Roy Orbison

With a talent like Roy Orbison, you can only write the facts because what he contributed to the world of rock and roll would take practically forever to put down on paper. Besides I want you to know about his great singing and the songs which would pull at your heartstrings. Roy Orbison got the nickname the Big O, and was a very popular American singer and songwriter. He had a powerful kind of voice, and sang sad, heartfelt, and very emotional ballads. When he first started singing it was at high school in a country and western band.

He rose to fame in during the years 1960 to 1964 when he came out with a string of popular hits such as “Only the Lonely”, “Crying”, and “Pretty Woman”. In 1986 his career got back on track when his song “In Dreams” was included in the movie Blue Velvet. His voice was fantastic, and he was a true baritone inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He has also been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone magazine put Orbison at number 74 in the Top 600 recording artists.

The first song, which brought him to the attention of the public was “Uptown”. Next came “Only the Lonely,” which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and was a number one hit in the UK and Australia. He appeared on American Bandstand, and went on a three month US tour with country singer Patsy Cline. The hits kept coming like “Blue Angel”, “Claudette”, and “I’m Hurtin’”.

He managed a nice falsetto in a song about a girlfriend leaving her boyfriend for another love “Running Scared”. The song was a hit, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1961 came “Crying” and “Candy Man”. Orbison was unstoppable, and he kept on charting with “Dream Baby”, “The Crowd”, “Leah”, and “Workin’ for the Man”.

He achieved his own personal look from which people knew him instantly. Being shy and having stage fright, Orbison discovered that it worked for him to wear sunglasses on stage, and he would wear black clothing as his songs were often about tragic love. His fans were in awe by the voice and by the look. In 1963 he came out with “In Dreams”, “Mean Woman Blues”, “Blue Bayou”, and a lovely, but sad Christmas song, which was written by Willie Nelson, “Pretty Paper”.

In 1963 Orbison went on a tour of the UK in top billing along with The Beatles who were on their way to superstardom. Audiences received him with tremendous applause, and he and The Beatles learned to get along. Later on, he formed a strong friendship with George Harrison. He went on to tour Australia and New Zealand with The Rolling Stones. Next came another number one hit with “It’s Over” followed by “Pretty Woman” which rose to number one in 1964, and went on to sell over seven million copies.

If anyone would ever wonder how Roy Orbison could sing so beautifully about tragedy and misfortune, then one just has to look back on his life. Touring the UK once more in 1965, he fell from a motorcycle with screaming fans all around him and broke his foot. Later performing in a cast. He had problems with his first wife Claudette, but found they shared a love of motorcycles. In June of 1966, he and Claudette were riding home when she was struck by a semi-trailer truck and died on the spot. In March of 1969, he married again, this time a German teenager, Barbara Jakobs.

In 1977 he underwent a triple-bypass operation due to clogged arteries. He bounced back to popularity with “Crying” in 1980, and the song went up to number one in the US and number one in the UK. He sang a duet with Emmylou Harris “That Lovin’ You Feelin’ Again”, and they won a Grammy for their duet. Orbison was again gaining the interest of fans, and came out with the album In Dreams: The Greatest Hits in 1987. He performed in concert with other talented singers, and the concert was filmed, titled Roy Orbison and Friends, a Black and White Night, and it was later released on video and sold 50,000 copies.

In 1988 he toured Europe once more, but felt unwell when he returned to the states. He was planning to return to London when on December 6, 1988, he died of a heart attack at the age of 52. The golden voice was silenced, and his death made the front page headlines all over the world. His legend and his music live on.