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{{short description|American songwriter}}{{Needs more sources|date=May 2024}}{{Infobox musical artist
{{Multiple issues|
| name = Joe Melson
{{BLP sources|date=January 2008}}
| image =
{{Lede too short|date=December 2018}}}}
| alt =
| caption =
| image_size =
| landscape = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank -->
| birth_name =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1935|05|11}}
| birth_place = [[Bonham, Texas|Bonham]], [[Fannin County, Texas|Fannin County]], [[Texas]], United States
| origin =
| death_date = <!-- {{death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date 1st) -->
| death_place =
| genre = [[Pop music|Pop]], [[Country music|country]], [[rockabilly]]
| occupation = Songwriter, singer, musician
| instrument = Vocals
| years_active = 1959–present
| label =
}}


'''Joe Melson''' (born May 1935) is an American [[singing|singer]] and a [[Broadcast Music Incorporated|BMI]] Award-winning [[songwriter]].
'''Joe Melson''' (born May 11, 1935) is an American [[singing|singer]] and a [[Broadcast Music Incorporated|BMI]] Award-winning [[songwriter]] best known for his collaborations with [[Roy Orbison]], including "[[Only the Lonely]]" and "[[Crying (Roy Orbison song)|Crying]]", which are both in the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]] and have both been included in [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]. Melson was inducted into the [[Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame]] in 2018.


==Life and career==
==Life and career==
Joe Melson was born in [[Bonham, Texas|Bonham]], [[Fannin County, Texas|Fannin County]], [[Texas]], United States. He was reared on a farm until he was sixteen. He attended [[high school]] in [[Gore, Oklahoma]], and in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], before he returned to Texas to study at the two-year [[Odessa College]] in [[Odessa, Texas|Odessa]], the seat of [[Ector County, Texas|Ector County]]. He studied and played music as a teenager and fronted a [[rockabilly]] band called the Cavaliers.
Joe Melson was born in [[Bonham, Texas|Bonham]], [[Fannin County, Texas|Fannin County]], [[Texas]], United States. He was reared on a farm until he was sixteen. He attended [[high school]] in [[Gore, Oklahoma]], and in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], before he returned to Texas to study at the two-year [[Odessa College]] in [[Odessa, Texas|Odessa]], the seat of [[Ector County, Texas|Ector County]]. He studied and played music as a teenager and fronted a [[rockabilly]] band called the Cavaliers.


Beginning in 1959,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=The authorized Roy Orbison|last=Orbison|first=Roy Jr.|publisher=Center Street|others=Orbison, Wesley, Orbison, Alex, Slate, Jeff, Riesco, Marcel|year=2017|isbn=9781478976547|edition= Second |location=New York|pages=76|oclc=1017566749}}</ref> first at his home in [[Midland, Texas]], and then in [[Nashville, Tennessee]], Melson teamed up with a [[Roy Orbison]] who had just joined Monument Records,<ref name=":0" /> with whom he would soon write a string of hits. Before their collaboration, Orbison had been solely a rockabilly performer. Although Melson himself was rooted in that music genre, he had begun writing [[rhythm and blues]] songs. Melson recognized the potential in Orbison's voice, encouraging the singer to explore its power through their first collaboration, "[[Only the Lonely]]." What resulted on March 25, 1960, was the first [[operatic]] [[rock ballad]] in the history of [[popular music]]. The song went to No.&nbsp;2 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart in the United States,<ref>https://www.billboard.com/music/roy-orbison/chart-history/HSI/song/577998</ref> and to [[List of Number 1 singles from the 1960s (UK)|No. 1]] in the [[UK Singles Chart]],<ref>https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/only-the-lonely/</ref> which launched Orbison to international musical stardom.
Beginning in 1959,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=The authorized Roy Orbison|last=Orbison|first=Roy Jr.|publisher=Center Street|others=Orbison, Wesley, Orbison, Alex, Slate, Jeff|year=2017|isbn=9781478976547|edition= Second |location=New York|pages=76|oclc=1017566749}}</ref> first at his home in [[Midland, Texas]], and then in [[Nashville, Tennessee]], Melson teamed up with a [[Roy Orbison]] who had just joined Monument Records,<ref name=":0" /> with whom he would soon write a string of hits. Before their collaboration, Orbison had been solely a rockabilly performer. Although Melson himself was rooted in that music genre, he had begun writing [[rhythm and blues]] songs. Melson recognized the potential in Orbison's voice, encouraging the singer to explore its power through their first collaboration, "[[Only the Lonely]]." What resulted on March 25, 1960, was the first [[operatic]] [[rock ballad]]. The song went to No.&nbsp;2 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart in the United States,<ref name="Billboard">{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/roy-orbison/chart-history/hsi/|title=Roy Orbison|website=Billboard.com|access-date=24 April 2021}}</ref> and to [[List of Number 1 singles from the 1960s (UK)|No. 1]] in the [[UK Singles Chart]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/only-the-lonely/|title=only the lonely &#124; full Official Chart History &#124; Official Charts Company|website=Officialcharts.com|access-date=24 April 2021}}</ref> which launched Orbison to international musical stardom.


Not only did that song influence Orbison to write such operatic ballads as "[[In Dreams (Roy Orbison song)|In Dreams]]," but a few months later it also induced Orbison's friend [[Elvis Presley]] to record "[[It's Now or Never (song)|It's Now or Never]]," based on the Neapolitan art song "[['O Sole Mio]]."{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}
Not only did that song influence Orbison to write such operatic ballads as "[[In Dreams (Roy Orbison song)|In Dreams]]," but a few months later it also induced Orbison's friend [[Elvis Presley]] to record "[[It's Now or Never (song)|It's Now or Never]]," based on the Neapolitan art song "[['O sole mio]]."{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}


Melson and Orbison followed up with similar sounds such as the dramatic "[[Running Scared (Roy Orbison song)|Running Scared]]" that went to [[Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1961 (USA)|No. 1]] in the US.
Melson and Orbison followed up with similar sounds such as the dramatic "[[Running Scared (Roy Orbison song)|Running Scared]]" that went to [[Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1961 (USA)|No. 1]] in the US.<ref name="Billboard"/> His last hit collaboration with Orbison came in 1963 with the writing of "[[Blue Bayou]]," although some of their cooperative efforts would be recorded in later years. The two got together again between 1971 and 1975.


Their collaboration produced such songs as:
==Melson and Orbison==
*"Up Town" (1960, #72 Billboard pop chart)
The result of their collaborative efforts produced such songs as:
*"Uptown" (1960)
*"[[Only the Lonely]]" (1960, #2)
*"[[Only the Lonely]]" (1960)
*"[[Blue Angel (song)|Blue Angel]]" (1960, #9)
*"Blue Angel" (1960)
*"I'm Hurtin'" (1961, #27)
⚫
*"[[Running Scared (Roy Orbison song)|Running Scared]]" (1961, #1)
*"I'm Hurtin'" (1961)
*"[[Running Scared (Roy Orbison song)|Running Scared]]" (1961)
*"[[Crying (Roy Orbison song)|Crying]]" (1961, #2)
⚫
*"The Crowd" (1962, #26)
⚫
*"[[Crying (Roy Orbison song)|Crying]]" (1961)
⚫
*"The Crowd" (1962)
*"The Actress" (1962)
*"The Actress" (1962)
*"Gigolette" (1962)
*"Lana" (1962)
*"[[Blue Bayou]]" (1963)
*"[[Blue Bayou]]" (1963, #29)
*"Blue Avenue" (1961)<ref>{{Cite book|title=The authorized Roy Orbison|last=Orbison|first=Roy Jr.|publisher=Center Street|others=Orbison, Wesley,, Orbison, Alex,, Slate, Jeff,, Riesco, Marcel|year=2017|isbn=9781478976547|edition= First |location=New York|pages=251|oclc=1017566749}}</ref>
*"Lana" (1962)<ref>{{Cite book|title=The authorized Roy Orbison|last=Orbison|first=Roy Jr.|publisher=Center Street|others=Orbison, Wesley,, Orbison, Alex,, Slate, Jeff,, Riesco, Marcel|year=2017|isbn=9781478976547|edition= Second |location=New York|pages=250|oclc=1017566749}}</ref>
*"Harlem Woman" (1972)


⚫
Between 1960 and 1963, Melson recorded several [[single (music)|single]]s of his own (the best known being "Hey Mister Cupid") for [[Universal Music|Hickory Records]] and also through [[Acuff-Rose Music]], wrote songs for some of that label's other artists including [[Dan Folger]]. He then recorded a few songs for EMP Records in 1964 and 1965 that achieved limited success. He was the cowriter of "[[Run, Baby Run (Back Into My Arms)]]", which was a #12 Billboard hit for [[The Newbeats]], released in 1965. Melson cowrote a top-30 country hit for [[Don Gibson]] in 1968 and then cowrote two songs that were top-30 country hits for [[Glenn Barber]] in 1972, with a third in 1979.
"Lana" was also recorded by [[Virgil Johnson (singer)|Virgil Johnson]]'s [[the Velvets]], based in Odessa. Orbison released the song on his second Monument album, ''Crying''.


"Only the Lonely" went to number one on the country charts in 1969 for [[Sonny James]]. "Blue Bayou" was a #3 hit for [[Linda Ronstadt]] in 1977 and "Crying" was a top-10 hit for [[Don McLean]] in 1981.
⚫
Between 1960 and 1963, Melson recorded several [[single (music)|single]]s of his own (the best known being "Hey Mister Cupid") for [[Universal Music|Hickory Records]] and also through [[Acuff-Rose Music]]. wrote songs for some of that label's other artists including [[Dan Folger]]. He then recorded a few songs for EMP Records in 1964 and 1965 that achieved limited success. His last hit collaboration with Orbison came in 1963 with the writing of "[[Blue Bayou]]," although some of their cooperative efforts would be recorded in later years. The two got together again between 1971 and 1975, but while the venture did not yield the commercial success their collaboration once had, it brought such memorable songs as "Harlem Woman".


Over the years, Melson continued to perform at rockabilly and nostalgia festivals, and in 2002 he was inducted into the International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame in [[Jackson, Tennessee]].
Over the years, Melson continued to perform at rockabilly and nostalgia festivals, and in 2002 he was inducted into the International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame in [[Jackson, Tennessee]].


In August 2014, Melson released a triple-A sided single "Last Goodbye/Fields of Gold/Girl Back on Blue Bayou" with Australian artist [[Damien Leith]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/damien-leith-joe-melson-single/id908483435|title=Damien Leith and Joe Melson - Single|publisher=iTunes Australia|access-date=21 November 2014}}</ref>
In August 2014, Melson released a triple-A sided single "Last Goodbye" / "Fields of Gold" / "Girl Back on Blue Bayou" with Australian artist [[Damien Leith]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/damien-leith-joe-melson-single/id908483435|title=Damien Leith and Joe Melson - Single|date=2 August 2014|publisher=iTunes Australia|access-date=21 November 2014}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:American male songwriters]]
[[Category:American male songwriters]]
[[Category:American rockabilly musicians]]
[[Category:American rockabilly musicians]]
[[Category:Odessa College alumni]]
[[Category:People from Bonham, Texas]]
[[Category:People from Bonham, Texas]]
[[Category:People from Midland, Texas]]
[[Category:People from Midland, Texas]]

Latest revision as of 22:02, 7 May 2024

Joe Melson
Born (1935-05-11) May 11, 1935 (age 89)
Bonham, Fannin County, Texas, United States
GenresPop, country, rockabilly
Occupation(s)Songwriter, singer, musician
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1959–present

Joe Melson (born May 11, 1935) is an American singer and a BMI Award-winning songwriter best known for his collaborations with Roy Orbison, including "Only the Lonely" and "Crying", which are both in the Grammy Hall of Fame and have both been included in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Melson was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.

Life and career[edit]

Joe Melson was born in Bonham, Fannin County, Texas, United States. He was reared on a farm until he was sixteen. He attended high school in Gore, Oklahoma, and in Chicago, Illinois, before he returned to Texas to study at the two-year Odessa College in Odessa, the seat of Ector County. He studied and played music as a teenager and fronted a rockabilly band called the Cavaliers.

Beginning in 1959,[1] first at his home in Midland, Texas, and then in Nashville, Tennessee, Melson teamed up with a Roy Orbison who had just joined Monument Records,[1] with whom he would soon write a string of hits. Before their collaboration, Orbison had been solely a rockabilly performer. Although Melson himself was rooted in that music genre, he had begun writing rhythm and blues songs. Melson recognized the potential in Orbison's voice, encouraging the singer to explore its power through their first collaboration, "Only the Lonely." What resulted on March 25, 1960, was the first operatic rock ballad. The song went to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States,[2] and to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart,[3] which launched Orbison to international musical stardom.

Not only did that song influence Orbison to write such operatic ballads as "In Dreams," but a few months later it also induced Orbison's friend Elvis Presley to record "It's Now or Never," based on the Neapolitan art song "'O sole mio."[citation needed]

Melson and Orbison followed up with similar sounds such as the dramatic "Running Scared" that went to No. 1 in the US.[2] His last hit collaboration with Orbison came in 1963 with the writing of "Blue Bayou," although some of their cooperative efforts would be recorded in later years. The two got together again between 1971 and 1975.

Their collaboration produced such songs as:

Between 1960 and 1963, Melson recorded several singles of his own (the best known being "Hey Mister Cupid") for Hickory Records and also through Acuff-Rose Music, wrote songs for some of that label's other artists including Dan Folger. He then recorded a few songs for EMP Records in 1964 and 1965 that achieved limited success. He was the cowriter of "Run, Baby Run (Back Into My Arms)", which was a #12 Billboard hit for The Newbeats, released in 1965. Melson cowrote a top-30 country hit for Don Gibson in 1968 and then cowrote two songs that were top-30 country hits for Glenn Barber in 1972, with a third in 1979.

"Only the Lonely" went to number one on the country charts in 1969 for Sonny James. "Blue Bayou" was a #3 hit for Linda Ronstadt in 1977 and "Crying" was a top-10 hit for Don McLean in 1981.

Over the years, Melson continued to perform at rockabilly and nostalgia festivals, and in 2002 he was inducted into the International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame in Jackson, Tennessee.

In August 2014, Melson released a triple-A sided single "Last Goodbye" / "Fields of Gold" / "Girl Back on Blue Bayou" with Australian artist Damien Leith.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Orbison, Roy Jr. (2017). The authorized Roy Orbison. Orbison, Wesley, Orbison, Alex, Slate, Jeff (Second ed.). New York: Center Street. p. 76. ISBN 9781478976547. OCLC 1017566749.
  2. ^ a b "Roy Orbison". Billboard.com. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  3. ^ "only the lonely | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Damien Leith and Joe Melson - Single". iTunes Australia. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joe_Melson&oldid=1222784948"