Roy Orbison

Known for ActingBorn 1936-04-23Died 1988-12-06Vernon, Texas, USA

Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were in the early 1960s and the late 1980s. Many of Orbison's songs conveyed vulnerability at a time when most male performers projected strength. He performed with minimal motion and in black clothes, matching his dyed black hair and dark sunglasses. Born in Texas, Orbison began singing in a country-and-western band as a teenager. He was signed by Sam Phillips of Sun Records in 1956 after being urged by Johnny Cash. Elvis Presley was leaving Sun and Phillips was looking to replace him. His first Sun recording, "Ooby Dooby", was musically akin of Presley's early Sun recordings. He had moderate success at Sun, but enjoyed his greatest success with Monument Records. From 1960 to 1966, 22 of Orbison's singles reached the Billboard top 40. He wrote or co-wrote almost all of his own top-10 hits, including "Only the Lonely" (1960), "Running Scared" (1961), "Crying" (1961), "In Dreams" (1963), "Oh, Pretty Woman" (1964), "I Drove All Night" (1987), "She's a Mystery to Me" (1988), "You Got It" (1988), and "California Blue" (1988). After the mid-1960s, Orbison suffered a number of personal tragedies, and his career faltered. He experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s, following the success of several cover versions of his songs. In 1988, he co-founded the Traveling Wilburys supergroup with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne. Orbison died of a heart attack that December at age 52. One month later, his song "You Got It" (1989) was released as a solo single, becoming his first hit to reach the top 10 in both the US and UK in nearly 25 years. Orbison's honors include inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989, and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2014. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and five other Grammy Awards. Rolling Stone placed him at number 37 on its list of the "Greatest Artists of All Time" and number 13 on its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". In 2002, Billboard magazine listed him at number 74 on its list of the Top 600 recording artists. Description above from the Wikipedia article Roy Orbison, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.Read more

Movies & web series

Roy Orbison: Love Hurts

Johnny Cash: Live On Air

Roy Orbison: Greatest Hits

The Best of The Johnny Cash TV Show 1969-1971

Roy Orbison: One of the Lonely Ones

Roy Orbison Live in 1965: The Monument Concert

McCartney 3, 2, 1

It's Only Rock 'n' Roll: Rock 'n' Roll at the BBC

One for the Money: The Birth of Rock & Roll

The Midnight Special

Roy Orbison: Live From Australia

Roy Orbison Forever

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream

Classic Albums

The Roy Orbison Show

Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne & ELO

Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night

Pretty Woman

Living Legend: The King of Rock and Roll

Roy Sings Orbison

Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The True History Of The Traveling Wilburys

The Midnight Special Legendary Performances: More 1980

Saturday Night Live

Roy Orbison: Mystery Girl - Unraveled

Eddie Cochran & Friends: C'mon Everybody

Just Our Luck

The Ed Sullivan Show

Top of the Pops

The Dick Clark Show

Roy Orbison at the BBC

In Dreams: The Roy Orbison Story

The Johnny Cash Show

Shindig!

She's Having a Baby

Roy Orbison - Live at Austin City Limits

Roadie

Wogan

Legends

The Fastest Guitar Alive

WHAT WAS IT WORTH?

Roy Orbison: Black and White Night 30

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live - Light My Fire

The Midnight Special Legendary Performances: Million Sellers

The Best Of Beat

Roy Orbison: The Anthology

Roy Orbison Live In Texas