Dean Bourne brings the essence of Roy Orbison to life on his Nationwide tour this April, performing all the classics you know and love with Roy Orbison Reborn…
With a brand new show after 2019’s sold-out Irish tour “Roy Orbison Reborn” will transport audiences to the great Rock n Roll era with hit after massive hit – Gold Record after Gold Record! On this coming Sunday, April 21st, he performs in the Wexford Opera House.
But, how did it all start for Dean? And how did he come to realise that he was actually even good at impersonating Roy Orbison? At Wexford Weekly, we caught up with Dean to discuss his background and his excitement as the gig gets closer.
“When I was about 16 years old, I was singing in talent quests and I would sing Crying, I was aware that I could sing but it was only when I started getting people coming up to and telling me how much I sounded like Roy that I realised it was special. I performed in a show called “follow that dream” based on the show “stars in their eyes” from the UK, I had No expectations whatsoever but made it to the finals and ultimately won the show, the rest in terms of hair styles, suits, guitars etc, turning myself into Roy on stage evolved over time and I have been honing this tribute for nearly 27 years now. It’s something I have never taken for granted and I have the ultimate respect for Roy’s music, family and legacy,” Dean told Wexford Weekly.
Being an internationally renowned impersonator and artist comes with its challenges along with multiple positives. For Deane, his favourite thing about touring around is simple meeting different people from different backgrounds:
“My favourite thing about touring is the people I get to meet and the places we get to go. I would not have seen most of the places around Australia & the world had I not been a performer, I feel very lucky and blessed,” he said.
Touring around internationally brings its own pleasures, and it’s going to be no different when he returns to Wexford:
“I have had the pleasure of performing at Wexford before, the Opera House is one of the most beautiful venues on the planet, I am also looking forward to seeing the beautiful people & the spectacular coastline Wexford offers once again, it really is beautiful,” he noted.
Dean’s promoter, Pat Egan, also had some great words to describe the act.
“Every night of the tour I stood at the back of the hall mesmerised by the brilliance of Dean’s recreation of the Orbison legacy, the very best tribute act I have been fortunate to promote,” he said.
As one of the most popular Roy Orbison impersonators, Dean has gained a lot of experience in the world of arts, entertainment, and music. Naturally, there may be people aiming to follow a similar path – and he offered his advice to those people.
“All I can say is follow your dreams because they can come true. If your going to portray an artist, particularly a living legend such as Roy Orbison, obviously you have to have some form of natural talent to sing or act, but always do it with respect and dignity, study and learn about the artist your paying tribute to, surround yourself with the best musicians in the business, you have to love what you do and the golden rule, always be humble, always,” he advised.
Roy Orbison Reborn takes place at the Wexford Opera House on Sunday, April 21st. Tickets for the event can be purchased on the Wexford Opera House website.
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