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About this star

  • Category: Recording
  • Unveiled: 29 Jan 2010
  • Star rank: 984
  • Address:
    1774 Vine St
  • Position: 4 tiles from the curb, facing north

Roy Orbison

Next star: Beverly Bayne
Previous star: Joan Crawford

Biography

Gibson ES-335

Source: Wikipedia

Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer-songwriter and musician, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly / country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis. His greatest success came with Monument Records in the early to mid 1960s when 22 of his songs placed on the US Billboard Top Forty, including “Only the Lonely”, “Crying”, “In Dreams”, and “Oh, Pretty Woman”. His career stagnated through the 1970s, but several covers of his songs and the use of one in a film by David Lynch revived his career in the 1980s. In 1988, he joined the supergroup The 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 with tragedy, including the death of his first wife and two of his children in separate accidents.

Fact file

  • Birth name: Roy Kelton Orbison
  • Born: April 23, 1936 Vernon, Texas, U.S.
  • Died: December 6, 1988 (aged 52) Hendersonville, Tennessee, U.S.
  • Genres: Rockabilly, pop
  • Occupations: Musician, singer-songwriter
  • Instruments: Guitar, vocals
  • Years active: 1954–1988
  • Labels: Sun, Monument, MGM, London, Mercury, Asylum, PolyGram, Virgin
  • Associated acts: Traveling Wilburys, Teen Kings, The Wink Westerners, Class of ’55
  • Website: http://www.royorbison.com/

Read more about Roy Orbison at Wikipedia or at the Internet Movie Database

In the news

Music promotions exec Deane dies
Variety, 2010-08-18 22:41:44
Music News: He worked at Warner Bros. Records -- Music promotions executive Marvin Deane, who worked with stars including Frank Sinatra, Roy Orbison, Lionel Richie and Dolly Parton, died Aug. 16 of heart failure in Los Angeles. He was 79.

Video: Chris Isaak On Playing The Fillmore & Opening For Roy Orbison Back In The Day
Access HW Music, 2010-07-13 22:50:52
Chris Isaak chats with Access about his experience playing at The Fillmore, a stage at which many of his own heroes had played. Has the venue changed much over the years? Plus, what happened in Chris’ early career when he opened a show for Roy Orbison?

'Me & Bobby McGee': The Story Behind Crystal Bowersox's Cover
MTV News, 2010-03-24 14:05:00
On 'American Idol,' Bowersox earned big praise for singing Janis Joplin's posthumous hit.By Kyle Anderson Crystal Bowersox performs on "American Idol" on Wednesday Photo: Ray Mickshaw / FOX Once again, one of the highlights of Tuesday night's episode of "American Idol" — which was focused on songs that had hit ...

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