share with us? we'd love to hear it! send me an e-mail or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com. ♪ ♪ >> a farmer with an unusual hobby hands down a humongous collection to his family. >> anybody that collects 150 tractors -- doesn't that make you eccentric? ♪ >> he spent a lifetime, and a pretty penny, amassing it. >> definitely a method to grandpa's madness. >> is it a treasure trove of valuable americana? >> it was almost out of control maybe you would say. >> or a herd of white elephants? >> dad, are you ever gonna stop? you know, for one thing, you're running out of room. where are you going to put them all? [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] ♪ >> i'm jamie colby, and i'm just

pulling into le mars, iowa. it's a short distance from sioux city. i'm about to meet a family that's farmed this land for generations and learn about a very strange inheritance. ♪ >> my name is roma lancaster. after my dad passed away, we knew that there would be a lot of things that would have to be sorted out and gone through on the farm. >> roma's father, dave hawkins, has deep roots in this part of iowa, going back more than a century. >> my father's ancestors immigrated to the united states in late 1800s. they moved westward with the expansion of the railroad, and my grandfather, my dad's father, albert hawkins, farmed just south of here, about a mile. >> dave hawkins grew up hearing stories of his ancestors plowing this land behind a team of

horses. as a young farmer in the 1950s, just out of school, dave spots a tractor rusting in the weeds. it sparks his imagination. >> the 1920 9d is the tractor that belonged to my grandfather. that's what got my dad into the collecting again was when he restored that tractor that had originally belonged to his father. >> as his farm grows to over 500 acres of corn and soybeans, and his family prospers, hawkins seeks out the next vintage tractor to buy and restore. then the next and the next, including this one, a minneapolis-moline that hawkins bought, restored, and donated to the plymouth county museum. >> how old would this one be? >> it's a 1944 model. >> incredible. >> i meet bruce brock at the museum. a fellow history buff, he and dave hawkins went way back. >> i was proud to be his

friend. he was a good businessman, he was a good father, a good husband, a great neighbor, and a good community guy. >> i understand coin collecting and car collecting, but tractors, bruce -- tractors? what was he thinking? >> these are a representation of the past that farmers and farm families and farm relations really enjoy looking at because it brings back memories. >> tractors are part of iowa's history. in 1892, john froelich invented the practical gas-powered tractor in a tiny village about 300 miles east of here. the mechanization of farming helps america become an agricultural giant. >> alex, are you in here? >> there he is. >> and even though none of dave's four children tills the soil like he did, he does share his passion for tractors with his grandson, alex. >> i can remember as young as 3 or 4 years old, riding in the combine with my grandpa and taking naps on the floor, and if

we weren't doing that, we were driving up and down the road looking for other tractors to work on and fix up in the shop. >> pretty soon, dave's sheds are filled with old tractors in various states of repair -- more than 100 of them. >> did mom ever say, "no more tractors"? >> no, not really, but i remember dad called the tractors his "savings account," you know, to justify it. through the years, as things became tight in the sheds, and, you know, there was just kind of a joking question about "dad, are you ever gonna stop?" >> the answer is, no, he's not going to stop. family vacations become cross-country tractor hunts. ♪ >> so would you say that he was eccentric? >> he was a little crazy sometimes, but he was definitely a savvy businessman. >> over the years, grandpa probably put $100,000, probably not over a quarter of $1 million million into his collection. >> but it wasn't about the money.

it was a passion, it was a love, and it was just something he wanted to do. he didn't really get into the collecting real heavily until he had the money to help us go to college and make sure we got the education that we wanted. >> born of hardy iowa farmer stock, dave seems as indestructible as those tractors. everybody assumes he'll plow on forever. then, all of a sudden, in the summer of 2011, his 73-year-old body grinds to a halt. >> dad was a man who never complained. he was only sick for a few days. we did not even know what was wrong with him. the autopsy results came back that we found out that he had cancer. [ voice breaking ] i'm sad because my dad's gone. sorry. >> it was more than just a shock. it was a life-changing blow.

>> he went to the same church from the day he was born until the day he died. he was baptized and had his funeral in the same small country church. it was very important to him that we all knew that legacy and continued that on, also. >> at first, life on the farm continues as before. dave's son-in-law, alex's dad, todd popken, farms the acreage. alex tends the tractors. but soon, the loss of their patriarch sends ripples of change through the family. dave's widow, judy, moves into town. >> did that surprise you? >> no. mom had said for 10 years, "if something happens to you first, i do not want to stay out here by myself." >> dave's absence creates a crisis, sparking strong disagreement within the family. should they hang on to dave's beloved collection or sell it and close out his

"savings account"? >> at the time of his death, how prepared was he for you to take on this huge obligation? >> i wish we would have even had just a couple days to ask him some questions that would have helped us make sure we made the decisions that were how he wished for them to be made. and obviously the more people involved, the harder that decision becomes. you have to know, there were some bumpy roads that we traveled there. >> that's next. >> and now for our "strange inheritance" quiz question... the answer when we return. [ bird caws ]

santiago: i never graduated from high school. i realized i wanted to go back to school because i didn't want to work these back-breaking jobs the rest of my life.

with the help of my father and having my son, it was all the motivation i needed to come back to school. i felt accomplished. it made me feel that i could take on whatever challenges life throws at you. vo: find free adult education classes near you at finishyourdiploma.org eric: a medical chart is not your identity. marina: and vision loss does not define you. your drive shows who you are. heather: and you are not alone. eric: because we are driven, too. carolyn: to be a beacon of strength, a champion of courage. heather: an advocate for hope. carolyn: you are not alone. heather: because we are stronger together. eric: we drive the research for the cures we're finding. marina: we're fighting macular degeneration, heather: lca, eric: retinitis pigmentosa, marina: and the entire spectrum of blinding retinal diseases.

eric: we fund. marina: we fight. heather and henry: we win. all: we... are the foundation fighting blindness. carolyn: together... eric: we are fighting blindness. carolyn: join the fight at fightingblindness.org. [ bird caws ] >> now the answer to our "strange inheritance" quiz question... it's "b," lamborghini. >> the untimely death of iowa farmer dave hawkins in 2011 leaves his family in a state of upheaval. his widow, judy, moves into town, leaving the homestead empty for the first time in generations. dave's grandson, alex, a 23-year-old newlywed, and his wife, maria, buy the house and

move in... a bold move by the young man, who has the best shot of keeping the hawkins' tradition of family farming alive. alex says his grandma made the house deal easy for the first-time buyer. now, isn't that what grandma's are for? >> so, did she give you a good deal? >> yeah. a family deal. >> but the family hasn't even started to discuss what to do with the strange inheritance -- dave hawkins' collection of rare and antique tractors. >> we didn't even talk about it until at least a year or almost a year had passed. i don't think it was easy for anyone. and we did go through that where, you know, we weren't all agreeing. the number-one toughest decision was, can we keep the collection or do we have to sell part of it? financially and time-wise, there was nobody that could do what dad had done. >> did he tell you before he passed? >> we had talked about it, but never made a decision, or he

had never made a decision about what he wanted to do. >> finally, dave's widow, judy, asks the kids to come to a decision. it's not easy. >> how do you come to an agreement when each party has a different idea of what is right or wrong? to please five parties is a tough, tough decision to have to come to grips with. >> amid this family discord, tammy's son, alex, spends nights and weekends keeping his grandpa's precious tractors from deteriorating. >> there's a lot of expenses to keep them -- insurance, upkeep, batteries, tires, and to keep the collection and not upkeep it, in my opinion, was not an option. >> dave hawkins' pride and joy is becoming a sore point. >> i was at a full-time job,

as i was just graduated from college, just got married, and maybe some of them didn't realize all the time and work and money that it was gonna take to keep those tractors up. >> alex thinks that could add up to more than $10,000 a year. >> there just is too much of a financial and time commitment that none of us were able to exercise, and that we didn't expect alex to exercise, and we made the decision then at that point to sell the items. ♪ >> the family decides the best way to maximize the collection's value is through that great american country tradition -- the open-call auction. and they keep it local by hiring dad's old friend bruce brock, who's also an auctioneer. >> they wanted their father and their husband represented in a fashion that would make him proud because i know that he

made them proud, and i think that was important. >> what did the family tell you about how much they wanted to generate from the sale? >> they didn't really tell us anything. they just trusted us to bring them home as many net dollars as we could. >> but it's not quite that simple for the hawkins heirs, who made a curious discovery after their father died, one that could affect their bottom line and their father's legacy. from beyond the grave, dave hawkins is guiding his family on how to handle their strange inheritance. that's next. >> here's another quiz question for you... the answer when we return. [ bird caws ]

♪rock guitar ♪yeah ♪(rock music) ♪all i know is what i've been sold♪ ♪you can read my life like a fortune told♪

♪and courage built, man i won't let go♪ ♪what we need right now is . . .soul♪ ♪(rock music) ♪you can't do this, you can't deny♪ ♪they feed us lines, but i won't act♪ ♪and all good things will come to pass♪ ♪but the truth is all you have to have♪ ♪and would you lie for it? ♪cry for it? ♪die for it? ♪would you? ♪i believe ♪believe we're still worth the fight♪ ♪you'll see there's hope for this world tonight♪ ♪i believe, i believe

♪yeah

>> so, how many acres could a farmer till in a day with a horse-drawn plow? the answer is "b," 1 to 3 acres. ♪ >> after months of discussion, dave hawkins' heirs have come to a painful conclusion -- it's time to auction off his lifelong collection of tractors. but one more family member gets to weighs in -- dave himself. >> it was discovered in my dad's desk that he had a handwritten list of the tractors that he wished for us to save. >> these tractors, going back to the 1920s, are the cream of dave's crop and must stay in the family. their dad's list gets them thinking. what else should they keep off the auction block? so, they each make their own lists.

>> it had to be godly intervention that when we got together for a family meeting and compared our lists, nobody had picked wanting the same item. at first, roma herself is undecided. >> one day, i would think, "yes, i should keep a tractor." and the next day i'm thinking, "you know what? it's only metal, and my memories of being with dad are invaluable to me." >> in the end, she can't resist keeping two bright green john deeres -- a 1943 b and a '48 m. meanwhile, alex and his dad work the family farm with this 1964 deere. okay. that's one. he asks if i want to drive it. >> over there are your brakes. >> brakes are important. >> this is your lever to select the gear that you go in. >> and, of course, he's gentleman enough to coach this city girl on the basics, like how you turn the darned thing on. >> i'm gonna start it up. i see a key. >> yep. [ engine turns over ] >> there you go. perfect. >> i wouldn't...

>> [ laughs ] >> we don't have anything like this in new york. >> nothing like this? >> no, nothing. >> you think the taxis will get out of the way? >> oh, i think so. i think everyone will get out of the way. [ engine shuts off ] unbelievable experience driving a tractor. >> my pleasure. >> thank you. that was exciting. hard to imagine that the hawkins heirs had to wrangle more than 100 of these things to get ready for auction. >> you worked hard to get ready, i'm sure. >> alex and todd popken worked through the winter ahead of that sale date getting tractors ready. >> a lot of sweat, a lot of tears, and a lot of laughter. >> auctioneer bruce brock knows the key is getting as many motivated bidders as possible to the hawkins' farm on auction day. tell me about the night before. you get a good night's sleep?

>> very little. we are entrusted to, in just a few hours, bring to fruition a lifetime of collecting and sacrifice that the family's gone through. it was a big day for us, and we had everything planned, right down to the most minute detail. >> well, every detail except one. [ thunder rumbles ] >> the day of the auction started out a little bit on the rocky side. >> that's next. [ thunder rumbles ] [school bell rings]

hey luke, come check this out. [car horn] [mom] come on buddy, hurry up. ♪ [dad] come on kiddo, do your homework ok? [sighs] [mom] oh no what are you wearing? can you just go in the other room and watch your show? [mom] it would be a shame for you to get sick at this time of year. [mom] is he ok? [doctor] he's perfectly healthy,

except i still need to write him a prescription. [female narrator] play isn't just fun and games, it's also critical to raising healthy and happy children. through play, kids learn how to solve problems, manage their emotions, relieve stress and more. the american academy of pediatrics now encourages doctors to write kids prescriptions for play. hey super dude, five minutes till homework time ok? [boy] bet you can't catch me! [narrator] to learn about the benefits of play go to the genius of play dot org. >> narrator: now back to "strange inheritance." >> after months of tough decisions and hard work, dave hawkins' loved ones gather at the family farm for the auction of his collection of antique tractors. just as the gavel is about to be raised... [ thunder crashes ] it starts to pour buckets.

you went to all this preparation, though, for the auction, and the sky opens up. and what was it like? >> disappointing that it might damper the crowd, but you can't ever wish away rain if you're a farmer. >> dad would sing a song, "you are my sunshine," to all of us a lot when we were small, and so that morning, on the way over here, i had ran into town and got us four yellow roses. >> then the clouds part. >> and so, after it stopped raining, i took a yellow rose to my mother and my two sisters and said, "you know, dad will always be our sunshine." so, we all carried our yellow roses around, and he was our sunshine.

[ auctioneer calling ] >> once the bidding starts, it's immediately clear that dave hawkins isn't the only one obsessed with these big machines. was it a sell-out? >> it was a sell-out. and we were hoping to get 500 or 600 people, and we were almost double that. >> the bidders come from as far away as canada and mexico. 1936 john deere a -- sold. $2,000. '46 deere slant dash -- sold. $3,000. '49 case cs -- sold. $600 '51 oliver row-crop -- sold. $8,000. '58 john deere 730 diesel -- sold. $20,000. tractors are pretty valuable to people. >> tractors are pretty valuable, both emotionally and financially. >> the family's dedication to dave hawkins' memory pays off. the auction nets around $400,000 for his heirs.

i guess you could say dave is still taking care of his family. >> i had one child still in college, and my oldest child had graduated from college. and so, i was very excited to be able to use that money to help them with their college debt. >> dave, who hated debt, would be proud. oh, my goodness. but it could have been a lot more. if you add up the value of the 23 tractors that stay in the hawkins family, it comes to more than $180,000. still, there are a few tears as 100-plus tractors are trucked away to collectors around the country and beyond. >> it was kind of a bittersweet deal. there was a couple that i would have liked to have kept. >> i just feel bad for alex going out to all the empty sheds. >> but alex hopes the sheds won't be empty forever.

>> as i get older and get my own collection going, maybe i'll have the same problem again in 50 years. >> and remember that '29 john deere, the one that belonged to alex's great-grandfather? that very first one that dave rescued from the junk pile? so, this is it? >> this one's it. >> in his will, dave hawkins sets that one aside for alex. perhaps it will be the seed that grows into another grand collection, just like his grandpa's. >> living out here on the farm is good. you always get to walk somewhat in his footsteps, day in and day out. he's still here a little bit for me. people that grew up on farms, that's your lifestyle. you breathe and die farming. >> i couldn't help but notice alex's pride, not just in that machine, not simply a strange

inheritance that turned out to be quite valuable, but rather in the way of life that links him to those who came before him on this land and the determination of dave hawkins' heirs to keep his legacy together for at least one more generation. we learned one other story about dave hawkins from his family. he never spent time with his tractors without having one of his children or grandchildren alongside. a completely positive person -- that's how they described him. so positive that he'd answer the phone "good morning," whether it was morning or night. in fact, after he passed, they had t-shirts made that said "good morning" with "gramps" on the sleeve to wear their first christmas without dave. thanks so much for joining us for "strange inheritance." i'm jamie colby. remember -- you can't take it with you. do you have a strange inheritance story you'd like to

share with us? we'd love to hear it. send me an e-mail or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com. >> a rock 'n' roll legend. >> the crazy thing about roy orbison is, from 1959 to 1964, he had 21 top 40 hits. >> he dies too soon, with three young sons. >> he had secretly always wanted us to be musicians, but he wasn't gonna push. >> does he send them on a musical mission from beyond the grave? >> and then i kind of rubbed my eyes, and then looked at this. >> he said, "i've got this cassette of this song that nobody has heard before." >> will this strange inheritance bring roy and his boys together again? >> had you always dreamt of playing with your dad? >> always, yes. >> [ chuckles ] mercy! [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ]

>> i'm jamie colby, and today i'm cruisin' into nashville, tennessee. music city. i'm on my way to meet the sons of rock legend roy orbison. turns out the man who gave the world "oh, pretty woman," "only the lonely," and "you got it" left his heirs an unexpected treasure, and possibly the opportunity of a lifetime. >> i'm alex orbison. even though my dad, roy orbison, passed away in 1988, my brothers and i, 25 years later, found something that would help us realize a lifelong dream. >> alex! >> hello. >> how are you? i'm in hendersonville, just outside nashville, and alex has invited me to a musical landmark. incredible. i can't believe i'm here. >> welcome. >> thank you so much. and the cash cabin. what is this place? >> johnny cash built this cabin in the '80s as a getaway.

one of the best recording studios in the world. >> and the families were close? >> yeah, our families go back to the '50s, when johnny and roy were roommates and labelmates at sun records. >> i can't wait to learn more, and i would love to see inside. >> of course. >> this cabin has been a creative refuge for dozens of major recording artists, but it's also like home to roy's boys, and a link to their late father. what was he like as a dad? >> he was pretty wonderful as a dad. >> born in 1936, roy spent much of his youth in vernon, texas. i heard that he wrote his first song at 8? >> he definitely had his first radio show as an 8-year-old. he walked down with his guitar and knocked on the door, and he said, "yeah, my name's roy orbison, and i want to play some songs for you guys." by the end of the year he had his own show every saturday. >> in 1955, a fateful meeting with johnny cash at a local tv

station sparks roy's musical career, and gets him an invitation to sun records in memphis, tennessee. not long after, roy marries his childhood sweetheart, claudette frady. they move to nashville, and roy rockets to the top of the charts with a string of hits, including "oh, pretty woman" in 1964. was "oh, pretty woman" a game changer? >> people loved the song. it really made him into an international superstar. >> ♪ oh, pretty woman >> roy and claudette have three boys -- roy dewayne, anthony, and wesley. roy can't ask for more, either professionally or personally. then, in 1966, tragedy strikes. >> claudette and my dad were coming back from the drag races on their motorcycles. at the end of the ride, a truck had pulled out, and claudette was killed instantly.

>> as a 30-year old widower with three young sons, roy relies on his parents, who live across the street, for childcare while he soothes himself by writing and touring. back in nashville, young wesley finds comfort in his father's songs. >> that's kind of how i'd visit with him, 'cause he was on the road all the time. so i would just always would go to those records and listen. >> while on tour in leeds, england, in 1968, roy's drummer insists he go out and have some fun. at a nightclub, roy meets 17-year-old beauty barbara jakobs. >> he ran into my mom. and my dad looked over and said, "grab that girl. i'm gonna marry her." >> the two fall in love instantly, starting a long-distance romance. just as roy's getting on his feet, he suffers another devastating loss. on september 15th, a fire rips through his home in nashville.

where was he when the fire happened? >> he was doing the last show of a tour in england. he was showing pictures of the boys, and how happy he was to go home, and there was a knock on the door in the night, and then that's when he found out. >> roy's parents and 3-year-old wesley are able to escape. but his two older sons, 10-year-old roy dewayne and 6-year-old tony, are killed. was it something your dad was able to talk about? >> i've gone back through interviews, and what he said is if you look back and you're not a crazy person, then you'd be grateful for what you did have, and not what you don't have. >> it's barbara jakobs who helps him through his grief. in 1969, they marry, and go on to have two boys, roy junior and alex. for now, roy's career takes a backseat to family life. did he encourage you guys to play? >> he didn't push us. he just left guitars all around

the house for us to find. >> had you always dreamt of playing with your dad? >> always, yes. >> as the 1980s unfold, the entertainment world re-discovers roy orbison. linda ronstadt covers "blue bayou," and van halen "pretty woman." both become big hits. then, in 1986, director david lynch chooses roy's song "in dreams" for his film "blue velvet." >> there again, my dad's on the forefront of some groundbreaking thing 'cause david lynch loved his music. >> roy orbison is making a comeback. he's inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame with none other than "the boss," bruce springsteen, doing the honors. >> ♪ and i'm just killing time >> and while roy works on recording a new album called "mystery girl," producer jeff lynne introduces him to tom petty. the three, along with old friends bob dylan and george harrison, start jamming at each other's houses.

>> out of that was born the travelling wilburys. >> traveling wilburys, volume one, is released in october 1988, while "mystery girl" is slated for release in february. it's a milestone roy never reaches. on december 6, 1988, he dies of a massive heart attack while visiting his parents' home in nashville. he's 52 years old. >> i was so crushed as a 12-year-old kid. there was just such a loss. there's no -- no real way to describe it in words. >> but those classic songs and timeless sound live on. orbison continues to be irresistible to hollywood. a year after his death "pretty woman" the movie makes julia roberts a superstar, and orbison becomes as big in death as he was in life. he also leaves behind something very special to fill the hole left in his young boys' lives.

>> the inheritance is strange, but the legacy is love. >> ♪ you got it >> that's next. >> but first, our "strange inheritance" quiz question. what was roy orbison's first #1 single -- "ooby dooby," "only the lonely," "running scared," or "crying"? the answer in a moment. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. i wish i could shake your hand. granted. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

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>> so, what was roy orbison's first #1 single? it's "b." "only the lonely" was released on march 25, 1960, and reached #2 on the billboard hot 100 charts before going to #1 in great britain. >> music legend roy orbison dies from a heart attack in nashville in december 1988. he's 52 years old. at the time, he was about to release a solo album, "mystery girl." though roy's not here to revel in it, he's got another hit. >> from the outsider's perspective, this would be a tragedy that roy didn't live to see the success of this. i think my dad was already in a new career peak, where the guy was not walking down the street without getting mobbed. >> the song "you got it" makes it into the top 10 on the charts. quiet on the set, all right? and in case you need a refresher, my trip to the cash

cabin comes complete with a serenade from wesley orbison. >> ♪ i see a love that money just can't buy ♪ ♪ one look from you ♪ >> i'm crying. okay? >> ♪ i drift away ♪ i pray that you are here ♪ >> ♪ to stay >> ♪ anything you want >> ♪ you got it roy orbison clearly passed down his love of music, and that distinctive sound. but when their mother, barbara, dies in 2011, roy's boys are also the sole heirs to his entire music library. in honor of both parents, they work on a re-release of "mystery girl," which is coming up on its 25th anniversary. this time, they hope to produce a deluxe version with previously unreleased tracks.

>> i realized that we had unreleased material that no one had really known exactly what to do with it. >> roy's boys believe somewhere in the massive archive there must be a recording of a song they remember their dad singing around the house, a family favorite called "the way is love." >> "the way is love" is a song that wasn't meant to be released. he was just saying it, like under his breath. just mumbling it, tapping. that was something coming out of him. >> alex decides this would be the perfect song to include. only one problem. he can't find the tape anywhere in what amounts to 30 years worth of material. >> we do have everything catalogued pretty well but there was a large pile of stuff that wasn't. there could be 5,000 cassette tapes, dat tapes. >> so you said, "i have to dig in"? >> i said, "look, everyone, whatever you're doing, drop it. we're gonna go get in the vault and find this tape." >> did you have to listen to thousands of things?

>> i had been in the archives looking through everything for hours, and out of being tired, i had leaned my hand up against the wall, and then kind of rubbed my eyes, and then looked. and i thought, "what is this?" >> after weeks of searching, the original cassette tape for "the way is love" is sitting right in front of him. filled with excitement, alex calls family friend john carter cash, son of the late johnny cash. >> he said, "hey, listen, i've got this cassette tape of this song that nobody has heard before." however, it was an old cassette-tape recording. it had tape warble -- in other words, the pitch would go up and down. [ indistinct warbly singing ] the cash cabin's audio engineer, chuck turner, plays me that original cassette tape, just as alex discovered it. >> ♪ and right the wrong because ♪

>> and as you can hear, all the artifacts from the analogue cassette -- the hiss, the warble john mentioned. >> desperate to perfect their father's voice on such a sentimental tune, roy's boys and john carter cash search for someone who can restore the sound of their dad singing "the way is love." how far did you have to go -- >> to the end of the internet. john carter had a meeting with one of our guys from sony, and i said, "oh, we have this project, and we're just going through these struggles." and he said, "oh, well, i know a guy who is in germany who specializes in this kind of stuff". >> did the german folks get it right? >> they said that there was nothing they could do. >> your heart must have sank. >> it was so heartbreaking. it's almost like a roy orbison song. >> is all hope lost, or has dad left his boys another surprise? is it a coincidence or are you guys playing with us? >> it gave me cold chills. like, "wow!" >> that's next on "strange inheritance."

>> here's another quiz question for you. which of the following artists covered roy orbison's "oh, pretty woman" -- is it alvin and the chipmunks, the ramones, or lady gaga and tony bennett? the answer in a moment.

>> so, which of the following artists covered roy orbison's "oh, pretty woman"? the answer is "a." alvin and the chipmunks recorded the song for their 1990 album, "rockin' through the decades." >> it's 2013 in nashville, and almost 25 years since the release of roy orbison's "mystery girl" album. roy's three sons want to package a 25th-anniversary re-release,

this time with bonus tracks from the vast music library they inherited. one ballad in particular, "the way is love," has never been heard in public. alex hunts down the recording among thousands, but it's very low quality. >> [ warbling ] ♪ i'd invite the whole wide world to come back to the school ♪ >> and the brothers cannot agree on what to do next. >> i wanted to just release it like that. i like the hiss. roy by himself? you can't beat it. so, i had a little bit more of an obstacle. like, "what are we gonna add to this, or are we gonna tamper with a masterpiece?" >> "are we doing good or are we gonna put a mustache on the mona lisa here?" the thing was, "the way is love," the quality of the actual recording didn't pass the muster on its own. >> the audio is so bad, they can't even be sure what the words are. >> as we were working on it, listening to the old recording, we're all struggling and writing down all these words. >> just when it seems it's time

to pull the plug on "the way is love," the team has a breakthrough. >> a couple of weeks go by, and i'm in one of johnny cash's filing cabinets looking through song lyrics. and lo and behold, there are the lyrics to "the way is love" from roy orbison. >> is it a coincidence or are you guys playing with us? >> [ laughs ] >> that's amazing. >> yeah, it's really neat. it gave me cold chills when i found the lyrics, just like, "wow!" >> then comes a surprise call from those german engineers. using a new supercomputer, they find a solution to restore roy's vocals. remember what it sounded like before? [ indistinct warbly singing ] >> so, we took it from that and came up with this. >> ♪ the way is love ♪ the way you love tonight ♪ the way of love makes everything all right ♪ >> wow. wow. it gives you chills.

>> yeah, it does. >> now that they've recovered their dad's voice, the brothers are ready to do something they have wanted to do since they were kids -- record a song with their father. roy with his boys. >> i asked wesley, "i think we should play on this thing, what do you think?" and it was one of those little pauses, and he said, "oh, sure. that's -- yeah. 100% we should do that. >> did anyone say, "that's a crazy idea"? or you were all all-in? >> no, we were all-in. >> everyone's finally ready to rock 'n' roll. roy jr., wesley, and john carter cash agree to play guitar. alex will play drums, and all of roy's boys will sing back-up vocals. listening to it in its raw form even, it's magnificent. fixed up, cleaned up, and with you guys added on? wow. what would your dad say? >> the way is love. i mean it's there in the title. >> about to fulfill their childhood fantasy, they feel

something they never anticipated -- stage fright. >> my heart rate would come up, and i was thinking about playing to this big deal. >> that's next. ?

♪look into my eyes ♪you will see ♪what you mean to me ♪don't tell me it's not worth trying for♪ ♪you know it's true ♪everything i do ♪i do it for you ♪yeah, i would fight for you♪ ♪i'd lie for you ♪walk the wire for you ♪yeah, i'd die for you ♪you know it's true ♪everything i do ♪i do it for you

>> now back to "strange inheritance." >> it's spring 2014 just outside nashville, tennessee, at the cash cabin studio. 25 years after the death of roy orbison, thanks to some cutting-edge technology, his sons have restored a homemade recording he did of a song called "the way is love." take me inside that room when you hear your dad's voice from the heavens. >> it was just like hearing an old friend. >> it was surreal, but also a familiar feeling. >> as they prepare to record the orchestration and back-up vocals, they get an unexpected

case of the butterflies. >> i was nervous the night before, i couldn't sleep. they had to drag me in to play guitar. that was like skydiving. [ roy orbison singing "love is the way" ] i remember specifically thinking "this is one of the toughest songs we could do." it's not quick, it's not technical, but it's free-flowing. >> ♪ the way is love >> ♪ the way is love >> were there tears? >> tears of joy, kind of. it's almost like climbing up to the top of a mountain or something. you know, there's just such a sense of relief. >> ♪ makes everything all right ♪ >> just to hear the boys, 'cause that's the boys singing with their father after all these years, it's so inspiring. but it gave us a chance to get in, be family, and spend time together. >> just like your dads. >> yeah, 'cause our dads were. >> ♪ the way of looooooove

>> the 25th-anniversary edition of roy orbison's "mystery girl" is released on may 20, 2014. the box set includes a documentary directed by alex. >> we did a premiere here at the belcourt in nashville, and then we did one at the grammy museum in l.a. >> wesley was like, "man, now the album's out. like, when are we gonna do it again?" >> i can't even tell you how much it meant. this location is special, and it's johnny's place. johnny was our godfather, and still is. john carter is my first friend, my best friend. >> i think actually the parents would look down at us. we're still just kids playing around, playing the big boys' game. >> [ hums ] >> hit this one twice. >> my trip to nashville wouldn't be complete without a private guitar lesson from roy orbison. junior, that is. >> okay, watch this. open, open, and then there on

the same string. then you're jumping one string down for two, five. >> uh-huh. okay, got it. okay. >> i think you actually can do this. >> so that's one, two, four, >> two, five. >> two... where's five? >> right there. >> five. that's five, okay. >> yeah, it's got that little... >> so, one, two, four, two, five. >> that's it. that is actually it. >> yay! [ claps ] [ laughter ] >> am i on? oh. remember i said orbison left behind other music and previously unreleased material? well, here's the story. back in the early 1970s, orbison became disenchanted with his record label, mgm records, and left. some of the albums he recorded with mgm were simply shelved. another project for roy's three sons, and his next generation of fans. i'm jamie colby for "strange inheritance." thanks so much for watching. and remember -- you can't take it with you. do you have a "strange inheritance" story

you'd like to share with us? we'd love to hear it. send me an e-mail or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com . [♪] lou: good evening, everybody. the radical dimms and the 59 days of impeachment inquiry as far aso -- farce that they conducted failed to put forward a plausible pretext to overthrow the president. the president's approval numbers are on the rise despite those 59 days. support for impeachment on the decline, and the democrats are fortunate to have the thanksgiving recess with which to recover and regroup. but those 59 days of absurdist political theater have awakened