Relive Roy Orbison singing ‘Pretty Paper’ on The Johnny Cash Show at Christmas

It’s not enough to say that Roy Orbison was a phenomenal singer-songwriter. The Big O was able to take a song that was originally performed by another artist and completely transform it into his own using his unique voice.

This is exactly what he accomplished with the song “Pretty Paper,” which was written by Willie Nelson and was inspired by his real-life experiences of seeing a paper and pencils salesperson outside of Leonard’s Department Store in Fort Worth, Texas.At the time, Nelson was signed to Monument Records by Fred Foster, and Fred made the decision that Roy would be the ideal person to sing it.Between the years 1969 and 1971, The Johnny Cash Show was broadcast for a total of 58 episodes. Not only did each show feature The Man in Black himself, but it also featured a plethora of other music luminaries.

Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Doug Kershaw were among the artists who appeared in the very first edition of the show. During the course of its run, performers like as Neil Young, James Taylor, and Louis Armstrong also made appearances.

The first time Roy Orbison appeared was in September 1969, followed by an appearance in April 1970, and finally, on Christmas Day in 1971, he made an appearance for a special program that was billed as The Johnny Cash Christmas Show.Cash stated, “Roy Orbison, who lives directly across the hill from me, is not only one of the most talented individuals I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, but he is also one of the most talented people I’ve ever known.”

Roy, your albums are incredible, and I believe that ‘Pretty Women’ is one of the most successful records in the history of the United States.

“A lot of the songs you’ve written have been great, but I’d sure like to hear the real Roy Orbison.”

And Roy delivered exactly that, with a stunning rendition of “Pretty Paper” that was performed with only his own acoustic guitar as the only instrument in the mix.

Although it was recorded by Orbison in London in September 1963, the song was not published until November of that same year, which was well in advance of the holiday season.

Although it was a smash in the United Kingdom and the United States, reaching number one in the United Kingdom and number 15 in the United States, it was a performance of the song in 1970 that truly etched itself into people’s memories.