Roy Orbison /

Music


Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis. His greatest success came with Monument Records in the early to mid 1960s when 22 of his songs placed on the Billboard Top Forty, including "Only the Lonely", "Crying", "In Dreams", and "Oh, Pretty Woman". His career stagnated through the 1970s, but several covers of his songs and the use of one in a film by David Lynch 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 two of his children in separate accidents. Orbison was a natural baritone, but music scholars have suggested that he had a three- or four-octave range.

Edit Description
Tags:
freebase.com

Acitivities

GaryT ,
Patti ,
Daniel
Liked this item.
Listen to Roy Orbison - Sampling - Paused


Discover new people based on your interests.
FIND THEM
Music_likes_logo
Roy Orbison
SHOP NOW

User activity around Roy Orbison

Premiere: Roy Orbison, 'Blue Bayou' Live

12 years ago - rollingstone.com

This version of "...


This site uses cookies to give the best and personalised experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Find out more here.

Sign Up or Login

Invalid username or password
Not yet on CircleMe? Join now
Please input a email
Please input a valid email
Max 50 characters
Email already in use
Please input a username
Min 3 characters
Max 20 characters
Please use only A-Z, 0-9 and "_"
Username is taken
Please input a password
Min 6 characters
Max 20 characters
By clicking the icons, you agree to CircleMe terms & conditions
Already have an account? Login Now