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BIG "O" VATIONS |
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LARRY BRANSON |
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About Larry |
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LARRY BRANSON grew up in Western Canada the son of second generation Norwegian-Canadian parents. He didn't get into the music business until 1968... and then only by fluke. Larry's parents bought him a "sing-a-long" record player and he used their Orbison records to learn on. He would turn down Roy's voice and turn up his own to practice. Branson says " At the time, I wasn't trying to sound like Roy Orbison... I thought, if was going to learn how to sing, I'm going to let Roy be my teacher. It's really strange how things turned out". Larry Graduated from Gladstone High School in Vancouver, B.C. where music was his worst subject because he was too shy and embarrassed to sing in front of the class. He worked at various jobs, but one day, while working at Radio Shack, during a lunch break he was asked by a co-worker if he would manage his brother's band. When Larry first heard them play, they were doing an instrumental version of Orbison's classic "Oh, Pretty Woman". Larry jumped in to provide the vocal and he was soon asked to front the band. For the next five years Larry and his group "Downstream" played country music, rock & roll and just about everything until he decided to go solo. Since then, Larry has pursued a life-long dream to perform a "Tribute To Roy Orbison". He continued to play the lounges as a solo performer while working on Orbison songs at home. After Roy's untimely death December 6th, 1988, Larry decided the time was right to get serious about his dream. In February, 1989 he auditioned for the "Legends Of Rock'n'Roll" and became a staple in that show for the next four years. The rest is history... after stints with "Legends In Concert" and "American Superstars", Larry was discovered by the producers of a major new musical in England "The Roy Orbison Story". Larry spent the next three years acting and singing in this production which culminated in a year-long run at the Piccadilly Theatre in London's prestigious West End theatre district. A nomination for "Best New Musical" and the opportunity to sing "Only The Lonely" at Briton's TV event of the year, the "1995 Olivier Awards", are evidence to the fact that Larry Branson has surely fulfilled his life-long dream and then some. More recently, Larry completed a 27 date UK tour during the summer of 2004 with "THIS LONELY HEART: The Roy Orbison Experience". The show played 30 concerts in Australia during the fall of 2004. Most recently, Larry completed 5 week concert tour in the USA during April and May, 2005. Larry is currently performing as Roy at the Memories Theatre in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee thru the end of October, 2005.
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[Reviews] [Merchandise] [Shows] |
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| Hear Larry Sing |
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"This Lonely Heart" |
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Larry Branson |
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