White Walkers

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Lore & Background

The 'White Walkers' are a fantasy faction from George R.R. Martin's universe and have no connection to Bruce Springsteen. The confusion likely stems from the title of the concert film 'A Black and White Night,' which features Springsteen as a guest performer. Filmed at the Ambassador Hotel's Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles on September 30, 1987, this special showcases Roy Orbison backed by his own band (not the TCB Band, which was Elvis Presley's) and guests including Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, and k.d. lang. A notable historical event occurred the morning after filming when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck Los Angeles; while chandeliers collapsed onto the master film and videotape, no damage was found upon inspection. The performance included hits like 'Only the Lonely' and 'In Dreams,' with three songs ('Blue Bayou,' 'Claudette,' 'Blue Angel') filmed but cut from the original broadcast.

In Their Own Story

The narrative centers on a tribute to Roy Orbison, who died approximately fourteen months after this filming. The special was originally broadcast on January 3, 1988, on Cinemax and presented entirely in black and white. Several celebrity admirers were present in the audience, including David Lynch, Billy Idol, Patrick Swayze, Billy Bob Thornton, Sandra Bernhard, and Kris Kristofferson. During the end credits, band members discussed Orbison's influence on them. The concert was released on VHS and Laserdisc, followed by a live album in 1989 titled 'A Black & White Night Live.' A bootleg CD appeared before the official release, featuring the same 15 songs in order with catalogue number RO.LA.87. Later releases included DVD, HD DVD (2007), and Blu-ray (September 2008), which added the previously unreleased 'Blue Angel' to the two cut songs. A re-edited 30th Anniversary Version titled 'Roy Orbison Black & White Night 30' was released on February 24, 2017, correcting the song sequencing and including rehearsal footage not found on earlier out-of-print releases.

Reader's Guide

This guide clarifies that Bruce Springsteen's involvement is strictly as a guest performer in the 'Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night' special. He contributed guitar and vocals to tracks such as 'Only the Lonely,' 'Dream Baby,' and 'Oh, Pretty Woman.' The source lists specific personnel roles: T Bone Burnett as musical director on acoustic guitar; James Burton on lead guitar; Jerry Scheff on upright bass; Ronnie Tutt on drums; and Michael Utley on keyboards. Additional musicians included Alex Acuña on percussion and a string section comprising Ezra Klinger, Pavel Farkas, Christopher Reutinger, Carol Shive, Cynthia Morrow, Bobby Debow (violin), and Jimbo Ross, Peter Hatch (viola). The guide notes technical details of releases: the DVD features 480i video in 4:3 aspect ratio with lossy soundtracks, while the Blu-ray offers 1080i video in 16:9 with lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 soundtracks.

Did You Know?

• The term 'White Walkers' is factually incorrect when applied to Bruce Springsteen; it belongs to fantasy fiction, not music history.
• The concert was filmed on September 30, 1987, exactly fourteen months before Roy Orbison's death.
• A violent 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck Los Angeles at approximately 1:42 a.m. the morning after filming, collapsing chandeliers onto the master recordings without causing damage.
• Three songs ('Blue Bayou,' 'Claudette,' and 'Blue Angel') were filmed but excluded from the original broadcast due to time constraints.
• The special was released on various formats over the years, but no 'White Walkers' Blu-ray or album by Bruce Springsteen was ever released in September 2008.