Daryl J Watson - ROY ORBISON, KEN COOK AND MY DAD CARL
/by Daryl J Watson, March 2021/
Here is Roy Orbison, the year before his death:
Roy Orbison - SNL 1987 *♥♥♥*
(S12 E20, May 23,1987)
- Crying
- Oh, Pretty Woman
- In Dreams
/ Video by: Darko, 2020
My cousin Scotty Watson was playing with Mickey Gilley around that time. They were at a function in Nashville and Scotty said he was cousins with my dad
Carl Watson. Roy took him to dinner and told stories about my dad all evening. ❤️
My dad was only 17 when he drove Ken Cook and Ric Madlock to Sun Studio, from Midland, Texas to Memphis, Tennessee. My dad had just bought a '57 Chevy that eventually became known as the fastest car in Permian Basin.
Roy told my dad to bring the boys and cut some wax. Roy is singing backup on this, but since Ken's crooning inspired Roy, many think this was Roy singing lead. The accusations that Ken was emulating Roy hurt Ken's success and he eventually sank into depression.
Anyhow, on a lighter note, Elvis was on tour but called the boys and said he already told the staff at Graceland they were free to crash at his place while they were in town.
This is my dad Carl at 17 rocking the riff! ❤
☺ Ken Cook - I Was A Fool ☺
This side, a duet with Roy Orbison, shows that even the ballad - or at least less frenzied side - of a good Sun record can also be inspiring. "I Was A Fool" is a really fine song; it's simple, melodic and memorable. After a few listening, you really want to hear that chorus. The amusing thing is that now that Orbison's voice has become a cultural icon, and we've learned its Orbi harmonizing with Cook (something that nobody knew prior to the first wave of Sun archaeology in the 1970s), it seems so obvious.
This wasn't Memphis Rockabilly, but West Texas cut in Memphis. All the guys recording this jewel were from Odessa and nearby Midland TX. Ken Cook from Odessa was on vocals and rhythm, Carl Watson on lead, Rick Matlock on bass and the great Larry Parks on drums were some of the best rockabilly pickers from Midland. They also played with Roy Orbison, Joe Melson, Elroy Dietzel and Delbert Trolinder. This same line up backed Elroy Dietzel on "Rockin' Bones" on same year. Terrific West Texas musicians.
Here is Ken Cook from Odessa, not Roy Orbison (who made Odessa his town by then too). The similarities between his voices thrilled even his best friends around..Roy and Ken became acquainted with each other in '56 (also with Ronnie Smith) when the three were playing tirelessly around Odessa. It was Roy who arranged Ken's deal with Sun/Phillips International. Contrary to a constant fake, Ken never put his eyes on Claudette nor had any argument with Roy for this reason. They remained friends and visited from time to time.
This wasn't Memphis Rockabilly, but West Texas cut in Memphis. All the guys recording this jewel were from Odessa and nearby Midland TX. Ken Cook from Odessa was on vocals and rhythm, Carl Watson on lead, Rick Matlock on bass and the great Larry Parks on drums were some of the best rockabilly pickers from Midland. They also played with Roy Orbison, Joe Melson, Elroy Dietzel and Delbert Trolinder. This same line up backed Elroy Dietzel on "Rockin' Bones" on same year. Terrific West Texas musicians.
Here is Ken Cook from Odessa, not Roy Orbison (who made Odessa his town by then too). The similarities between his voices thrilled even his best friends around..Roy and Ken became acquainted with each other in '56 (also with Ronnie Smith) when the three were playing tirelessly around Odessa. It was Roy who arranged Ken's deal with Sun/Phillips International. Contrary to a constant fake, Ken never put his eyes on Claudette nor had any argument with Roy for this reason. They remained friends and visited from time to time.
☺ Ken, dad and Ric before setting off to Memphis. As I said, my dad was young. He was 6 foot tall as a man, so this shows how young he was and how tall we are in Texas! ☺
☺ Ken Cook - (I'm Thinkin Of You All The Time) Jenny ☺
KEN COOK
*U.S. Rockabilly singer and pianist born on May 13, 1937 at Ranger (Texas). Ken Cook was a protégé of Roy Orbison. He recorded a single in the late fifties for Phillips International in Memphis (Tennessee), an annex to label Sun Records. He died on 27 April 2004.
*Ken was a rockabilly singer and pianist and he is almost completely obscure, born on May 13, 1937 at Ranger, Texas. All we know is that Roy Orbison brought him from Texas to Sun Records. Cook had an almost astonishing vocal similarity to Roy, and Sam Phillips was persuaded to issue one single by him on Phillips International. For his part, Orbison always refused to talk about Cook, leading to speculation that maybe Ken Cook was bonking Roy's girlfriend, Claudette while Roy was on tour.
KEN COOK♫♫♫
REMEMBERING ROY ORBISON
♫♫♫
* Roy Orbison family members, from left, Westly Orbison, Alex Orbison, Barbara Orbison and Roy Orbison Jr. gather in front of the Capitol Records Building as the late Roy Orbison is honored with the 2,400th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on January 29, 2010.
