One month later, his song ' You Got It' (1989) was released as a solo single, becoming his first hit to reach the US & UK Top 10 in nearly 25 years. Orbison died of a heart attack in December 1988 at age 52. In 1988, he co-founded the Traveling Wilburys (a rock supergroup) with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne. He experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s following the success of several cover versions of his songs. 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), and ' Oh, Pretty Woman' (1964).Īfter the mid-1960s, Orbison suffered a number of personal tragedies and his career faltered. From 1960 to 1966, 22 of Orbison's singles reached the Billboard Top 40. He was signed by Sam Phillips of Sun Records in 1956, but enjoyed his greatest success with Monument Records. He performed while standing motionless and wearing black clothes to match his dyed black hair and dark sunglasses, which he wore to counter his shyness and stage fright.īorn in Texas, Orbison began singing in a rockabilly and country-and-western band as a teenager. His music was described by critics as operatic, earning him the nicknames 'the Caruso of Rock' and 'the Big O.' Many of Orbison's songs conveyed vulnerability at a time when most male rock-and-roll performers chose to project defiant masculinity.

Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads.

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