2 weeks Ago
Barry Steele chuckles at the thought that this year he’s celebrating 25 years of being, arguably, the country’s leading Roy Orbison tribute act. “Would you believe it? When we started out I certainly wouldn’t,” he said. “At the very beginning we wondered if it was possible to make something of it or 12 months down the line would that be it? But no, 25 years later we’re busier than ever.
” With so many tributes out there, Barry’s success with The Roy Orbison Story is down to his uncanny vocal resemblance to the American legend and to the quality of the show which features large screens and video clips plus a highly-talented five-piece band. Barry Steele in The Roy Orbison Story (Picture: Barry Steele) “We always say now that if it doesn’t say Barry Steele on the ticket then it’s not the real deal,” said Barry’s wife Lynne who is promoter, publicist and manager of the touring show. “We don’t have agents or bookers, we do it all ourselves.
We’re probably one of the few truly independent shows out there.” As he prepares to bring the show to both Burnley and Bolton in the next few weeks, Barry reveal that although it may be 25 years since he gave up his job as a lorry driver to embark on a showbiz career, he’s lost none of his passion. “We are extremely proud of what we are putting out on stage,” he said.
“I’m always very conscious of it being right for the audience. I want to give 120 per cent every time and I try my best to do so.” Surprisingly, after hundreds of shows delighting audiences around the country, he also revealed that he still gets nervous.
“Oh yes, before every show,” he said. “It usually takes me about four songs to feel totally at ease. I always start out thinking ‘I hope I’m doing this right’.
“But I think the nerves are a good thing. My brother was into amateur dramatics and when I was first starting out he said ‘the day you don’t get nervous is the day you should pack it up; and he’s right. “There’s no way I’d ever dial in a performance.
The audience would spot in straight away and I love doing this too much. I’ve got such a great band as well which obviously makes it so much more comfortable for me.” Roy Orbison was a prolific songwriter and performer with a career spanning his early years as an artist signed to the famous Sun Studios in Memphis through to his later years as a member of the Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.
He died in 1988 aged just 52. So how does Barry managed to do justice to such an extraordinary career and catalogue of songs? “It’s not easy,” he laughed. “But we do change the show every year.
We might give some songs a rest for several years and bring them back in. But no matter what we do, we will always get at least one person say after the show ‘you didn’t do my favourite’.” The current shows is effectively divided into sections - his early hits, A Black and White Night based on a concert which was filmed in LA in 1987 with an all-star band including Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne, his work with the Traveling Wilburys and a selection of song released after his death.
“Every song in the show always has a connection to Roy Orbison,” said Barry. “We’ve introduced Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline which Roy sang in concerts in Australia and the audience just loves that one. Barry Steele in The Roy Orbison Story (Picture: Barry Steele) “We also do a couple of Chris Isaak songs because Chris did a tribute to Roy Orbison.
That’s where the screens come in handy as we can ex[plain these connections to the audience so they aren’t left wondering why we’re doing a certain song. “The problem is that there are so many well-known songs which we really have to do, it doesn’t leave too many gaps to fit lesser known songs in. But we have introduced a couple of medleys which creates a bit more space in the set.
” You would expect the audience at one of Barry;’s shows to be made up of diehard Roy Orbison fans, possibly of ‘a certain age’ but this is far from the case. “I did begin to wonder are there that many people around who are that aware of Roy Orbison,” he admitted. “I mean he was born in 1936.
But there are a lot of younger people who have been brought up on this music and love it which is great. “I think the fact that the internet makes it so much easier to find things has also helped. You can find out more about the songs and for us as a touring show it really helps us spread the word about what we are doing.
” Given that Barry both sounds and looks like the great man on stage, one area of the show has always intrigued me. how does he see out of the trademark Orbison dark glasses?The singer had a visual impairment which left him sensitive to bright lights. “That did take some getting used to,” said Barry.
“The first thing I had to do was get prescription lenses and then have them tinted. Putting them on is like turning off the lights.” But like the rest of the show, it’s the attention to detail which has made it such a success.
“I do still have to pinch myself that I’m still doing this,” said Barry. “But it’s so enjoyable.” Barry Steele’s The Roy Orbison Story is at Burnley Mechanics on Friday, May 9 (www.
burnleymechanics.ticketsolve.com) and Bolton Albert Halls on Friday, May 16 (www.
quaytickets.com).
