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Roy Orbison

(1936-1988)

Who Was Roy Orbison?

Roy Orbison formed his first band at age 13. The singer-songwriter dropped out of college to pursue music. He signed with Monument Records and recorded such ballads as "Only the Lonely" and "It's Over." Orbison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Nearly one year later, in December 1988, he died of a heart attack.

Roy Kelton Orbison was born on April 23, 1936, in Vernon, Texas. A year before Beatlemania overtook the United States in 1964, the four lads from Liverpool invited Orbison to open for them on their English tour. On his first night, Orbison performed 14 encores before the Beatles even made it on stage.

Born to a working-class Texan family in 1936, Orbison grew up immersed in musical styles ranging from rockabilly and country to zydeco, Tex-Mex and the blues. His dad gave him a guitar for his sixth birthday and he wrote his first song, "A Vow of Love," when he was 8.

In high school, Orbison played the local circuit with a group called the Teen Kings. When their song "Ooby Dooby" came to the attention of Sam Phillips, the legendary producer at Sun Records, Orbison was invited to cut a few tracks. In addition to a highly collectible album called Roy Orbison at the Rockhouse , their collaboration yielded a re-recording of "Ooby Dooby" that became Orbison's first minor hit.

Songs: "Oh, Pretty Woman," "It's Over" and "Crying"

After Orbison landed a record deal with the Nashville-based label Monument in 1960, he began perfecting the sound that would define his career. His big break came after he tried to pitch his composition "Only the Lonely" to both Presley and the Everly Brothers, and was turned down by both. Deciding to record the song himself, Orbison used his vibrato voice and operatic style to create a recording unlike anything Americans had heard at the time. Reaching as high the No. 2 spot on the Billboard singles chart, "Only the Lonely" has since been deemed a pivotal force in the development of rock music.

Between 1960 and 1965, Orbison recorded nine Top 10 hits and another ten that broke into the Top 40. These included "Running Scared," "Crying," "It's Over" and "Oh, Pretty Woman," none of which adheres to a conventional song structure. When it came to composition, Orbison called himself "blessed ... with not knowing what was wrong or what was right." As he put it, "the structure sometimes has the chorus at the end of the song, and sometimes there is no chorus, it just goes ... But that's always after the fact—as I'm writing, it all sounds natural and in sequence to me."

As distinctive as his three-octave voice and unorthodox songwriting technique was Orbison's unglamorous style, which some have described as "geek chic." Stricken with both jaundice and bad eyesight as a child, Orbison had sallow skin and thick corrective eyewear, not to mention a shy demeanor. On a fateful day during his 1963 tour with the Beatles, Orbison left his glasses on the plane before a show, which forced him to wear his unsightly prescription sunglasses for that night's show. Although he considered the incident "embarrassing," the look became an instant trademark.

Orbison's unhip underdog look suited his music well, as his lyrics were marked by incredible vulnerability. At a time when rock music went hand-in-hand with confidence and machismo, Orbison dared to sing about insecurity, heartache and fear. His stage persona, which has been described as borderline masochistic, went a long way toward challenging the traditional ideal of aggressive masculinity in rock 'n' roll.

Although the first half of the 1960s saw the rise of Orbison's star, the second half of the decade brought harder times. Tragedy struck when Orbison's wife, Claudette, was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1966, and again when his two oldest sons died in a house fire in 1968. Following those incidents, a devastated Orbison failed to generate many hits—and with the rise of the psychedelic movement in rock 'n' roll, the market for rockabilly had all but dried up anyway.

Peter Lehman, director of the Department of Interdisciplinary Humanities at Arizona State University, said about that period, "I was living in New York between 1968 and 1971, and even in Manhattan I could not find a record store that bothered to stock one copy of a newly released Orbison album; I had to special order them." By the mid-1970s, Orbison stopped recording music altogether.

Later Years and Legacy

Orbison returned to his musical career in 1980, however, when the Eagles invited him to join them on their "Hotel California" tour. That same year, he rekindled his relationship with country music fans by performing a memorable duet with Emmylou Harris on "That Lovin' You Feeling Again," which went on to win a Grammy Award. When Van Halen covered "Oh, Pretty Woman" in 1982, rock fans were reminded that gratitude for the song was owed to Orbison. By the late 1980s, Orbison had staged a successful comeback, joined the all-star supergroup The Traveling Wilburys (alongside Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, George Harrison and Jeff Lynn) and been admitted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Orbison died of a heart attack on December 6, 1988. His posthumously released comeback album, Mystery Girl , reached No. 5 on the charts, becoming the highest-charting solo album of his career. Although he was only 52 when he died, Orbison lived to see his rightful place in music history restored.

Despite his sales, charts and accolades, Orbison is most remembered today as an improbable rock star who put his heart on his sleeve and moved people with his music. "When you were trying to make a girl fall in love with you," Tom Waits once recalled, "it took roses, the Ferris wheel and Roy Orbison."

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Roy Orbison
• Birth Year: 1936
• Birth date: April 23, 1936
• Birth State: Texas
• Birth City: Vernon
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Singer-songwriter Roy Orbison wrote romantic 1960s pop ballads like "Oh, Pretty Woman." In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• Astrological Sign: Taurus
• Death Year: 1988
• Death date: December 6, 1988
• Death State: Tennessee
• Death City: Hendersonville
• Death Country: United States

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CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Roy Orbison Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/roy-orbison
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: April 20, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014
• I close my eyes, then I drift away, into the magic night I softly say. A silent prayer, like dreamers do, then I fall asleep to dream my dreams of you.
• Pretty woman, I don't believe you, you're not the truth. No one could look as good as you, mercy.

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Roy Orbison facts: Singer's wife, children, songs and why he always wore glasses explained

11 February 2021, 12:38 | Updated: 26 January 2024, 09:34

By Tom Owen

Roy Orbison was one of the rock and roll's most popular and successful artists ever.

Thanks to his trademark passionate vocal style, dark ballads and distinctive sunglasses, he was a hugely influential singer and composer.

Roy Orbison 's music has been described as operatic, giving him the nicknames 'the Caruso of Rock' and 'the Big O'.

He was one of the first male rock and roll stars to show vulnerability at a time when it was the norm to project strong masculinity. He was also known for his shyness and stage fright, which he attempted to battle by wearing dark sunglasses.

Roy started out as a rockabilly and country-and-western singer, and he soon found success in the early 1960s with hits including 'Only the Lonely', 'Running Scared', 'Crying', 'In Dreams' and 'Oh, Pretty Woman'.

Roy Orbison - Oh, Pretty Woman (from Black & White Night)

Due to a number of personal tragedies, his career nosedived. However, he found new popularity in the 1980s thanks to successful cover versions of his songs.

In 1988, he co-founded the Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison , Bob Dylan , Tom Petty , and Jeff Lynne, and a new album of songs - such as 1989's 'You Got It' - proved to be very successful, even after his death.

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1990's hit romcom Pretty Woman also helped cement his popularity when the film was named after and used his famous song.

Where was Roy Orbison from and when he was born?

Roy Orbison was born on April 23, 1936 in Vernon, Texas.

He was the middle son of parents Orbie Lee Orbison (1913–1984), an oil well driller and car mechanic, and nurse Nadine Vesta Shults (1913-1992).

Why did Roy Orbison wear dark sunglasses?

It was said that all the Orbison children had poor eyesight growing up.

Roy used thick corrective lenses from an early age, and was self-conscious about his appearance. He began dyeing his almost-white hair black when he was still a young boy.

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He was known to be quiet, self-effacing, and was also very polite.

After leaving his normal thick eyeglasses on an aeroplane in 1963, while on tour with the Beatles , Roy was forced to wear his prescription Wayfarer sunglasses on stage, and found that he actually preferred them.

He wore sunglasses to help him hide to an extent, according to his biographers. The sunglasses led some people to assume he was blind.

When did Roy Orbison pass away?

Roy Orbison - You Got It (Official Live Video 1988)

In 1988, Orbison was enjoying a career resurgence, and was intending on writing an autobiography and hoped Martin Sheen would play him in a biopic.

In November 1988, his album Mystery Girl was completed, and the Traveling Wilburys' first album was a success.

He had told Johnny Cash that he was experiencing chest pains. He travelled to Europe to receive an award, and played a show in Antwerp.

A few days later, a manager at a club in Boston was worried about Orbison's health, but the singer completed his gig.

He performed at the Front Row Theater in Ohio, on December 4. He then returned home in Hendersonville to rest for a few days before flying to London to film two more videos.

On December 6, 1988, he flew model airplanes with his sons and had dinner at his mother's home. Later that day, he died of a heart attack, at the age of 52.

Was Roy Orbison married?

Roy Orbison married his girlfriend Claudette Frady in 1957, but divorced in 1964 due to her infidelities. However, they reconciled 10 months later. She tragically died in 1966, in a car crash. Roy survived the crash.

On March 25, 1969, Orbison married German teenager Barbara Jakobs, and they stayed married until his death in 1988.

Barbara was a German-born United States-based entrepreneur and music producer. She died at the age of 60 in 2011 from pancreatic cancer, exactly 23 years after the death of her husband.

What happened to Roy Orbison's children?

Orbison's two eldest sons with Claudette - Roy DeWayne and Anthony King - tragically died as children due to a house fire at his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee, while he was playing in Bournemouth in the UK.

Wesley (born 1965), his youngest son with Claudette, was raised by Orbison's parents.

Orbison and Barbara had a son (Roy Kelton) in 1970 and a second (Alexander) in 1975.

Alex, also known as Orbi, is a drummer, writer, director, and film producer. He is also president of Still Working Music Group, a publishing company, and president and co-founder of Roy's Boys LLC, where he manages his father's legacy alongside his brothers.

Roy Orbison Jr is also a musician and record producer. He co-produced the album Roy Orbison: The Ultimate Collection .

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In Dreams: The Roy Orbison Story

This feature documentary chronicles the incredible career of the late artist with classic performance footage, home movies, and photographs. Featuring interviews with Bruce Springsteen, k.d.... Read all This feature documentary chronicles the incredible career of the late artist with classic performance footage, home movies, and photographs. Featuring interviews with Bruce Springsteen, k.d. lang, Chet Atkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Bee Gees, Bernie Taupin, David Lynch, Martin Shee... Read all This feature documentary chronicles the incredible career of the late artist with classic performance footage, home movies, and photographs. Featuring interviews with Bruce Springsteen, k.d. lang, Chet Atkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Bee Gees, Bernie Taupin, David Lynch, Martin Sheen, Robert Plant and Bono. The soundtrack showcases Roy's greatest hits including Only The ... Read all

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• Trivia The documentary of Roy Orbison 's career in music is told in film clips and includes an interview with Monument Records owner/producer 'Fred Foster' as well as testimonials from fellow artists.
• Connections Features The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967)

User reviews 3

• Sep 6, 2006
• 1999 (Canada)
• In Dreams (1999)
• Nashmount Productions Inc.
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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Roy Orbison’s Sons Recall His Reclusive Nature, Beatles Tour in New Bio

By Bob Paxman

Roy Orbison maintained a celebrated semblance of mystery in an era when that was still possible. Though he reigned over the pop and rock charts in a prolific career that spanned the late 1950s to his untimely death in 1988, Orbison forever remained an enigmatic cat, protected by those cool dark glasses and a generally inscrutable demeanor. Little was known of his personal life, as he was fortunate enough to belong to a time that preceded non-stop social media and the prying eyes of gossip mavens.

What we were fully aware of was that soaring, emotional voice, so unmistakable that you could identify it from the opening notes. Orbison shined on hits such as “Crying,” “In Dreams,” “Oh, Pretty Woman” and his final hurrah, “You Got It,” all universally embraced by fans of rockabilly, pop, rock & roll and country. At the time of his death, he was enjoying a career resurgence launched by the Cinemax cable TV special Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night and continuing as a member of supergroup the Traveling Wilburys, alongside buddies George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty. But even with his late-career accolades, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, Orbison’s full story was still largely untold.

A just-released biography by Orbison’s sons Roy Jr., Wesley and Alex, titled The Authorized Roy Orbison , peels away the layers of the singer’s mystique to present a complete picture of the man, a loving husband and father as well as a musical kingpin. The three siblings, who affectionately refer to themselves as “Roy’s boys,” and music journalist Jeff Slate chronicle Orbison’s career from his Texas boyhood to recording stardom and the tragic end to his life at the much-too-young age of 52. More than 300 photographs, many of them never before published, dot the book and add the necessary context to the Orbison saga. Along with the book, the album A Love So Beautiful: Roy Orbison With the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is also in release. The record melds Orbison’s original vocal tracks to his most well-known songs with the instrumentation of London’s Royal Philharmonic and occasional backing from his three sons, expert musicians in their own right.

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“Dad was a recluse on the level of a Greta Garbo or a Howard Hughes.” – Roy Orbison Jr.

Roy Orbison Jr. spoke with Rolling Stone Country about the biography, sharing that his dad had actually begun a similar project during his career revival in the 1980s. “He was in the midst of writing a book on his own life before he died,” says Orbison Jr. “My mom [Barbara Orbison] worked on it after Dad’s death. It was kind of left to us to do it. The ‘Orbison Vault,’ as we call it, had a lot of the photographs and tour items. We collected a lot of photos from all over the world.”

With the book, the three sons essentially achieved an additional goal: to set the record straight on the Orbison legacy. “Dad was a recluse on the level of a Greta Garbo or a Howard Hughes,” declares Orbison Jr., “so there was not a lot written about him. I think he is one of the most misunderstood artists of all time and there is so much misinformation about him. In completing his memoirs, the truth was very important to us. This book is a personal account of our dad and we tried to present it in an entertaining way.”

In keeping with that objective, The Authorized Roy Orbison kicks off with a well-detailed introductory chapter where the boys recall a visit from Jeff Lynne to their home in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The youngsters were engaged in a battle of wet paper towels, and pummeled the unsuspecting Lynne with their homemade paper towel bombs. “Dad sure wasn’t too pleased,” they write, “but Jeff took it in stride, and after we made our apologies, everything went back to normal.”

Also included is a recollection from Orbison on his 1963 tour of England with the Beatles, which proved significant in more ways than one. The tour solidified his ecstatic overseas fan base and, perhaps more important, introduced the world to the image we now associate with Orbison. It was during that tour that Orbison started wearing those now-signature dark prescription glasses permanently.

“He had left his regular glasses on a plane, right before the tour,” explains Roy Orbison Jr. “He had the dark glasses with him and decided to keep wearing them. Dad wasn’t able to see without glasses. When he got off the plane in England, people were taking pictures and that’s what they saw, Dad with the dark glasses.” A fashion statement, and a persona, were born.

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Remembrances from the artists who idolized Orbison, among them Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Joe Walsh, are peppered throughout the book, lending even further legitimacy to Orbison’s influence. The fascinating stories behind “Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream),” “Oh, Pretty Woman” and other classics are also included.

Orbison stands as the rare artist who defied simple genre branding. “He went from rockabilly to international pop stardom,” says Orbison Jr. “He shied away from musical labels because he didn’t want to be pigeonholed into one category.”

His contributions to all of music cannot be overlooked. The orchestrations on such records as “Crying” and “In Dreams” brought a certain sophistication to popular music. In eras when rock was especially dominated by macho posturing and sexual bragging, Orbison wasn’t afraid to show vulnerability. “I think he was the most romantic artist of all time,” assesses Orbison Jr. “Dad wrote and sang about subject matter that is timeless, like heartbreak. Teenagers still go through that. We’re at a time when a lot of music is fake. But Dad was real. And he is definitely our hero.” 

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Discography

Roy orbison, roy orbison’s ‘king of hearts’, unchained melodies, a love so beautiful, a black & white night live 30, the ultimate collection.