Roy Orbison wasn’t planning on pursuing music as a career — then he heard one Elvis Presley song. Orbison was later signed to Elvis’ label. The “You Got It” singer revealed he and the King had issues with the music they made at that label.
During a 1988 interview with Rolling Stone, Orbison said he had a band in high school but thought about quitting music. “I went to college for a year,” he said. “I guess it was an attempt at being legitimate, or not being a free spirit. It was a good year, but it was a lonely year. I think the reason it was really lonely was that I wasn’t where I needed to be.
“But I met a couple of guys at school who had written ‘Ooby Dooby,’ and what convinced me that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time was I heard a record by a young fellow on the jukebox called ‘That’s All Right,’” he said. “So I moved to Odessa to junior college, got my band together with different guys and started in doing what I wanted to do.” While “That’s All Right” was originally performed by Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, the context made it clear Orbison was discussing Elvis’ hit cover of the song.
Orbison went on to join Sun Records, the label that signed Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. The “Oh, Pretty Woman” singer praised Sun Records head Sam Phillips for his strong work ethic. However, he felt Phillips did not have a good studio at his disposal and wasn’t an adept producer.
Orbison said he and Elvis had similar feelings about their Sun Records songs. “Elvis and I both were a little bit … We didn’t think it was really good work, the early stuff, so we didn’t play our Sun records onstage for a long time,” he said. “Until about 1970, I think, when it became instant history, you know?”
Orbison said that, over time, Sun Records recordings were seen as “a beginning,” perhaps referring to the fact that some fans erroneously think the label invented rock ‘n’ roll. Orbison took his Sun Records material more seriously as time went on. He said he started performing his Sun song “Ooby Dooby” onstage around the same time Elvis started performing his Sun song “That’s All Right” again.
“That’s All Right” predates the Billboard Hot 100, so it did not chart there. The track later appeared on the compilation album Elvis: 2nd to None. That record was the sequel to the more famous compilation Elvis: 30 #1 Hits. The former reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 16 weeks.
“That’s All Right” wasn’t a massive hit — but it had a seismic impact on Orbison.