Roy Orbison -Love Hurts, BBC iPlayer

Thanks Jane for this recommendation, I loved it, and probably would never have found it but for you. I initially searched Roy Orbison and 2 programmes came up, not this one. Then I add Love, and there it was.

I've seen other RO programmes before, but this was different. Seeing his son Wes talking was so sad (and he is the image of his Dad) . He was only 1 when his Mum died, then 3 years old when he lost his 2 brothers in the fire.

So then he was left in a temporary motel for 6 months with his Grandparents whilst RO went touring, and he never went back to live with his Dad. I really felt for him, especially when he asked his Dad about his Mum, and didn't get much information.

Then eventually Roy got a new wife and family, and Wes still seemed to be left out. We don't know all the story of course, but I hope he had a happy life eventually.

Roy did seem a very loving Dad when he was there. It was great to see him joking with his sons and being normal.

Thank you all for your insightful comments. Anniebach I’m sure you are correct in that the grandparents’ grief and guilt resulted in them wanting to stay close to Wesley but in my view that could have happened if they had all lived together in an even bigger house. It was heartbreaking that it was close but Wesley couldn’t see the other house because of a hill - so near and yet so far. The most amazing thing in this story is that all three boys adored their father, love each other and, as so often is the case, sibling rivalry has not reared its ugly head.

I cried.
Didn’t think I would, but well.... ???

Just watched it on iplayer (didn't want to wait until tonight)
as OP says, have your tissues ready. What lovely lads they all are, and yes little baby Roy bless him.

Possibly Sparkle possibly they thought they were doing the right thing for their grandson. When it comes to grief an shock I will not judge the actions of those struggling with these emotions.

They were putting their own feelings first, then, Annie?

Roy had lost his wife and two sons, the grandparents had lost two grandchildren, perhaps they couldn’t part with the third grandchild.

going to watch this tonight ..

Jane43 Yes, I wondered if Barbara didn't want Wesley there. I thought it was heartbreaking when Wesley said that his Dad and Barbara lived in a house nearby but it was over the hill so he couldn't see it! As you say, money was no object. And it was even more heartbreaking when he was left behind when they moved to California. Poor Wesley seemed grateful for "crumbs" when he actually got some attention.

And in one of the interviews, Barbara mentioned Wesley as "our other kid". I really didn't like that.

I must admit that the cynic in me wondered if Barbara had married Roy for who he was. She claimed to have never heard of him, which Roy made much of, but I think that was unlikely at that time. He gave her an amazing lifestyle, but of course a great deal of time he wasn't there and was on the road touring.

I like "Running Scared" too. The lyrics are so poignant. Roy wasn't afraid to write from the underdog's viewpoint, to write what many guys might be thinking but were afraid to say.

I agree that it was great to see the 3 brothers together. Alex and Roy Jr seemed to realise that they were the lucky ones and have drawn Wesley into "the fold" so to speak.

I must watch it again

I agree with what you have all said about the situation with Wesley. I felt so bad for him when he spoke about when Roy, Barbara and the two younger boys moved to a California but he stayed behind in Nashville. with his grandparents. Perhaps I am being unfair but I did wonder if Barbara was behind the arrangement in some way. She was very young of course but it did seem very insensitive. OK the grandparents didn’t want to be parted from him and he felt he should be with them bless him. but surely they could have built a bigger house and all lived together, money was no object and that’s what I would have done. I felt a bit uneasy when she waved the plans of the new house and kept saying, “my house, my house”.

However, unlike many brothers in the music business, they have a wonderful relationship which is heartwarming to see. I tried to find out more about Wesley, he has some music on You Tube and sounds very like Roy. I hope he has a loving family, all I can find is a picture of him with his daughter.

Regarding the music my favourite is A Love So Beautiful, and I also like Running Scared and only The Lonely but of course they are all wonderful.

Washerwoman Wonderful songs! I am going to watch it again too.

Thank you for recommending this.I would never have noticed it.It was wonderful and to an extent I think I agree about Wesley ,but how lovely to see all the brothers together at the end.And Roy had gone specifically to see Wes and his mother when he died,and did seem a very loving man so although it seems a strange arrangement I think he was most certainly loved by his father.Wesley explained it that to an extent his grandparents felt huge guilt and felt very protective towards him after the fire.And I guess with all the non touring maybe Roy felt it gave him a sort of stability to live with them ,but close by to his house. A lot of the vulnerability in him must have become from losing his two brothers so horrifically.
But it was so good to hear all those songs again.I think I will watch it again !

Yes. And he really seemed to know what he was doing. ?

Very unfair on poor Wesley.
On a more cheerful note, I loved Baby Roy at the end in his Orbison T shirt strumming the guitar. What a sweetie.

Well yes! He is! More than the later ones. Perhaps he brought back horrific feelings about the fire. I think Roy wanted to distance himself from what went before. Still unfair on his child though.

I quite agree "Gonegirl" about no excuse to set him aside, but also I disagree with Roy's opinion that Wesley looked like his mother because I think he's the spitting image of Roy himself.

That's what I thought Sparklefizz. At one point Roy said Wesley reminded him too much of his mother (the wife that was killed in the motorbike accident). No excuse to set the child aside like that though.

I have just watched this and feel so sorry for Roy's son, Wesley, who seems to have missed out all round. When Roy married his 2nd wife, Barbara, why on earth didn't they take Wesley too so that he could grow up with his half-brothers?

You could see the "left out child" in him still, even at his age.

Watched it, and it was so good. Thanks again Jane.

Sorry Beatles I spelt your name wrong. ?

Yes Silverlining48 you are right. Roy wrote it about his first wife and The Everly Brothers had a number one hit with it in 1958.

A girl I worked with was mad about Paul McCartney and The Beatles when they first came on the music scene. They appeared at a local dance hall and she went to see them. She hung around afterwards with a friend and The Beatles appeared and were chased by a few girls. They escaped over somebody’s garden wall as I remember. I actually preferred The Rolling Stones and The Animals at the time but I came to admire The Beateles’ music later. We saw the Cirque Du Soleil Show ‘Love’ in Las Vegas and it was a wonderful tribute to their music.

Yes Roy died too young but in another documentary I saw about him he was a chain smoker, so was his wife Barbara, but he didn’t like to be seen smoking on camera as he had had heart surgery and didn’t want to send the wrong message.

Billy Fury had a weak chest too, according to his mother he had rheumatic fever when he was a young boy which weakened his heart. Like many of us at the time he was a smoker and also smoked other substances later which didn’t do his weak heart much good.

Wasn’t the song Claudette sung by the Everly brothers about Roy’s first wife? I think Roy wrote it, but not sure.
I was a big fan and just love Pretty woman. What a song. Also liked Billy Fury, both sadly died too young.

We first heard of them when a friend at school went to see John Leyton. She reported back that there was a group on with him and that loads of girls were screaming at them. Well, that was it! Your link works "Jane* . I think I've seen it before but I will watch again, although it's unbearably sad.

I never saw Roy Orbison but I wonder how many of us saw the Beatles when they were a supporting act?

They were supporting Chris Montez and Tommy Roe when I saw them in Wolverhampton.

How marvelous Jane Yes my friends and me saw/met many of the big names of the day. It was all so innocent too.