No One Sings Like Roy Orbison

One of the most distinctive voices of pop music, Roy Orbison's popularity and music have been admired by the greatest names in rock ‘n roll since the beginning of it all.  One might say that Orbison is the consummate artist’s artist.  Many of his songs have been made into hits by artists in the 70s and 80s and 90s, the mark of greatness for any singer/songwriter.  Linda Ronstadt, Don McLean, and Van Halen, are just a few of the musicians to record Roy’s songs and have top-10 chart success over the decades.  Roy Orbison could rock out with the best and create romantic love ballads that would make you cry at every note.  Blessed with a voice that could reach operatic heights and paired with some of the greatest string arrangements in modern music, Orbison’s crescendo style gave us hit after hit during the early to mid 60s that are “classics” on oldies radio here in the new millennium.  His songs bring back memories of a love once had, a time since past and youth long gone.   As Bruce Springsteen said when delivering his induction of Roy into the Hall of Fame in ’87 “I always wanted to sing like Roy Orbison but everybody knows that no one sings like Roy Orbison.”

Growing up in the West Texas panhandle and starting out as a country singer, Roy discovered that rock ‘n roll was the next big thing in music.  He soon found himself with a contract on the newly formed Sun records and a label mate of some of the greatest names in rock history – Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins.  His first national hit was the rockabilly classic: “Ooby Dooby” in 1956.  Signing with Monument records in 1960, the hits began to come one after another.  Over the next five years Roy would have over 20 top-40 chart hits.  During the recording of Running Scared it is said that the studio orchestra was so amazed at the vocal ability of Roy’s voice on the final take that the lead violinist stopped playing because he could not believe what he was hearing from the dark haired “rock ‘n roller”.  Another of Roy’s classic love ballads is “Crying”.  Reaching the #2 spot in 1961 and later covered by Mr. American Pie, Don Mclean in 1981 and by Orbison and K.D. Lang in ’87 as a duet.  Roy has also joined forces with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, George Harrison, and Jeff Lynne to form the Traveling Willburys and released an album. 

Roy had just finished up his first new solo project in several years “Mystery Girl” when he died of a heard attack on December 6, 1988.  Roy Orbison may be gone but his music will live on for generations to come.