History
Roy Kelton Orbison was born in Vernon, Texas, on April 23, 1936, and he grew up in Wink, Texas. His parents Orbie Lee and Nadine, gave him a guitar for his sixth birthday and taught him the chords to "You Are My Sunshine". Roy Orbison grew up around country music and later stated it was a great influence to him. "I grew up with country music in Texas. The first singer I heard on the radio who really slayed me was Lefty Frizzell. He had this technique which involved sliding syllables together that really blew me away."
By the time Orbison was eight years old, he was performing on local radio shows, and at thirteen years old he formed the band The Wink Westerners. The Wink Westerners obtained local notoriety and performed mainly country and pop songs. He began singing and playing guitar professionally in his teens with the band the Wink Westerners. The Wink Westerners had a weekly television show for them on KMID-TV. Roy Orbison attended North Texas University after high school, and it was there where he discovered rock and roll and began to write more pop oriented songs. Orbison stayed at North Texas for only a year stating he felt like he was in the "wrong place at the wrong time." He left and moved to Odessa, Texas where he formed The Teen Kings. The Teen Kings consisted of Roy Orbison, James Morrow, Jack Kennelley, Billy Pat Ellis, and Johnny "Peanuts" Wilson.
The Teen Kings got a job on a local television show and they recorded "Ooby Dooby" (written by two fellow North Texas State students Dick Penner and Wade Moore) for a local label. In 1956, singer/songwriter Johnny Cash appeared on the show and on his advice Orbison and the Teen Kings signed with Sun Records in Memphis. Shortly after signing a new version of "Ooby Dooby" was recorded and became a hit in 1956. "Ooby Dooby" did well nationwide, reaching no. 59 on the Billboards Hot 100 and sold roughly 200,000 copies. According to The Authorized Roy Orbison, [8] the follow-up single was "Rockhouse" b/w "You're My Baby"; shortly after this release the Teen Kings disbanded, and Orbison remained under contract to Sun as a solo artist. Orbison continued recording using the Sun house musicians. Not unlike several other artists at Sun, Roy Orbison was unhappy with the direction Sam Phillips was taking. Orbison noted that he wasn't quite comfortable with rockabilly but later stated he enjoyed the freedom in the studio that came with being a Sun artist. Sun's musical director Bill Justice gave Orbison the song "Chicken Hearted." Released in December 1957, it was Orbison's last shot at remaining a contracted artist for Sun.
Shortly after the failure of "Chicken Hearted", Orbison moved back to Texas with his first wife, Claudette Frady. Sam Phillips later stated having regret in not promoting Orbison more than he did. Orbison began to question rather or not he still wanted to be a performer and began to focus more on writing. As a writer, Orbison scored a Hot 100 hit for Warren Smith with "So Long I'm Gone" and he did even better when Jerry Lee Lewis recorded a new version of "Go!, Go!, Go!", renaming the track "Down The Line." The greatest writing success Orbison had was due to The Everly Brothers recording the song "Claudette". The success of "Claudette" gave Orbison enough money to buy himself out of his contract at Sun and he signed over all of his copyrights in exception to "Claudette". Roy Orbison played lead guitar in all of his Sun Records recordings, creating a breakthrough sound which became such a big part of rockabilly music. According to The Authorized Roy Orbison, Orbison's first two Sun singles were released in the UK on an extended play called Hillbilly Rock (London Records RES 1089) in 1957.
Orbison affiliated himself with the Everlys' music publisher, Acuff-Rose. Wesley Rose got Orbison a one-year contract with RCA, an affiliation that spawned two mediocre singles. During the last RCA session, Orbison had a conversation with bassist Bob Moore, who was buying himself a stake in Monument Records. Moore called owner Fred Foster, and said, "You know what I heard today? RCA's letting Roy Orbison go." Fred Foster signed Roy Orbison. Orbison, still in Texas began writing with Joe Melson, who led a group in Midland called the Cavaliers. Together they wrote the hit "Uptown," which sold better than any single since "Ooby Dooby". Looking for a follow-up, Melson showed Orbison a piece of a song he had been working on called "Only the Lonely". This song was the "first song that truly probed the frightening potential of Orbison's voice." In the early sixties Orbison reached his first peak period from 1961 to 1964. Despite the lack of commercial success, Orbison looked back at his time at Sun Records as an important and historical part of his career.
Into the seventies and early eighties, artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Van Halen, Don McLean, had hits with Orbison's songs. In 1980, Roy Orbison released "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again" with Emmylou Harris, winning the artists a grammy. [18]
After Roy's death in 1988, he had two simultaneous posthumously-charting Top 5 albums with Mystery Girl and The Traveling Wilburys. Mystery Girl eventually went platinum and reached no. 5 on the US Billboard 200 and no. 2 on the UK Albums Chart.
Recordings
Orbison recorded at Sun Records from 1956-1958.
"Ooby Dooby" (2:11)
Written by Wade Moore and Dick Penner
Produced by Sam Phillips
Recorded Spring 1956; Memphis
Released as Sun Single #242
Peak Chart Position no. 59 pop
Roy Orbison-vocals, guitar; Johnny Wilson-guitar; James Marrow-electric mandolin; Jack Kennelley-bass; Billy Pat Ellis-drums
"Go Go Go (Down the Line)" (2:07)
Written by Roy Orbison
Produced by Sam Phillips
Recorded Spring 1956; Memphis
Released as B-Side of Sun Single #242
Roy Orbison-vocals, guitar; Johnny Wilson-guitar; James Marrow-electric mandolin; Jack Kennelley-bass; Billy Pat Ellis-drums
"Rockhouse" (2:03)
Written by Conway Twitty and Roy Orbison
Produced by Sam Phillips
Recorded Summer 1956; Memphis
Released as Sun Single #251
"You're My Baby" (2:05)
Written by Johnny Cash
Produced by Sam Phillips
Recorded Summer 1956; Memphis
Released as B-Side of Sun Single #251
Roy Orbison-vocals, guitar; Johnny Wilson-guitar; James Marrow-electric mandolin, Jack Kennelley-bass; Billy Pat Ellis-drums
"Sweet and Easy to Love" (2:10)
Written by Roy Orbison
Recorded 1957; Memphis
Released as Sun Single #265
Roy Orbison-vocals, guitar; Roland James-guitar; J.M. Van Eaton-drums; The Roses-vocal chords
"Devil Doll" (2:09)
Written by Roy Orbison
Recorded 1957; Memphis
Released as Sun Single #265
"Chicken Hearted" (2:17)
Written by Bill Justis Released as Sun Single #284
"I Like Love" (2:28)
Written by Jack Clement
Released as Sun Single #284
"Ooby Dooby" (alt)
Written by Wade Moore and Dick Penner
Produced by Sam Phillips
Recorded Spring 1956; Memphis
Released as Sun Single #242
Peak Chart Position no. 59 pop
Roy Orbison-vocals, guitar; Johnny Wilson-guitar; James Marrow-electric mandolin; Jack Kennelley-bass; Billy Pat Ellis-drums
"Tryin' to Get to You" (2:45)
Written by C. Singleton and Rose Marie McCoy
Recorded Spring 1956; Memphis
Roy Orbison-vocals, guitar; Johnny Wilson-guitar; James Marrow-electric mandolin; Jack Kennelley-bass; Billy Pat Ellis-drums
"Cat Called Domino" (2:07)
Written by Roy Orbison and Norman Petty
Produced by Sam Phillips
Recorded 1957; Memphis
Roy Orbison-vocals, guitar; additional unidentified personnel
"It's Too Late" (1:58)
Produced by Sam Phillips
Recorded 1957; Memphis
Roy Orbison-vocals, guitar; additional unidentified personnel
"You're Gonna Cry" (2:05)
Written by Roy Orbison
Recorded 1957; Memphis
Roy Orbison-vocals, guitar; additional unidentified personnel
"This Kind Of Love" (2:07)
Written by Roy Orbison
Recorded 1957; Memphis
Roy Orbison-vocals, guitar; additional unidentified personnel
"Mean Little Mama" (1:55)
Written by Roy Orbison
Produced by Jack Clement and Bill Justis
Recorded October 1957; Memphis
Roy Orbison-vocals, guitar; Roland James-guitar; Jimmy Smith; piano; Stan Kesler or dis Manker-bass; Otis Jet-Drums
"Problem Child" (2:19)
Written by Roy Orbison
Produced by Jack Clement and Bill Justis
Recorded October 1957; Memphis
Roy Orbison-vocals, guitar; Roland James-guitar; Jimmy Smith; piano; Stan Kesler or dis Manker-bass; Otis Jet-Drums
"Fools' Hall of Fame" (2:00)
Written by Danny Wolfe
Recorded 1957; Memphis
"The Cause of It All" (2:25)
Written by Roy Orbison 1956
"A True Love Goodbye" (2:20)
Written by Roy Orbison and Norman Petty
Recorded 1957; Memphis
"Love Struck" (1:19)
Written by Roy Orbison and Johnny Wilson
Recorded January 1958; Memphis
"You Tell Me" (1:31)
Written by Sam Phillips
Recorded 1958; Memphis
Roy Orbison-vocals, guitar
"I Give Up" (2:12)
Written by Roy Orbison
Recorded January 1958; Memphis
"One More Time" (1:15)
(demo recording)
Recorded January 1958; Memphis
Roy Orbison-vocals, guitar
"Claudette" (2:10)
(demo recording)
Written by Roy Orbison
Recorded 1958; Memphis
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's music is mostly in the rock genre and his most successful periods were in the early 1960s and the late 1980s. 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 projected machismo. He performed with minimal motion and in black clothes, matching his dyed black hair and dark sunglasses.
Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee on February 1, 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. Prior to that, Sun had concentrated mainly on African-American musicians because Phillips loved rhythm and blues and wanted to bring it to a white audience.
Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night is a 1988 Cinemax television special originally broadcast on January 3, 1988, starring triple Hall of Fame inductee rock/pop singer/songwriter Roy Orbison and backing band TCB Band with special guests including Bruce Springsteen, k.d. lang and others. The special was filmed entirely in black and white. After the broadcast the concert was released on VHS and Laserdisc. A live album was released in 1989.
Roy Orbison at the Rock House is the first album by Orbison on the Sun Records label in 1961, at a time when Orbison had already moved to the Monument label. Sun Records owner Sam Phillips had a collection of songs Orbison had recorded at Sun during 1956–1958. Phillips capitalized on the national recognition Orbison had achieved at Monument through three major hit singles in 1960 and '61 that had gone to the top of the Billboard charts.
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.
Class of '55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming is a collaborative studio album by Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash. It was released on May 26, 1986, by America/Smash Records, a subsidiary of Polygram Records. The album was produced by Chips Moman.
"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 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.
"In Dreams" is a song composed and sung by singer Roy Orbison. An operatic rock ballad of lost love, it was released as a single on Monument Records in February 1963. It became the title track of the album In Dreams, released in July of the same year. The song has a unique through-composed structure in seven movements in which Orbison sings through two octaves, beyond the range of most rock singers.
Jack Henderson Clement was an American singer, songwriter, as well as a record and film producer.
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.
"Million Dollar Quartet" is a recording of an impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash made on December 4, 1956, at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. An article about the session was published in the Memphis Press-Scimitar under the title "Million Dollar Quartet". The recording was first released in Europe in 1981 as The Million Dollar Quartet with 17 tracks. A few years later more tracks were discovered and released as The Complete Million Dollar Session. In 1990, the recordings were released in the United States as Elvis Presley: The Million Dollar Quartet. This session is considered a seminal moment in rock and roll.
A Black & White Night Live is a Roy Orbison music album made posthumously by Virgin Records from the HBO television special, Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night, which was filmed in 1987 and broadcast in 1988. According to the authorised Roy Orbison biography, the album was released in October 1989 and included the song "Blue Bayou" which because of time constraints had been deleted from the televised broadcast. However, it did not include the songs "Claudette" and "Blue Angel", which were also cut from the original broadcast for the same reason.
Warren Smith was an American rockabilly and country music singer and guitarist.
"Go Go Go (Down the Line)" (often credited as "Down the Line") is a song by Roy Orbison, released in 1956. According to the authorised biography of Roy Orbison, this was the B-side to Orbison's first Sun Records release "Ooby Dooby". This was the first song written by Orbison.
"Tryin' to Get to You" is a song written by R&B singer songwriters Rose Marie McCoy and Charles Singleton. It was originally recorded by the Washington DC vocal group The Eagles in 1954 and released in mid-1954 on Mercury Records 70391. The format of the title on The Eagles’ record was “Tryin’ to Get to You”, with an apostrophe.
Allen Richard "Dick" Penner is an American retired professor of English, who, while in college in 1955, co-composed, with Wade Lee Moore "Ooby Dooby," which was recorded and released by Wade Moore and Rod Barkley. The song was later given away and became a rockabilly hit for Roy Orbison. Penner also had been a singer, guitar player, and recording artist.
Je–Wel, latterly renamed Jewel Records, was an independent American record label founded in Odessa, Texas, in 1955 by Weldon Rogers (1927–2004), himself a singer, and Chester Calvin Oliver (1907–2000). Je–Wel is known for having engaged, recorded, and produced fledgling artists from West Texas at the dawn of rock and roll in the 1950s.
Weldon Nelson Rogers was an American songwriter, singer of country and rockabilly, radio disc jockey, and record producer. He co-founded Je–Wel Records with Jean Oliver to produce, as Je-Wel's first record, the first record for The Teen Kings in 1956. Oliver's father, Chester Oliver, an oil and gas industry lease pumper, provided financial backing for the Je–Wel label.
Beyond the Sun is the eleventh studio album by Chris Isaak, released through Vanguard Records on October 18, 2011. It is a collection of songs recorded by Sun Records artists Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. Some of the songs were originally released on Sun Records. The record itself was recorded at Sun Studio, Memphis, Tennessee and the cover photograph was taken by Sheryl Louis outside the studio on Union Avenue.
"You Tell Me" is a song originally recorded by Johnny Cash. It was written for him by Roy Orbison.
