Known For
Acting
Born
Apr 23, 1936
Died
Dec 06, 1988
Place of Birth
Vernon, Texas, USA
Credits
49 titles
Roy Orbison
Biography
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.
Known For
Filmography
WHAT WAS IT WORTH?
Music
Roy Orbison at the BBC
Self (archive footage)
Roy Orbison Forever
Self (archive footage)
McCartney 3, 2, 1
Self (archive footage)
Roy Orbison: Love Hurts
Himself (archive footage)
Roy Orbison: Black and White Night 30
Self
Roy Orbison: One of the Lonely Ones
Himself (archive footage)
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll: Rock 'n' Roll at the BBC
Self (archive footage)
Roy Orbison: Mystery Girl - Unraveled
Self (archive footage)
Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne & ELO
Self (archive footage)
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live - Light My Fire
Himself
Johnny Cash: Live On Air
Self
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream
Self (archive footage)
The Best of The Johnny Cash TV Show 1969-1971
Self
The True History Of The Traveling Wilburys
Self
The Midnight Special Legendary Performances: More 1980
Self
Legends
Self (archive footage)
The Midnight Special Legendary Performances: Million Sellers
Self
One for the Money: The Birth of Rock & Roll
Eddie Cochran & Friends: C'mon Everybody
Self (archive footage)
The Best Of Beat
Self (archive footage)
Roy Orbison: Greatest Hits
Himself (archive footage)
Roy Orbison - Live at Austin City Limits
Himself
Roy Orbison: The Anthology
Self (archive footage)
In Dreams: The Roy Orbison Story
Self (archive footage)
Classic Albums
Self (archive footage)
Pretty Woman
Theme Song Performance
She's Having a Baby
Roy Orbison (uncredited)
Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night
Self - Lead Vocals/Guitar
Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll
Self
Roy Orbison Live In Texas
Just Our Luck
Wogan
Self
Living Legend: The King of Rock and Roll
Roadie
Self
The Johnny Cash Christmas Special 1977
Self
Saturday Night Live
Self - Musical Guest
Roy Sings Orbison
Self
Roy Orbison: Live From Australia
The Midnight Special
Self
The Johnny Cash Show
Self
The Fastest Guitar Alive
Johnny
Roy Orbison Live in 1965: The Monument Concert
The Roy Orbison Show
Himself
Shindig!
Self - Singer
Top of the Pops
Self
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self (archive footage)
The Dick Clark Show
Self
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self