Roy Orbison's 10-month-old grandson to play on Pretty Woman revamp

The ten-month-old grandson of Roy Orbison, named Roy III, is to play the toy guitar and tambourine in a whole-family effort to bring Oh, Pretty Woman to a new generation.

The toddler will join Orbison’s sons Wesley, Roy Jr and Alex in a band, as part of a collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The project will see musicians re-record instrumental backing for selected tracks, to match with Orbison’s best original vocals, in a bid to safeguard the singer’s legacy for the future.

Alex Orbison, president of Roy’s Boys and the youngest of Roy Orbison’s sons, said: “If ever there were a singer whose body of work benefits from a collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic it would be Roy Orbison.

“During the course of his career and after his passing it was constantly noted that his transcendent vocal ability made him something of an anomaly in the world of pop and rock and that, in another life, he would have taken the classical music/opera world by storm.

“Soon, we’ll all be able to experience that ‘life’ with the release of this project.  It’s more than an album release, it’s the fulfilment of a prophecy in a very tangible way.”

The album, called A Love So Beautiful: Roy Orbison, is due to be released on November 3 on vinyl, CD and digital formats.

The orchestral parts were recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, while Orbison’s family completed their parts in Black River Studios, Nashville, which was previously owned by the singer himself.

The three sons have also collaborated in their first authorised book about Orbison, including hundreds of photographs and stories of his life a career.

Orbison died in 1988 from a heart attack, at the age of 52. He was predeceased by his two eldest sons, who died in a house fire in 1968.