This is the latest from The Bluesmobile’s C.C. Rider, who spends her life venerating the founding fathers of the blues. She’s walked the crooked highways of this singing country to resurrect the voices of the past. With the dirt of the Delta on her hands, she sleeps in the shadow of the giants on whose shoulders popular music now stands.
Roy Orbison
(April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988)
“Pretty Woman” is Roy Orbison’s biggest hit, the best known of all his songs. It took the already famous Orbison and rocketed him to a whole new stratosphere. So would you believe the track was all but written in 45 minutes? The song’s co-writer, Bill Dees, remembers that it all started when Roy’s wife showed up…
Bill Dees:
…and she came bopping down the stairs and said, “Honey give me some money,” and “What do you need money for?” he said. And she said, “Well I gotta go up to the store.” And as she walked away they were like whispering and kissing bye bye you know away from me, and I stood up at the table. And he came back to the table, and I said “Does this sound funny, uh ‘pretty woman don’t need no money,’?” And he laughed and he sat down and he said, “There’s nothing funny about pretty woman.” And right away he started uh ‘pretty woman walking down the street…’ Well by the time she got back we had it written!
