| Only the Lonely |
| Crying |
| Pretty Woman |
| Dream Baby |
| GUITAR SPACESHIP |
| Roy Kelton Orbison (23 April, 1936 – 6 December, 1988) was an influential Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, guitarist and a pioneer of rock and roll whose recording career spanned more than four decades. Orbison is best known for the songs, "Ooby Dooby," "Only the Lonely," "In Dreams," "Oh, Pretty Woman," "Crying," "Running Scared," "You Got It". He was known for his smooth high baritone voice, with a range of at least two and a half octaves. He was rarely seen on stage without his trademark black sunglasses. In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 1989, he was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1957, Orbison met songwriter Joe Melson in Odessa, Texas. After hearing a song Melson had written entitled "Raindrops", which featured melodic twists and lyrical styling, Roy soon asked him to write with him. Together they created a sound unheard of in rock and roll at the time: the dramatic rock ballad. Fred Foster liked the new direction and assisted with the writing team's vision. Roy's first record, "Uptown", was moderately successful. With the release of "Only the Lonely" and its immediate rise to the top of the charts (#2 in the US, #1 in the UK), he went on to become an international rock and roll star. His single, "Runnin' Scared" became a US #1 hit. Later, Roy wrote many songs with writer Bill Dees including "Oh, Pretty Woman" which may be the most well-known song of Roy's career. Throughout his stay at Monument Records, his backup band was a group of studio musicians led by Bob Moore. The play of Orbison's voice against the dynamic, yet uncluttered sound of the band gave Orbison's records a unique and identifiable sound. -- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: January 25, 2009 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Orbison) |
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