Famous for his distinctive voice and complex compositions, Roy Orbison still lives on posthumously through his music. The American singer/songwriter left behind an impressive legacy, comprised of such international hits as "Only The Lonely" and "Oh Pretty Woman." These and other songs place him on HillTop Records' list of Great American Songwriters.
Originally from a small city in Texas, Orbison later described his childhood as being full of "football, oil fields, oil, grease and sand." However, on his sixth birthday, young Roy's life became filled with something else when his father gave him a guitar. By the age of seven, he "was finished, you know, for anything else"; music had already changed him forever. He was exposed to many genres at an early age: While Hank Williams and Jimmie Rodgers were among his first idols, he also listened to rhythm and blues, Tex-Mex, orchestral Mantovani, and zydeco. When he was eight, Roy appeared on a local radio show; only a few years later, he was the host. In high school, Orbison sang in a rockabilly/country & western band that he formed with his friends. The Wink Westerners, as they were called after their home town, provided the otherwise shy teenager with a much-needed outlet. When the group was offered $400 to play at a school dance, Orbison realized that music could be more than a hobby--it could be a way to make a living as well. However, even after he decided to become a professional musician, Orbison remained practical: He enrolled at North Texas State College with plans to study geology so that he could work in the oil fields if music didn't pan out. When his classmate Pat Boone landed himself a record deal, Orbison became more determined to do the same--and he eventually did, with his band The Teen Kings. That first contract, with Sun Records in Memphis in 1956, was the first big step in Roy Orbison's musical career.
The Teen Kings' first record, produced by Sun Records' Sam Phillips, reached number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100. They toured with Johnny Cash, Johnny Horton and Sonny James, and even after the band split up, Orbison found himself in an elite social circle. While living a glamorous life alongside Elvis Presley and other legends, Orbison continued to write music. However, that music was not always met with approval. In fact, after hearing a ballad Orbison wrote called "The Clown," Sun Records producer Jack Clement declared that the songwriter would never make it as a ballad singer. Growing frustrated with his record label, Roy Orbison experienced a decline in his success. For a while, he even stopped writing altogether. He struggled with finding his artistic voice, and also with the extreme shyness that had haunted him since childhood. But these setbacks were followed by serendipitous meetings with executives at RCA and Monument in Nashville. And just like that, Roy Orbison was back in the game.
While recording "Uptown" at RCA's Nashville studio in 1959, Orbison and his team experimented with close miking and doo-wop backup singers. The songwriter also requested three violinists to be brought in. Fellow songwriter and collaborator Joe Melson later recalled, "We stood in the studio, listening to the playbacks and thought it was the most beautiful sound in the world". They had paved the way for "Only The Lonely," which would be recorded the following year. The songs recorded by Orbison during this pivotal time in Nashville "brought a new splendor to rock", according to The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll. However, right when Roy Orbison was finally hitting his stride, the entire '50's rock scene appeared to collapse. Many of the greats were suddenly dead, disgraced, in prison or the army--and rock and roll was being replaced by pop music at an alarming rate. Orbison was forced to change direction to survive--and in doing so, he created one of his greatest hits.
"Only The Lonely" was written in 1960 by Orbison and Melson. After unsuccessfully pitching the song to Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers, Orbison decided to record it himself. In the studio, the team tried a brand-new strategy: building the mix from the top down, rather than from the bottom up. The resulting combination became Orbison's trademark sound, thanks to the staggering success of the single. It shot up to the number 2 spot on the U.S. Hot 100, and even reached number 1 in the U.K. and Australia. Suddenly, Roy Orbison was famous--and not just for his songwriting ability. It was his unique voice that finally made him an international star. After that, every song he wrote with Melson was specifically written with his voice in mind.
Major milestones that immediately followed include an appearance on "American Bandstand," a three-month non-stop tour with Patsy Cline, and the release of hit singles like "Blue Angel," "Claudette" (written for Orbison's wife) and "I'm Hurtin'." Next, Orbison went on to write and record "Running Scared," both a departure and challenge for the singer/songwriter. As the story goes, Orbison had difficulty reaching the song's highest note without his voice breaking. Despite the best efforts of the accompanying orchestra and even an attempt at a makeshift isolation booth made of coat racks, Orbison could not get his voice to hit the falsetto note he wanted. Eventually, out of sheer frustration, he finally sang the final high G sharp naturally--and the results were astonishing. Monument producer Fred Foster later recalled, "He did it, and everybody looked around in amazement. Nobody had heard anything like it before."
Roy Orbison had finally fully developed his voice, and a long list of hit songs followed. "Crying" reached the number 2 spot in 1961, and "Candy Man" (written for Orbison by Fred Neil) stayed on the charts for two months. "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream?)", "The Crowd", "Leah" and "Workin' For the Man" followed suit. Orbison eventually ended his songwriting partnership with Melson in the hopes of launching a solo career. Around the same time, he accidentally created an onstage persona: The dark clothing and sunglasses he chose to wore inadvertently labeled him a "man of mystery." His shy and sometimes brooding personality, soulful singing voice and penchant for lovelorn ballads added to the overall effect. Years later, Orbison said of his image: "I wasn't trying to be weird, you know? I didn't have a manager who told me to dress or how to present myself or anything. But the image developed of a man of mystery and a quiet man in black somewhat of a recluse, although I never was, really."
In the early 1960's, Orbison released a long series of successful songs and was asked to go on tour with The Beatles. The tour took him across the globe and as soon as it ended, he set off once again with The Beach Boys. He also performed with The Rolling Stones in Australia, and collaborated with Bill Dees on "It's Over." In the middle of writing, the pair were interrupted by Orbison's wife Claudette. She announced that she was headed out, and Orbison asked if she needed money. Dees quipped, "Pretty woman never needs any money." Forty minutes later, "Oh Pretty Woman" was born. It went on to sell over seven million copies, and stayed on the U.S. charts for an impressive fourteen weeks.
Just as his career hit its highest peak, Orbison's personal life took a nose dive. Divorced from his wife, the songwriter also made some drastic changes in his work. He left Monument for MGM, under the impression that he would follow in Elvis' footsteps and eventually expand into TV and film. Instead, his popularity began to decline. The British Invasion was in full swing, and his efforts at acting for film were met with harsh criticism. After Claudette (with whom Roy had reunited) was tragically killed in an automobile accident, Orbison threw himself into his work--but his work appeared to be suffering as much as he was. He continued to tour and release albums, but neither revived his career. It wasn't until the 1970's, when a handful of major celebrities began to cover his songs, that Roy Orbison was finally put back into the public eye. In 1980, he and Emmylou Harris recorded a duet--"That Lovin' You Feelin' Again"--and won a Grammy for it. It was Orbison's first such award.
In the late '80's, Roy Orbison's career finally experienced a major revival. He and k.d. lang won a Grammy for their rendition of "Crying," and his re-recorded "Life Fades Away" was featured in the film Less Than Zero. David Lynch also asked Orbison for permission to use one of his songs ("In Dreams") in his film Blue Velvet. Orbison refused, and was initially upset with Lynch used the song anyway. However, it proved to be a great move for his rebooted career. The same year, Orbison was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and initiated into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by none other than Bruce Springsteen. A few months later, Orbison and Springsteen performed in Los Angeles together--along with Bonnie Raitt, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, Jennifer Warnes and k.d. lang. The concert was filmed, and it sold 50,000 copies. However, it was not Orbison's most famous collaboration; that did not happen until 1987. Along with George Harrison, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan, Orbison wrote a hit single--and then an entire album. Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 was included by Rolling Stone in its list of the top 100 albums of the decade.
Roy Orbison suddenly died of a heart attack in 1988, right at the second peak of his musical career. While many might say that the singer/songwriter left the world too soon, he managed to leave behind so much more than most. His onstage persona, real-life personality, incredible voice and unique writing style (in terms of both theme and structure) left an indelible impact on the American music scene. We know he influenced many of today's greatest songwriters, including our very own here at HillTop Records.
