, the largest interactive in-venue entertainment network in North America, will promote a special 2 week long birthday playlist featuring over 20 hits dedicated to the rock legend. "So many of Roy Orbison's songs are jukebox classics," said Vicki Saunders, Vice President, Digital Media and Music Marketing. "His music is timeless and his memory lives on in each one of the more than 40,000 TouchTunes locations across the country where Orbison fans continue to rock out to his catalog of hits."

Visit the official Roy Orbison website to see how you can join the party. As Barbara Orbison would say, "Thank you for loving Roy." For more information go to: www.royorbison.com

*Musicians On Call was founded in 1999 with the mission of bringing live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities. To date, volunteers have played for over 185,000 people nationwide. Musicians On Call continues its mission through room-to-room hospital performances by both local musicians and national celebrities, and its CD Pharmacies and Project Playback programs.