2 Iconic Songs Roy Orbison Wrote For Another Legend Most Fans Don’t Know

By the mid-1950s, Johnny Cash was already making waves on tour with Elvis Presley when he first crossed paths with a young Roy Orbison in Texas. It didn’t take long for Cash to spot Orbison’s talent and point him in the right direction.

“In late ’55 or early ’56, I was touring with Elvis when I met Roy in Texas,” Cash once recalled. “I told him to get in touch with Sun Records if he wanted to be a recording artist.”

A Rough Start at Sun, But a Lasting Connection

Orbison took Cash’s advice and called up Sam Phillips, the head of Sun Records. But his introduction didn’t go smoothly. “Well, Johnny Cash doesn’t run this operation, I do, thank you very much,” Phillips reportedly said before hanging up on him.

Thankfully, Orbison didn’t give up. He eventually signed with Sun Records and released his debut single “Ooby Dooby” in 1956. From that moment on, Cash and Orbison stayed close—both professionally and personally.

They even ended up as neighbors in Tennessee. And when tragedy struck Orbison in 1968 and his two sons died in a house fire while he was on tour, Cash stepped in with a heartfelt gesture. He bought the land where the house once stood, planted an orchard, and vowed never to build on it again.

Collaborations and Shared Stages

Their bond stretched into the late ’60s and ’70s. Orbison appeared several times on The Johnny Cash Show, which ran from 1969 to 1971, including a special duet of “Pretty Paper” with Cash.

In 1973, Cash recorded Orbison’s song “Best Friend” for his album Any Old Wind That Blows. The track had first been released by Orbison for the 1967 Western film The Fastest Guitar Alive, which also happened to be Orbison’s only acting gig.

Their last big project together was the 1986 album Class of ’55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming, which also featured Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. Orbison performed “Coming Home” on the album—his final collaboration with Cash before his death in 1988.

Two Songs Orbison Wrote for Cash

Orbison’s songwriting talent also showed up in two songs he penned (or co-wrote) for Cash over the years.

“You Tell Me” (1959)
Cash recorded this track with the Tennessee Two at Sun Records in 1958. Released in 1959, it was one of his last songs with Sun before moving to Columbia. The song captures the sorrow of a fading relationship with a simple back-and-forth lyrical style.

“See Ruby Fall” (1969)
Co-written by Orbison and Cash, the song’s title was inspired by signs advertising a waterfall near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Released on Cash’s Hello, I’m Johnny Cash album, the tune reached No. 4 on the Country charts. The lyrics reimagine “Ruby Falls” as a woman chasing life in the city, leaving the singer behind.

Through highs, heartbreak, and decades of music, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison shared a friendship that was as powerful as the songs they created.