Roy Orbison

Texas to Monument

Roy Kelton Orbison was born on April 23, 1936 in Vernon, Texas, and died on December 6, 1988 in Hendersonville, Tennessee, aged 52. The official biography says he wrote his first song, "A Vow of Love", in 1944. The family moved to Fort Worth in 1942 and Wink in 1946, where he formed the Wink Westerners at 13 in 1949; the band won a talent contest on KMID-TV in Midland in 1953. He enrolled at North Texas State College in 1954 and formed the Teen Kings in 1955. In March 1956 he recorded "Ooby Dooby" in Clovis, New Mexico, signed to Sun, and saw it peak at 59 on Billboard with about 200,000 copies sold. From 1957 to 1959 he wrote for Acuff-Rose; "Claudette", recorded by the Everly Brothers, reached 30 as a B-side. He signed to Monument in 1960.

The Monument years made him. "Only the Lonely" reached 2 in the US and 1 in the UK and Australia in 1960, "Running Scared" was number one in 1961, "Dream Baby" reached 4 in 1962, and "In Dreams" reached 7 in 1963. In 1964 "It's Over" topped the UK chart and "Oh, Pretty Woman" was number one in the US and UK with over seven million copies. Wikipedia counts 22 singles in the Billboard top 40 between 1960 and 1966. Fred Foster produced, and in the 1960s Orbison refused to splice takes together, recording songs in single takes with the full band and singers, and preferred recording in the morning. His voice has been described as baritone to tenor, with some scholars suggesting a range of three or four octaves.

In 1963 he toured the UK with the Beatles, replacing Duane Eddy on the bill. Wikipedia says he chose to open, closed with "In Dreams" and was called back repeatedly. American Songwriter dates the first show to May 18 at the Adelphi Cinema in Slough, reports he wore prescription glasses after forgetting his regular pair, which became his trademark look, and reports 14 encores; we have that date and venue from that source only.

Return

He moved to MGM in 1965, and his chart success faded. He returned to Monument for Regeneration (1976) and had open-heart surgery on January 18, 1978. Don McLean's cover of "Crying" topped the UK chart in 1980, and he won a Grammy with Emmylou Harris for "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again". David Lynch's Blue Velvet (1986) used "In Dreams", and in 1987 he entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. The concert special A Black and White Night, filmed on September 30, 1987 at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles, had guests including Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, k.d. lang, Tom Waits and Bonnie Raitt, with James Burton on guitar and T Bone Burnett directing.

In 1988 he joined the Traveling Wilburys as Lefty Wilbury, and Vol. 1 came out on October 25. His last performance was in Highland Heights, Ohio, on December 4, 1988, two days before his death. Mystery Girl followed on January 31, 1989, with "You Got It" reaching 9 in the US and 3 in the UK; Mystery Girl and Wilburys Vol. 1 were both top five in April 1989, which Wikipedia says no deceased artist had managed since Elvis Presley. Grammys include 1998 Lifetime Achievement, and Rolling Stone ranked him 37th among artists and 13th among singers. Dave Marsh wrote that his compositions define a world unto themselves.