A leading tribute show to Roy Orbison will be entertaining fans of the legendary singer in Stevenage.

Barry Steele and Friends are due to perform at the Gordon Craig Theatre on Saturday, April 7 in The Roy Orbison Story.

He’s the man with the sunglasses and the black suit who delivered some of the world’s darkest and most emotional ballads, yet Texas-born Roy Orbison remains one of the most distinctive looking, and sounding performers in modern music.

Barry Steele takes on the role in The Roy Orbison Story.

He comes with great credentials and a genuine admiration for The Big O.

A show spokesman said: “It was on a family holiday in Cornwall in 2001 that Barry took the first steps on the road to becoming a professional singer, when his wife Lynne and their daughter Leonie entered him into a singing competition without his knowledge.

“It was there that a fellow competitor said to him, ‘You know you sound just like Roy Orbison singing Robbie Williams!’, so with the help of family and friends a tribute to The Big ‘O’ was born.”

Barry has been stunning audiences since with his uncanny ability to recreate the vocal talents of the legendary Oh, Pretty Woman singer.

He is backed in this all-live multi-media show with not only a fabulous band and musicians, but a big screen featuring both live streaming and images from the life and times of Only the Lonely star Orbison.

Expect an upbeat and contemporary slant on Orbison’s legacy, as Barry Steele and colleagues take the audience on a musical journey from the early Sun years right through to the late 1980s when the Man in Black was experiencing a huge resurgence in popularity.

During this period Orbison worked with U2 frontman Bono, Bruce Springsteen and supergroup The Traveling Wilburys alongside former Beatle George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.

The tour spokesman added: “Orbison’s songs not only have wonderful melodies and tunes, the lyrics are some of the most sublime ever written.

“Not only does the music take you back in time, they can make you happy, sad and emotive all at the same time.

“Orbison is known as a balladeer, but he also recorded and performed rocky and contemporary songs. His songs are quite simply timeless.”

The production also features original material written by but never sung by Roy Orbison, and also showcases chart-busting hits originally made famous by the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Jeff Lynne, ELO, George Harrison, Del Shannon, Chris Isaak, The Spencer Davis Group and The Traveling Wilburys.

So get ready for a night of solid gold 60s hits and 80s contemporary genius as The Roy Orbison Story celebrates the musical legacy of The Big O.

• For tickets, visit the Gordon Craig Theatre website at www.gordon-craig.co.uk