Pretty Paper

“Pretty Paper” is a song written by country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson in 1963. After being signed to Monument Records, Nelson played the song for producer Fred Foster. Foster pitched the song to Roy Orbison, who turned it into a hit. Nelson later recorded his own version of the song in November 1964. The song tells the story of a street vendor who, during the Christmas season, sells pencils and paper on the streets. In October 1963, while walking in his farm in Ridgetop, Tennessee, Nelson was inspired to write the song after he remembered a man he often saw while he lived in Fort Worth, Texas The man moved with rollers, selling paper and pencils in front of Leonard’s Department Store. In 2013, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram identified the man as Frankie Brierton, of Santo, Texas. Both of Brierton’s legs were atrophied below the knee due to childhood meningitis. Early in 1963, Nelson was signed by Fred Foster to the label Monument Records. In October 1963, Nelson sang “Pretty Paper” for Foster, who was impressed and decided to forward the song to Roy Orbison in London. Bill Justis worked the arrangements and the demo tape was sent to Orbison in England. According to the official Roy Orbison biography, The Authorized Roy Orbison, “Pretty Paper” was recorded at Decca Studio 2 in London with music director Ivor Raymonde, who made last-minute arrangements with his orchestra. Each musician was provided with microphones newly designed by Decca Records’ engineers. The microphones were worn around the neck to amplify the strings. Orbison attended the session with a 102-degree fever. According to the biography, Orbison recorded the song in 12 takes. The B-side, “Almost,” was also done that day.