Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's music is mostly in the rock music genre and his most successful periods were in the early 1960s and the late 1980s. He was nicknamed "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 projected strength. He performed with minimal motion and in black clothes, matching his dyed black hair and dark sunglasses.
Joe Melson is an American singer and a BMI Award-winning songwriter best known for his collaborations with Roy Orbison, including "Only the Lonely" and "Crying", which are both in the Grammy Hall of Fame and have both been included in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Melson was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.
Crying is the third album by Roy Orbison, released in 1962. It was his second album on the Monument Record label. The album name comes from the 1961 hit song of the same name. In 2002 the song was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award, and In 2004, it ranked #69 on Rolling Stone Magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". The album was ranked No. 136 on Pitchfork's 200 Best Albums of the 1960s. Crying also features Multiple covers songs including "The Great Pretender", & "Love Hurts" and the early recordings of "She Wears My Ring"
Roy Orbison Sings is the sixteenth album recorded by Roy Orbison and the ninth for MGM Records, released in May 1972. Around this time, Orbison's hit singles had well and truly dried up, but this album is said to be one of his finest.
Lonely and Blue is the debut studio album by Roy Orbison, released on Monument Records in January 1961.
Memphis is the seventeenth album recorded by Roy Orbison, and his tenth for MGM Records. The album was released in November 1972.
Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson is a tribute album recorded by Roy Orbison for MGM Records. Released in January 1967, it is a collection of songs written by Country Music Hall of Fame singer/songwriter Don Gibson who, like Orbison, often wrote about the loneliness and sorrow that love can bring. Its one single, "Too Soon to Know", became a smash hit in the UK, reaching #3 there in September 1966, and also reached no. 4 in Ireland and no. 27 in Australia. In Canada, the song only reached no. 71.
The Great Songs of Roy Orbison is an album recorded by Roy Orbison for MGM Records released in the United States in February 1970.
Hank Williams: The Roy Orbison Way is the fourteenth album recorded by Roy Orbison, and his eighth with MGM Records, released in August 1970. It is a tribute album to the songs of honky tonk singer Hank Williams, whom Orbison listed among his influences. The album was a critical failure and it sold poorly—Fred Foster said it was "an exercise in futility." The exclusively North America release remained relatively unknown to Orbison fans until it was repackaged on Compact Disc in 2009 along with the popular 1967 Don Gibson tribute album Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson. The album was also included in the 2015 box set The MGM Years 1965–1973 – Roy Orbison.
In Dreams: The Greatest Hits is a two-record album set by Roy Orbison songs released in 1987 on Virgin Records. It was produced by Orbison and Mike Utley, except for the song "In Dreams", produced by Orbison with T-Bone Burnett and film director David Lynch. All songs are re-recordings by Orbison from 1986, except "In Dreams" from April 1987.
Milestones is the eighteenth album by Roy Orbison, released on September 24, 1973, by MGM Records—his last album for that label. It was arranged by Joe Tanner, Rex North and Randy Goodrum. It features cover versions of contemporary pop hits. Orbison's version of Maureen McGovern's song "The Morning After" was featured in the film The Poseidon Adventure.
"Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)" is a 1960 song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson. Orbison's recording of the song, produced by Fred Foster for Monument Records, was the first major hit for the singer. It was described by The New York Times as expressing "a clenched, driven urgency". Released as a 45 rpm single by Monument Records in May 1960, "Only the Lonely" went to No. 2 on the United States Billboard pop music charts on 25 July 1960 (blocked by Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry") and No. 14 on the Billboard R&B charts. "Only the Lonely" reached number one in the United Kingdom, a position it achieved on 20 October 1960, staying there for two weeks (out of a total of 24 weeks spent on the UK singles chart from 28 July 1960). According to The Authorized Roy Orbison, "Only the Lonely" was the longest charting single of Orbison's career. Personnel on the original recording included Orbison's drummer Larry Parks, plus Nashville A-Team regulars Floyd Cramer on piano, Bob Moore on bass, and Hank Garland and Harold Bradley on guitars, Joe Melson and the Anita Kerr Singers on backing vocals. Drummer Buddy Harman played on the rest of the songs on the session.
Roy Orbison was an American singer-songwriter who found the most success in the early rock and roll era from 1956 to 1964. He later enjoyed a resurgence in the late 1980s with chart success as a member of the Traveling Wilburys and with his Mystery Girl album, which included the posthumous hit single "You Got It". At the height of his popularity, 22 of Orbison's songs placed on the US Billboard Top 40 chart, and six peaked in the top five, including two number-one hits. In the UK, Orbison scored ten top-10 hits between 1960 and 1966, including three number-one singles.
Best of Chris Isaak is a greatest hits album by Chris Isaak released on May 9, 2006 on the Reprise/Warner Bros. Records label. The 18 song collection has three new tracks: "King Without a Castle", "Let's Have a Party" and a cover of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me".
Dominion is a live album by American singer-songwriter Don McLean, released in 1982. It was recorded at a performance at the Dominion Theatre, London, in 1980. It was reissued in 1990 on CD. It has also been released as Greatest Hits Live.
Starry, Starry Night is a live album by American singer-songwriter Don McLean, released in 2001. The album was recorded in Austin, Texas, at The Paramount Theatre on November 2, 1999, as part of a PBS special called Don McLean, Starry, Starry Night.
Rearview Mirror: An American Musical Journey is an album by American singer-songwriter Don McLean, released in 2005.
Glen Travis Campbell is the eponymous seventeenth studio album by American country music artist Glen Campbell, released in 1972 through Capitol Records. Recorded in Hollywood, and produced by Jimmy Bowen, the album's title refers to his full name. The record entered Billboard's Album charts November 1972, reaching a peak position of #148 and remaining on the chart for thirteen weeks.
Glen Campbell Live is the fourth live album by American musician Glen Campbell, a UK only release from November 1981. It has been re-released in various formats and under various titles since, including Glen Campbell Presents His Hits in Concert in 1990.
16 Biggest Hits is a 1999 Roy Orbison compilation album. It is part of a series of similar 16 Biggest Hits albums released by Legacy Recordings.
