Roy Orbison Pics

Roy

Orbison

23/04/1936

71

Average

Black

Vernon, Texas

Taurus

06/12/1988

Madison, Tennessee, USA

Heart attack

White

Christian

Male

Country

American

Pop/Rock

Rock & Roll, Early Pop/Rock, Contemporary Pop/Rock, Rockabilly, AM Pop

Theatrical, Poignant, Bittersweet, Sentimental, Melancholy, Innocent, Amiable/Good-Natured, Sweet, Romantic, Lush, Yearning, Rollicking, Sad, Dramatic

Guitar, Vocals

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Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988), also known by the nickname The Big O, was an American singer-songwriter, best known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country and western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis. His greatest success came with Monument Records between 1960 and 1964, when 22 of his songs placed on the Billboard Top Forty, including "Only the Lonely", "Crying", and "Oh, Pretty Woman". His career stagnated through the 1970s, but several covers of his songs and the use of "In Dreams" in David Lynch's Blue Velvet revived his career in the 1980s. In 1988, he joined the supergroup Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne and also released a new solo album. He died of a heart attack in December that year, at the zenith of his resurgence. His life was marred by tragedy, including the death of his first wife and his two eldest sons in separate accidents.

Soundtrack, Actor/Actress

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Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988), nicknamed "The Big O," was an influential Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, guitarist and a pioneer of rock and roll whose recording career spanned more than four decades. Orbison is best known for the songs, "Ooby Dooby," "Only the Lonely," "In Dreams," "Oh, Pretty Woman," "Crying," "Running Scared," "You Got It". He was known for his smooth tenor voice, which could jump three octaves with little trouble. He was rarely seen on stage without his trademark black sunglasses. In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 1989, he was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Early life and career Orbison was born in Vernon, the seat of Wilbarger County in north Texas. He was the second son of Nadine Shults and Orbie Lee Orbison. His family moved to Fort Worth about 1943 to find work in the munitions and aircraft factories which had expanded during the Second World War. They relocated to the West Texas oil town of Wink in Winkler County near the border of New Mexico, in late 1946. Music became an important part of Orbison`s family life. In 1949, at the age of 13, Orbison organized his first band "The Wink Westerners". When not singing with the band, he played guitar and wrote songs. The band appeared weekly on KERB radio in Kermit, Texas. Orbison graduated from Wink High School in 1954. He attended North Texas State College in Denton, Texas for a year, then enrolled at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, the following year to study history and English. The Wink Westerners had some success on local television, and were given 30 minute weekly shows on KMID and KOSA. One guest on their show was Johnny Cash, who advised them to seek a contract with his record producer Sam Phillips of Sun Records. At first, Phillips turned them down, but he eventually agreed to add the band to Sun Records` roster after hearing a recording made at Norman Petty`s studio in Clovis, New Mexico. The Wink Westerners were renamed "The Teen Kings", and Orbison left college in March, 1956 determined to have a career in music. He ultimately headed for Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. Orbison achieved his first commercial success in June 1956 with "Ooby Dooby", written by Orbison`s friends from college, and produced at Norman Petty`s studio in Clovis, New Mexico. Many of the earliest songs he recorded were produced by Sam Phillips, who also produced Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley. Named after his first wife, his song "Claudette" was recorded by the Everly Brothers as the b-side to their No. 1 hit, "All I Have To Do Is Dream". The rockabilly and blues sound of Sun`s artists brought Orbison little success and his career seemed over, although fans of rockabilly count his records among the best of this genre. He worked at Acuff-Rose Music in Nashville, Tennessee as a songwriter, and then was given a contract by RCA. Eventually, Chet Atkins referred him to Fred Foster, the owner of Monument Records, where he moved after his contract with RCA ended in 1959. [edit] Breakthrough In 1957, Orbison met songwriter Joe Melson in Odessa, Texas. After hearing a song Melson had written entitled "Raindrops", which featured melodic twists and lyrical styling, Roy soon asked him to write with him. Together they created a sound unheard of in rock and roll at the time: the dramatic rock ballad. Fred Foster liked the new direction and assisted with the writing team`s vision. Roy`s first record, "Uptown", was moderately successful. With the release of "Only the Lonely" and its immediate rise to the top of the charts (#2 in the US, #1 in the UK), he went on to become an international rock and roll star. His single, "Runnin` Scared" became a US #1 hit. Later, Roy wrote many songs with writer Bill Dees including "Oh, Pretty Woman" which may be the most well-known song of Roy`s career. Throughout his stay at Monument Records, his backup band was a group of studio musicians led by Bob Moore. The play of Orbison`s voice against the dynamic, yet uncluttered sound of the band gave Orbison`s records a unique and identifiable sound. He also encouraged Foster to record songs for Virgil Johnson`s pre doo-wop group, The Velvets. Orbison was a powerful influence on contemporaries such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. In 1963, he headlined a European tour with The Beatles, but was eventually demoted to the opening act.[1] He became lifelong friends with the band, especially John Lennon and George Harrison. Orbison would later record with Harrison in the Traveling Wilburys. During their tour of Europe, Orbison encouraged the Beatles to come to the United States. When they toured America, they asked Orbison to manage their tour, but his schedule forced him

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Orbison

Roy Kelton Orbison

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