Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were in the early 1960s and the late 1980s. Many of Orbison's songs conveyed vulnerability at a time when most male performers projected strength. He performed with minimal motion and in black clothes, matching his dyed black hair and dark sunglasses.
Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were in the early 1960s and the late 1980s. Many of Orbison's songs conveyed vulnerability at a time when most male performers projected strength. He performed with minimal motion and in black clothes, matching his dyed black hair and dark sunglasses.
Born in Texas, Orbison began singing in a country-and-western band as a teenager. He was signed by Sam Phillips of Sun Records in 1956 after being urged by Johnny Cash. Elvis Presley was leaving Sun and Phillips was looking to replace him. His first Sun recording, "Ooby Dooby", was musically akin of Presley's early Sun recordings. He had moderate success at Sun, but enjoyed his greatest success with Monument Records. From 1960 to 1966, 22 of Orbison's singles reached the Billboard top 40. He wrote or co-wrote almost all of his own top-10 hits, including "Only the Lonely" (1960), "Running Scared" (1961), "Crying" (1961), "In Dreams" (1963), "Oh, Pretty Woman" (1964), "I Drove All Night" (1987), "She's a Mystery to Me" (1988), "You Got It" (1988), and "California Blue" (1988).
After the mid-1960s, Orbison suffered a number of personal tragedies, and his career faltered. He experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s, following the success of several cover versions of his songs. In 1988, he co-founded the Traveling Wilburys supergroup with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne. Orbison died of a heart attack that December at age 52. One month later, his song "You Got It" (1989) was released as a solo single, becoming his first hit to reach the top 10 in both the US and UK in nearly 25 years.
Orbison's honors include inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989, and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2014. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and five other Grammy Awards. Rolling Stone placed him at number 37 on its list of the "Greatest Artists of All Time" and number 13 on its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". In 2002, Billboard magazine listed him at number 74 on its list of the Top 600 recording artists.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Roy Orbison, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0649413
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q188426
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Filmography (Movies)
Roy Orbison at the BBC
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:04/02/2023
Roy Orbison Forever
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:12/08/2022
Roy Orbison: Love Hurts
Character:Himself (archive footage)
Release Date:15/12/2017
Roy Orbison: Black and White Night 30
Character:Self
Release Date:24/02/2017
Roy Orbison: One of the Lonely Ones
Character:Himself (archive footage)
Release Date:29/12/2015
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll: Rock 'n' Roll at the BBC
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:24/07/2015
Roy Orbison: Mystery Girl - Unraveled
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:19/05/2014
Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne & ELO
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:05/10/2012
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live - Light My Fire
Character:Himself
Release Date:20/10/2009
Johnny Cash: Live On Air
Character:Self
Release Date:04/08/2008
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:14/10/2007
The Best of The Johnny Cash TV Show 1969-1971
Character:Self
Release Date:18/09/2007
The True History Of The Traveling Wilburys
Character:Self
Release Date:12/06/2007
The Midnight Special Legendary Performances: More 1980
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/2007
The Midnight Special Legendary Performances: Million Sellers
Character:Self
Release Date:15/07/2006
One for the Money: The Birth of Rock & Roll
Character:
Release Date:10/01/2006
Eddie Cochran & Friends: C'mon Everybody
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:01/01/2004
The Best Of Beat
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:01/12/2003
Roy Orbison: Greatest Hits
Character:Himself (archive footage)
Release Date:15/07/2003
Roy Orbison - Live at Austin City Limits
Character:Himself
Release Date:18/11/2002
Roy Orbison: The Anthology
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:30/11/1999
In Dreams: The Roy Orbison Story
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:07/10/1999
She's Having a Baby
Character:Roy Orbison (uncredited)
Release Date:05/02/1988
Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night
Character:Self - Lead Vocals/Guitar
Release Date:03/01/1988
Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll
Character:Self
Release Date:09/10/1987
Roy Orbison Live In Texas
Character:
Release Date:01/01/1986
Living Legend: The King of Rock and Roll
Character:
Release Date:01/07/1980
Roadie
Character:Roy Orbison
Release Date:13/06/1980
The Johnny Cash Christmas Special 1977
Character:Self
Release Date:30/11/1977
Roy Sings Orbison
Character:Self
Release Date:11/07/1975
Roy Orbison: Live From Australia
Character:
Release Date:04/12/1973
The Fastest Guitar Alive
Character:Johnny
Release Date:01/09/1967
Roy Orbison Live in 1965: The Monument Concert
Character:
Release Date:25/03/1965
The Roy Orbison Show
Character:Himself
Release Date:21/10/1964
Television Appearances
McCartney 3, 2, 1
Character:Self (archive footage)
Legends
Character:Self (archive footage)
Classic Albums
Character:Self (archive footage)
Just Our Luck
Character:
Wogan
Character:Self
Saturday Night Live
Character:Self - Musical Guest
The Midnight Special
Character:Host
The Johnny Cash Show
Character:Self
Shindig!
Character:Self - Singer
Top of the Pops
Character:Self
Top of the Pops
Character:
The Dick Clark Show
Character:Self
The Ed Sullivan Show
Character:Self
Images
