Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was born on the 23rd of April 1936, in Vernon, Texas. His father worked as an oil-field driller who struggled to find steady work after the Great Depression. His mother enjoyed painting and writing poetry. The family moved to Fort Worth in 1942 to find employment in aircraft factories during World War II. Roy wore thick glasses from age four due to eyesight problems. He received a guitar for his sixth birthday and learned to play it with help from his father and older brother. By age seven, music had become the sole focus of his life.
His major musical influence came from country and western swing music. Lefty Frizzell's singing style deeply affected him with its slurred syllables. This early exposure led Orbison to adopt the stage name "Lefty Wilbury" later in his career. He also admired Hank Williams, Bob Wills, Moon Mullican, and Jimmie Rodgers. One formative experience involved listening to Ernest Tubb perform on the back of a truck in Fort Worth. Regular singing sessions at Fort Worth surrounded him with soldiers who were intensely emotional before being sent to the front lines.
In West Texas, he absorbed rhythm and blues, Tex-Mex music, Cajun tunes like "Jole Blon", and orchestral arrangements by Mantovani. He began singing on a local radio show at age eight and became the host by the late 1940s. At nine years old, he won a contest on station KVWC that gave him his own weekly program. During recess at school, he played guitar alone while other children engaged in physical games. His lack of sporting ability contributed to shyness and low self-esteem during his teenage years.
In 1949, thirteen-year-old Roy formed the band "Wink Westerners" with friends Billy Pat Ellis, Slob Evans, Richard West, and James Morrow. They performed country and western swing standards plus Glenn Miller jazz swing songs at local honky-tonk bars. Their first performance occurred at a school assembly in 1953. The group received $400 for playing a dance, which convinced Orbison he could make a living through music.
After graduating from high school in 1954, Orbison enrolled at North Texas State College to study geology. He switched to history and English after becoming bored with geology courses. In 1955, he dropped out of college and formed a new band called the Teen Kings. The lineup included members from the Wink Westerners plus Jack Kennelly on bass and Johnny Wilson. At a dance event where the Teen Kings performed, Orbison met Claudette Frady, who was fourteen years old and five years younger than him.
The band's first recording was "Ooby Dooby", recorded at Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico, in March 1956. It appeared as the B-side of single JE-WEL 101 published by Odessa-based Je, Wel Records. Sam Phillips of Sun Records eventually signed the band after hearing the song. Some accounts claim Johnny Cash recommended them, while others say record-store owner Poppa Holifield played the track over the telephone to Phillips in April 1956.
"Ooby Dooby" peaked at number 59 on Billboard charts in June 1956 and sold approximately 200,000 copies. The follow-up singles failed to chart. By late 1956, Orbison had spent all his money despite earning royalties from the Cadillac purchase. The band broke up in December 1956 due to financial disputes and Orbison's desire to pursue solo work. Phillips noted they argued about money, but the core issue remained that Orbison functioned better as a loner.
Orbison found success with Monument Records starting in 1960 when he recorded "Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)". This song reached number two on Billboard Hot 100 and topped charts in both the UK and Australia. Producer Fred Foster and engineer Bill Porter created a new sound using string instruments instead of fiddles. They built mixes from the top down rather than bottom up, placing backing vocals in the foreground while keeping rhythm sections soft in the background.
His next hit "Running Scared" became his first number-one single on Billboard Hot 100 in early 1961. During recording sessions, Fred Foster placed Orbison in an improvised isolation booth surrounded by coat racks to emphasize his voice. On the third take, he abandoned falsetto techniques and sang the final high note naturally, astonishing everyone present. The song reached number nine in the UK and stayed on charts for weeks.
From 1960 to 1966, twenty-two of Orbison's singles reached the Billboard top forty. He wrote or co-wrote almost all his major hits including "Crying", "In Dreams", and "Oh Pretty Woman". "Oh Pretty Woman" rose to number one in autumn 1964 and sold over seven million copies worldwide. It spent eighteen weeks on UK charts and fourteen weeks on American charts.
Orbison toured extensively during this period, performing with bands like The Webbs who renamed themselves The Candy Men. He traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Britain, and Ireland where crowds often became so frenzied that police had to intervene. In 1963, he replaced Duane Eddy on a UK tour headlined by the Beatles. John Lennon later recalled how Orbison simply played through fourteen encores while the band stood dumbfounded backstage.
By late 1964, Orbison's marriage to Claudette ended after she had an affair with Braxton Dixon, the builder constructing their home. They divorced in early 1965 but remarried in December of that year. Their third child was born shortly after they reunited. Commercial success began slipping as his Monument contract expired. Wesley Rose moved him to MGM Records for $1 million with expectations that he would expand into film and television work.
The move proved disastrous commercially. His first MGM album sold fewer than 200,000 copies. British Invasion bands dominated charts starting in 1964-65, pushing performers from Orbison's generation off mainstream radio. Contractual requirements forced him to release excessive singles and albums annually, lowering overall quality. Fred Foster later suggested Rose's production takeover caused these failures.
On the 6th of June 1966, tragedy struck when Claudette died at age twenty-five. She was riding a motorcycle with Roy near Gallatin, Tennessee, when a pickup truck struck her. Her liver suffered serious injuries leading to death despite ambulance transport. A grieving Orbison threw himself into writing music for films like The Fastest Guitar Alive, which became a critical and box-office failure.
Two years later on the 14th of September 1968, fire officials discovered his Hendersonville home had burned down. Two eldest sons perished inside the blaze. Fire investigators suspected an aerosol can containing lacquer might have caused the explosion. The property eventually sold to Johnny Cash whose own house burned down later. During this period, Orbison struggled with substance abuse including sleeping pills and speed addiction.
Don McLean recorded a cover of "Crying" in 1980 that reached number five on US charts and topped UK lists for three weeks. Emmylou Harris won a Grammy Award with Orbison for their duet "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again" from Roadie in 1981. Van Halen released a hard-rock version of "Oh Pretty Woman" on Diver Down exposing younger audiences to his work.
David Lynch used "In Dreams" in Blue Velvet (1986) creating an otherworldly quality that helped revive interest. Orbison initially felt mortified by how the song was used but later appreciated what Lynch gave it. k.d. lang performed a duet of "Crying" for Hiding Out soundtrack earning another Grammy after his death. In 1987, he was inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Bruce Springsteen who referenced wanting to sing like Roy Orbison.
The Traveling Wilburys formed in 1987 when Orbison collaborated with Jeff Lynne on Harrison's Cloud Nine album. They invited Bob Dylan and Tom Petty to join them. By evening they had written "Handle with Care" which led to recording an entire album together. Orbison chose stage name Lefty Wilbury honoring Lefty Frizzell. Their debut Vol. 1 released the 25th of October 1988, spent fifty-three weeks on US charts peaking at number three.
Orbison completed solo comeback album Mystery Girl in November 1988 co-produced by Jeff Lynne. He expressed amazement at being wanted again despite losing weight to fit touring demands. A few months before dying, he gave Rolling Stone extensive access planning to write an autobiography.
Roy Orbison developed an image that did not reflect his actual personality. He wore thick prescription Faosa sunglasses after leaving regular glasses on an airplane in 1963. His black clothes and song lyrics emphasized mystery and introversion though he never intended to be weird. Critics called him the Caruso of Rock and the Big O.
His compositions defied standard pop conventions using complex structures unlike typical verse-chorus patterns. Songs like In Dreams contained seven movements without repeating sections while Running Scared repeated four times building suspense to final climax. Crying changed parts toward endings creating intricate A-B-C-D-E-F-A-B'-C'-D'-E'-F' arrangements.
Critics noted how Orbison refused splice edits common in recording industry insisting instead on single takes with all instruments playing together. Nashville session guitarist Jerry Kennedy stated Roy went against grain making songs sound wrong initially but growing on listeners after playbacks. Dave Marsh wrote Orbison's ballads defined worlds unto themselves more completely than any other body of work in pop music.
Many contemporaries compared his voice to opera singers despite never mentioning classical influences. Carl Perkins recalled audiences silenced by Orbison covering Indian Love Call. Elvis Presley declared it greatest most distinctive voice ever heard. Bob Dylan marked Orbison as specific influence noting nothing similar existed on radio early 1960s. Tim Goodwin conducting orchestra for Bulgaria performance described hair standing up back neck when hearing high notes.
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Common questions
When and where was Roy Orbison born?
Roy Kelton Orbison was born on the 23rd of April 1936, in Vernon, Texas. His family moved to Fort Worth in 1942 to find employment in aircraft factories during World War II.
What caused Roy Orbison's signature thick glasses appearance?
Roy Orbison wore thick glasses from age four due to eyesight problems. He later switched to Faosa sunglasses after leaving regular glasses on an airplane in 1963.
How did Roy Orbison die and when did his wife Claudette pass away?
Claudette died at age twenty-five on the 6th of June 1966 when a pickup truck struck her while she was riding a motorcycle near Gallatin, Tennessee. Two years later on the 14th of September 1968, fire officials discovered his Hendersonville home had burned down, killing his two eldest sons inside the blaze.
Which songs were major hits for Roy Orbison between 1960 and 1966?
From 1960 to 1966, twenty-two of Roy Orbison's singles reached the Billboard top forty including Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel), Running Scared, Crying, In Dreams, and Oh Pretty Woman. Oh Pretty Woman rose to number one in autumn 1964 and sold over seven million copies worldwide.
Who formed The Traveling Wilburys with Roy Orbison and what album did they release?
The Traveling Wilburys formed in 1987 when Roy Orbison collaborated with Jeff Lynne on George Harrison's Cloud Nine album before inviting Bob Dylan and Tom Petty to join them. Their debut Vol. 1 released the 25th of October 1988 and spent fifty-three weeks on US charts peaking at number three.