Roy Orbison is one of the most “atypical” representatives of rock and roll. However, thanks to his lyrical ballads and unique musical style, he became a legend during his lifetime, becoming a source of inspiration for many generations of musical artists.
Biography and early years
Roy Kelton Orbison was born on April 23, 1936 in Vernon, Texas, into a working-class family. The future world famous singer received his first guitar as a gift from his father for his sixth birthday, and at the age of 8 Roy wrote his first song "A Vow of Love".
At age 13, while studying, he joined the local band "The Wink Westerners". Free from study and rehearsal, Roy spent playing the guitar and creating new songs. However, realizing that the path to musical fame is not so simple, the participants disbanded the group, and Roy entered North Texas State College, where he intended to get a basic education. But already in 1955 he left college, having decided to concentrate completely on music. Roy Orbison travels to Memphis with the new band The Teen Kings, where he signs a contract with independent record company Sun Records. His song "Ooby Dooby" caught the attention of label producer Sam Phillips.
Music career
Most of Orbison's recorded songs in those years were produced by Sam Phillips. However, this community did not bring the singer success, and in 1960 he transferred to Monument Records. Fred Foster, the head of the company, encourages him to change his image. Under his leadership, Orbison begins to write songs for himself, creating a personal musical style. At the same time, he created the song "Only the Lonely", which he first proposed for recording to Elvis Presley and "Everly Brothers". Having been refused, Orbison records the song himself. As a result, the composition took second place on the Billboard chart. For 5 years, between 1960 and 1965, Roy Orbison recorded 9 songs in the top 10 charts, and another 10 songs that entered the top 40.
During these years, Roy Orbison is working hard on his sound, eventually developing a sound unique to the music of those years. His songs, which became popular, had nothing to do with the classical construction of compositions. In this regard, Orbison called himself "lucky", because he did not know "what is possible and what is not" in music. "Sometimes a song has a refrain at the end of a verse, and sometimes not, it just goes as it is
But the main thing always remains the fact that when I write a song, it sounds natural to me."
In the same year, he took part in the European tour "The Beatles", which was the beginning of a long friendship (especially with John Lennon and George Harrison, with whom Orbison later recorded a duet). Impressed by the talent of the group, Orbison persuaded them to visit with concerts in the USA. When "The Beatles" first visited America, they turned to Orbison to become their manager, but the singer was forced to reject the offer due to a busy schedule.
Even when Beatlemania swept America, Roy Orbison’s new single “Oh, Pretty Woman” broke the band’s record by taking first place on the Billboard charts. The number of sold copies of the song exceeded 7 million, which at that time was more than the total number of all records sold in the country by 45 revolutions.
In 1966, Orbison signed a contract with MGM Records. MGM Studios also shot a western-style musical film, The Fastest Guitar Alive, where Roy Orbison performed some songs from the album of the same name.
Personal life and tragedy
However, after professional success came a streak of personal tragedy. In 1966, Orbison's wife, Claudette, died in a traffic accident. In 1968, when Orbison was touring the UK, his home in Tennessee caught fire. His two youngest sons were burned in a fire, Roy's parents managed to save only one. In 1973, misfortune again struck the family: Roy's older brother crashed in a car accident while driving to his brother to celebrate Thanksgiving.
These incidents crippled Orbison, as a result of which he lost the ability to write hits. However, at that time the music world was undergoing yet another revolution, and rock and roll ceased to enjoy its former popularity among young people.
One of his friends recalled that period: "I lived in New York between 1968 and 1971, and even in Manhattan I could not find a single store in which you could find at least one copy of Orbison's new album; I had to specially order them".
By the mid-70s, Orbison completely left the music show business.
