Joe Melson
Encyclopedia
Joe Melson is an American
singer and a BMI
Award–winning songwriter
.
Melson was born in Bonham
, the seat of Fannin County
in northeast Texas
. He was reared on a farm
until he was sixteen. He attended high school
in Gore, Oklahoma
, and in Chicago 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 1957, first at his home in Midland, Texas
, and then in Nashville, Tennessee
, Melson teamed up with a virtual unknown by the name of Roy Orbison
, with whom he would write a string of hits for Monument Records
. Prior to 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 #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
charts in the United States and to #1 in Britain
, 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
."
Melson and Orbison followed up with similar sounds such as the dramatic Running Scared
that went to #1 in the USA. The result of their collaborative efforts produced such songs as:
Lana was originally written for Virgil Johnson
's The Velvets
, based in Odessa. Orbison also later recorded Lana.
Between 1960 and 1963, Melson recorded several single
s 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 the EMP Records label 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
, the home and final resting place of a "father" of rockabilly, Carl Perkins
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer and a BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
Award–winning songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
.
Melson was born in Bonham
Bonham, Texas
Bonham is a city in Fannin County, Texas, United States. The population was 10,127 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Fannin County. James Bonham sought the aid of James Fannin at the Battle of the Alamo....
, the seat of Fannin County
Fannin County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 31,242 people, 11,105 households, and 7,984 families residing in the county. The population density was 35 people per square mile . There were 12,887 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile...
in northeast Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He was reared on a farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
until he was sixteen. He attended high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Gore, Oklahoma
Gore, Oklahoma
Gore is a town in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 850 at the 2000 census...
, and in Chicago before he returned to Texas to study at the two-year Odessa College
Odessa College
Odessa College is a public two-year junior college based in Odessa, Texas, USA serving the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. It opened in 1952 and currently enrolls about 5,000 annually in its university-parallel and occupational/technical courses, and 11,000 students annually in its...
in Odessa
Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
, the seat of Ector County. He studied and played music as a teenager and fronted a rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
band called The Cavaliers.
Beginning in 1957, first at his home in Midland, Texas
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
, and then in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Melson teamed up with a virtual unknown by the name of Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
, with whom he would write a string of hits for Monument Records
Monument Records
Monument Records was an American record label, Washington, D.C. named for the Washington Monument, founded in 1958, by Fred Foster and Buddy Deane . Buddy Deane soon left the company, and in the early 60's bought KOTN in Pine Bluff, Arkansas where he retired to until his death...
. Prior to 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
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
songs. Melson recognized the potential in Orbison's voice, encouraging the singer to explore its power through their first collaboration, "Only the Lonely
Only the Lonely
"Only the Lonely " is a 1960 song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson. Recorded by Orbison, it became his first major hit. As an operatic rock ballad, it was a sound unheard of at the time, described by the New York Times as expressing "a clenched, driven urgency". It is seen as a seminal event...
." What resulted on March 25, 1960, was the first operatic rock ballad in the history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
of popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
. The song went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
charts in the United States and to #1 in Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, which launched Orbison to international musical stardom. Not only did that song influence Orbison to write such operatic ballads as "In Dreams
In Dreams (song)
Recorded in Monument's Nashville studios in early 1963, "In Dreams" peaked at number 7 on Billboards Hot 100 and spent 13 weeks on the charts in the U.S. During the five months the song was on the charts, Orbison replaced guitarist Duane Eddy on a tour of England. He was immensely popular in...
," but a few months later it also induced Orbison's friend Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
to record "It's Now or Never," based on the Neapolitan art song "'O Sole Mio
'O Sole Mio
"O sole mio" is a globally known Neapolitan song written in 1898. The lyrics were written by Giovanni Capurro and the melody was composed by Eduardo di Capua. Though there are versions in other languages, "'O sole mio" is usually sung in the original Neapolitan language...
."
Melson and Orbison followed up with similar sounds such as the dramatic Running Scared
Running Scared (song)
"Running Scared" is a 1961 American pop song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson and sung by Orbison. An operatic rock ballad, the song was released as a 45rpm single by Monument Records in March 1961 and went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Running Scared" also reached #9 in the...
that went to #1 in the USA. The result of their collaborative efforts produced such songs as:
- Uptown (1960)
- Only the LonelyOnly the Lonely"Only the Lonely " is a 1960 song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson. Recorded by Orbison, it became his first major hit. As an operatic rock ballad, it was a sound unheard of at the time, described by the New York Times as expressing "a clenched, driven urgency". It is seen as a seminal event...
(1960) - Blue Angel (1960)
- I'm Hurtin (1961)
- Running ScaredRunning Scared (song)"Running Scared" is a 1961 American pop song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson and sung by Orbison. An operatic rock ballad, the song was released as a 45rpm single by Monument Records in March 1961 and went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Running Scared" also reached #9 in the...
(1961) - Crying (1961)
- The Crowd (1962)
- The Actress (1962)
- Gigolette (1962)
- Blue BayouBlue Bayou"Blue Bayou" is the title of a song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson and sung by Orbison.-Roy Orbison version:A plaintive ballad, it was originally released by Orbison as a 45rpm single on the Monument Records label in August 1963 ."Blue Bayou" also appears on Orbison's 1963 album, In Dreams...
(1963) - Blue Avenue (1964)
- Raindrops (1964)
- Lana (flip-side Laugh) in 1964
- Cry Softly Lonely One (1967)
- Harlem Woman (1972)
Lana was originally written for Virgil Johnson
Virgil Johnson (singer)
Virgil Lewis Johnson is a retired African American deejay, formerly at radio station KDAV in Lubbock. He was the lead singer of The Velvets, a 1950s and 1960s vocal quintet from Odessa, also in West Texas. They are best remembered for their 1961 hit "Tonight ", which peaked at No. 26 on the...
's The Velvets
The Velvets
The Velvets were an American doo wop group from Odessa in Ector County in west Texas. The African American quintet was formed in 1959 by Virgil Johnson, a high school English teacher, with four of his students. Roy Orbison heard the group and signed them to Monument Records in 1960. Their first...
, based in Odessa. Orbison also later recorded Lana.
Between 1960 and 1963, Melson recorded several single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
s of his own (the best known being "Hey Mister Cupid") for Hickory Records and also through Acuff-Rose Music
Acuff-Rose Music
Acuff-Rose Music was an American music publishing firm formed by Roy Acuff and Fred Rose in Nashville, Tennessee. Acuff-Rose's honest behavior towards their writers set them apart from other music publishing firms at the time and lead them to fame throughout the 50's, 60's, 70's.-History:Acuff-Rose...
wrote songs for some of that label's other artists including Dan Folger
Dan Folger
Dan Folger was an American singer and songwriter.Born Dan Waren Folger in San Rafael, California, while he was a small boy his family moved to Midland, Texas, where he would make friends with future Roy Orbison collaborator Joe Melson.His and his friends' interest in music led to a move to...
. He then recorded a few songs for the EMP Records label in 1964 and 1965 that achieved limited success. His last hit collaboration with Orbison came in 1963 with the writing of "Blue Bayou
Blue Bayou
"Blue Bayou" is the title of a song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson and sung by Orbison.-Roy Orbison version:A plaintive ballad, it was originally released by Orbison as a 45rpm single on the Monument Records label in August 1963 ."Blue Bayou" also appears on Orbison's 1963 album, In Dreams...
" 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
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The total population was 65,211 at the 2010 census. Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area...
, the home and final resting place of a "father" of rockabilly, Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...
.