December 07, 2011

 

Dobie Gray drifts away

Singer-songwriter Dobie Gray, best known for his pop hit "The In Crowd" in 1965 and the country-influenced "Drift Away" in 1973, died Tuesday (Dec. 6) at his Nashville home following a lengthy illness at age 71. Although "Drift Away" was written by veteran songwriter Mentor Williams, it became Gray's signature song. It reached No. 5 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
Born Lawrence Brown in Brookshire, Texas, Gray recorded for Capitol Nashville during the mid '80s and charted four singles on Billboard's country songs chart. As a songwriter, his compositions were recorded by several prominent country artists, including George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Conway Twitty, Charley Pride and Don Williams.

Meanwhile, twenty-three years to the day since her husband passed away, Barbara Orbison died on Tuesday (Dec. 6) at USC Medical Center in Los Angeles. She had battled pancreatic cancer since her admission into the hospital in May. She was 60.
Born in Germany, she met rock star Roy Orbison in London where the Beatles had opened for him in an earlier U.K. tour and she later married him in Hendersonville, Tenn., in 1969. They remained together until his death, also in Hendersonville, in 1988.

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