Roy Orbison was one of the most underrated stars of the century, born in Vernon, Texas, on the 23rd April 1936.

The man with dark glasses - who actually wore those to cover up his chronic astigmatism (a malfunction of the eye) - started out as a staff-writer for Acuff-Rose Music. He wrote the song "Claudette" for his first wife which was sung by the Everly Brothers. With the royalties he received from the record he bought himself out of his contract with Sun Records. Orbison actually intended to be a songwriter and not so much a singer at first, but when "Oh Pretty Woman" was rejected by both the Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley he decided - as we all know these days - to record it himself.


Although Roy had been singing and playing the guitar since he was at school with the band The Wind Westerners and then the Teen Kings, the success only really followed when he left Sun Records.


After "Oh Pretty Woman" he entered the charts repeatedly with hits such as "Blue Angel", "Running Scared", "Crying" and "In Dreams".

In 1966, however, tragedy struck the star when his wife died after falling from the back of his motorcycle . As if that wasn't bad enough more personal agony was loaded onto him when 2 years later his 2 eldest sons were killed in a fire at his Nashville home.

Credit has to be given to the man who, after so much heartbreak, kept coming back with new ideas and music. He starred in the film "The Fastest Guitar Alive", although he soon realized that acting wasn't meant for him.

In the 70s his songs became more popular when they were recorded by other artists, such as Linda Ronstead ("'Blue Bayou") and Don McLean ("Crying"). At the end of the decade he underwent open heart surgery and in 1980 won a Grammy award for his duet with Emmylou Harris on "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again".
In 1987 Orbison was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame where he sang "Oh Pretty Woman" with Bruce Springsteen. Soon afterwards he was signed by Virgin Records and they re-mastered some of his old recordings. The results, however, were disappointing.

Nonetheless, with Roy Orbison back in the public eye, he joined George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Jeff Lynne to form the Travelling Wilburys. His input on the group's debut album is clear to hear.
Unfortunately only a month after the album's release he suffered a fatal heart attack and died on the 6th December 1988.

After his death the album "Mystery Girl" was released and proved to be the most successful album of his career. The hits were both upbeat and mellow and a contrast in styles. "You Got It" was one of his most famous hits there and also the million-selling "She's A Mystery To Me". Although his life was abruptly cut short he is acknowledged today by such stars as Elvis Costello, Bono and Bruce Springsteen as being one of the most influential Rock 'n' Rollers to have graced the earth.

 

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