In music, there’s nothing more satisfying than two legends sharing a rendition of a famous song.
In front of an adoring live audience, Johnny Cash sat with a special guest. It was a Saturday night in 1969, and Cash was at peak of his career. At Folsom Prison had enjoyed a remarkable run for 92 weeks on top of the charts. He just won a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocals, and was just recently married at that time.
During the years between 1969 and 1971, as America’s society was grappling with its involvement in the Vietnam War, The Johnny Cash Show was a welcome reprieve from the flag-draped coffins returning home.
Sitting right beside him, donned in his signature tinted glasses was an artist once claimed by Elvis Presley as the best singer in the world. Roy Kelton Orbison was six when he received his first guitar; and by eight, he was a regular in a local radio show. He would go on to create hits like “Crying”, “In Dreams”, “Running Scared”, and of course, “Oh, Pretty Woman”.
Turning to Orbison, Cash then invited the singer for a performance:
“Let’s do one of your songs. Can I sing a little bit with you? I’ll just do a bit because I can’t hit them good high notes.”
Then, the twanging intro comes on, reminding us of the iconic movie starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.
And as soon as the two music giants began with “Pretty woman, walking down the street.” the crowd hollered and cheered.
“Oh, Pretty Woman” was said to be inspired by his then wife Claudette. Orbison and his song writing partner Bill Dees were hanging out in Orbison’s house to write music when his wife came in and said she was going to town to buy something. Orbison asked if she needed any money, but Dees said “Pretty woman never needs any money.”
Johnny Cash, thanks to At Folsom Prison and At San Quentin, became a household name. Riding on this fame, he was given a weekly show where he invited fellow musicians as they told him about their craft, their projects, and stories of their lives.
But what the people watched out for was the performances of Cash with the guests that he had on the show.
He performed with icons like Bob Dylan, Glen Campbell, Tammy Wynette, and of course, Roy Orbison.
Their relationship was beyond this amazing duet of “Oh, Pretty Woman.” Cash and Orbison were long time neighbors in Memphis. And when Orbison lost his wife in a car accident and his two kids to a house fire, Cash would visit Orbison when he retreated from the public eye.
This performance not only showed how much they deserved the recognition given to them, but their brotherly camaraderie through the years.
Indeed, this duo just proved that there is no such thing as age before beauty. Only age and beauty in this timeless classic.
You can watch how these two musical giants made a rendition that lasted through the years by checking out the video below!
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