Singer to handle Roy Orbison’s songs with care

Published 5:00pm 20 April 2022

Fans of Roy Orbison should start preparing themselves for a night of singing and dancing at a special tribute show which will be held at the Redcliffe Entertainment Centre this Friday.

Australian singer John Stephan will pay homage to Roy Orbison by performing an array of number one hits, as well as a special tribute to The Travelling Wilburys in his show titled You Got It - A Salute to Roy Orbison.

Speaking to Moreton Daily before the performance, John said the idea for the show came about when he met Roy’s eldest son Wesley.

“I’m a singer/songwriter myself, and whilst I was living in America I became good friends with the Orbison family,” he said.

“While I was waiting for one of my record deals to go through, I sat down with Wesley and I told him I felt like putting on a show about his dad and his life to remind people how amazing he was.

“Wesley and the family were supportive and officially endorsed the show, making it a one-of-a-kind show.

“I’m extremely lucky to be able to call Wesley a friend. We got to see each other quite often and he would tell me all these intimate stories about his dad and his family.”

Some of those intimate stories even make it into John’s show.

“We have Wesley talking about his dad as he recorded a voiceover specifically for the show,” John said.

“It’s really lovely hearing him talk about his dad.”

A lasting legacy

Roy Orbison may have passed away more than 30 years ago, but his songs still pull at the heartstrings of all music lovers.

His chart-topping hit songs such as Pretty Woman, You Got It, Crying, I Drove All Night, Leah, Working For The Man and Only The Lonely are all included in the set list for Friday’s performance.

There will also be a special touch to the hugely popular band The Traveling Wilburys, which Orbison was a member of.

“I grew up listening to Roy Orbison when I was a kid. My parents would play his music because it was more of their era than mine. But they did have a good taste in music,” John said, laughing.

This will be the first time John has performed in Redcliffe, which he is looking forward to.

“I haven’t been to Redcliffe before, but I have heard really good things about the area,” he said.

“I’m excited to come and perform for everyone.

“My aim of the show is to make sure the audience enjoys the show as much as possible. I choose the material that will make the audience happy, and not necessarily what makes me happy.”

When asked about what is his favourite song to perform is, John said “Running Scared because it’s a beautiful song to sing”.

But don’t go expecting to see a replica of Roy Orbison before your eyes on stage.

“Just to be clear, it’s not me impersonating Roy Orbison. It’s an Australian singer singing his songs.”