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Roy Orbison

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Roy Orbison Biography

source: WikiPedia

This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. If you find the biography content factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia.

Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988), also known by the nickname The Big O, was an American singer-songwriter, best known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country and western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis. His greatest success came with Monument Records between 1960 and 1964, when 22 of his songs placed on the ''Billboard'' Top Forty, including "Only the Lonely", "Crying", and "Oh, Pretty Woman". His career stagnated through the 1970s, but several covers of his songs and the use of "In Dreams" in David Lynch's ''Blue Velvet'' revived his career in the 1980s. In 1988, he joined the supergroup Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne and also released a new solo album. He died of a heart attack in December that year, at the zenith of his resurgence. His life was marred by tragedy, including the death of his first wife and his two eldest sons in separate accidents. Orbison was a natural baritone, but music scholars have suggested that he had a three- or four-octave range. The combination of Orbison's powerful, impassioned voice and complex musical arrangements led many critics to refer to his music as operatic, giving him the sobriquet "the Caruso of Rock". Elvis Presley and Bono have stated his voice was, respectively, the greatest and most distinctive they had ever heard. While most men in rock and roll in the 1950s and 1960s portrayed a defiant masculinity, many of Orbison's songs instead conveyed a quiet, desperate vulnerability. He was known for performing while standing still and solitary, wearing black clothes and dark sunglasses which lent an air of mystery to his persona. Orbison was initiated into the second class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 by longtime admirer Bruce Springsteen. The same year he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame two years later. ''Rolling Stone'' placed Orbison at number 37 on their list of The Greatest Artists of All Time, and number 13 on their list of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. In 2002, ''Billboard'' magazine listed Orbison at number 74 in the Top 600 recording artists.

Wikipedia This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. If you find the biography content factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia.
Biography

Roy Orbison Albums

source: MusicBrainz

Links & information come from MusicBrainz. You can add or edit information about Roy Orbison.

The Monument Singles Collection Compilation 2011-04-22 itunes amazon
Roy Orbison Greatest Hits Compilation 2008-11-17 itunes amazon
The Essential Roy Orbison Compilation 2006-03 itunes amazon
The Very Best of Roy Orbison Compilation 2006 itunes amazon
The Essential Roy Orbison Compilation 2006 itunes amazon
Most Famous Hits: The Album Compilation 2005-01-01 itunes amazon
The Very Best Of Compilation 2005 itunes amazon
The Platinum Collection Compilation 2004 itunes amazon
Oh Pretty Woman Original Chart Hits Compilation 2004 itunes amazon
Hits! Hits! Hits! Compilation 2004 itunes amazon
The Essential Sun Years Compilation 2003-02-24 itunes amazon
The Hits Collection Compilation 2003 itunes amazon
The MGM Singles - 1965-1973 Compilation 2002-01-01 itunes amazon
Love Songs Compilation 2002-01-01 itunes amazon
Ballads Compilation 2002 itunes amazon
MusicBrainzLinks & information come from MusicBrainz. You can add or edit information about Roy Orbison at musicbrainz.org.
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