Robert Ellis Orrall
Bob Something
May 4, 1955
Winthrop, Massachusetts, U.S.
- Singer
- songwriter
- record producer
1980–present
Musical career[edit]
Beginnings[edit]
Born in Winthrop, Massachusetts, Orrall got his musical start playing in various Boston, Massachusetts, area clubs. He signed with RCA in 1980 as a rock artist. His three RCA albums, Fixation, Special Pain and Contain Yourself were supported by band mates Kook Lawry on guitar, Don Walden on bass, David Stefanelli on drums and Brian Maes on keys with tours opening for U2, The Kinks, and NRBQ.[1] Orrall's Special Pain also produced his first chart single in "I Couldn't Say No", a duet with Carlene Carter (also her first chart hit) which peaked in the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] Carter, like Orrall, would eventually become a country music star in her own right.
Nashville[edit]
Orrall eventually gained an interest in country music through such acts as Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, and Foster & Lloyd.[2] He then moved to Nashville, Tennessee,[3] intending to use his songwriting and record producing skills.[2] One of his first cuts was Shenandoah's "Next to You, Next to Me", which Orrall co-wrote with Curtis Wright.[3]
Shortly after his song topped the charts, Orrall's publisher BMG Music urged him to perform his songs at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. He was then offered a second record deal with RCA.[2] Titled Flying Colors, Orrall's first and only solo country album produced three charting singles, including a Top 20 in "Boom! It Was Over", as well as "A Little Bit of Her Love" and "Every Day When I Get Home". In 1993, Clay Walker reached Number One on the country charts with Orrall's "What's It to You", another Wright co-write.