Roy Head left 9-21-2020 RIP

[Buddie Hrabal]

Sources tell me that Roy Head passed away yesterday in Houston,TX at the age of 77. That's all I have at this time.

[Dave Mudgett]

Unfortunately, it appears that Roy has indeed left us. One of the truly great real rock and rollers.

I remember first seeing him as a kid on Shindig in (I think) 1965 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FYAB74OIeI. After a couple of years of the British Invasion and all those corny Elvis movies, I said to myself, "Real rock and roll is back!".

He could sing anything. His shows were legendary - I was lucky enough to see him once later on, early 70s I think. He was totally incendiary on stage. RIP.

[Joe Rogers]

I totally agree with Dave. I saw him in the late 70's. He came onstage with a white 3 piece suit. Started off by singing a tender ballad. One third of the way through the song, the band kicks it up 10 notches and Roy is doing cartwheels and backflips across the stage flinging the microphone and it boomerangs back to him. I was totally stunned and amazed at the same time. Roy had a fabulous voice and a commanding stage presence. He understood what the word entertainment was all about. I feel very fortunate to have seen him perform. It was one of those performances you never forget.


Joe Rogers

[Dave Magram]

Roy was a good country singer, too...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lApAq53nVP0
ROY HEAD - "THE MOST WANTED WOMAN" (1975)
Nice turnaround by Buddy Emmons at 1:36.

-Dave

[Larry Dering]

Roy had a number of country tunes with some fine steel guitar all over them. RIP Roy.

[Paddy Long]

Oh very sad to hear Roy has passed, I was lucky enough to work with him in the early 80's out here in NZ on the Thats Country TV Show ...and I remember him doing the cartwheels and backflips etc hehe .... shocked the hell out of the producers at the time :-} and yes he had a great voice to back it all up ! great guy.

[Susan Alcorn (deceased)]

Oh, this is sad news. I knew Roy and played with him occasionally in Houston. He was a great singer and entertainer. He definitely knew how to use a microphone, and who else could get a dance hall full of people to get on the floor and do the Alligator.

The first time I met him was in the early eighties at his neighborhood in the northern suburbs of Houston, a a benefit for recent tornado victims which ended in tragedy.

The last time I was him was in 2005 or 2006 at an outdoor festival where he came up as a guest singer for the band I played in that night. After whipping the microphone around, he walked over to me and quietly said, "Play something sexy".

He was a one of a kind, and will truly be missed.

[Joachim Kettner]

[Jim Fogle]

Joachim,

I recognize that is a stretch Lincoln Continental that everyone is leaning against but I don't recognize the album or the band.

Please give me some background information about the photograph.

[Joachim Kettner]

Jim, here are the credits for the Roy Head album:

I only recognize Lonnie Mack (4th from left) and Jimmy Day (3rd from right).

This is a snippet of the album cover:

[Jim Fogle]

Joachim,

Thank you for the additional information. Here is a nice write up from Variety: https://variety.com/2020/music/news/roy ... 234779102/

[Tom Campbell]

Here's a link to a performance from 1965...definitely James Brown choreography!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FYAB74 ... e=youtu.be

[Charlie Moore]

I worked with Roy Head at The Branding Iron Saloon in Porter, Tex when he first opened it in 1981. Our band was Western Union and we were his house band. He was a great guy and a lot of fun to work with. He will be missed. Rest In Peace my brother. Thanks for the good times!