Biography

Roy Orbison (1936-1988) was an American singer-songwriter and musician, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. His greatest success came with Monument Records in the early to mid 1960s when 22 of his songs placed on the US Billboard Top Forty, including "Only the Lonely", "Crying", "In Dreams", « Claudette » and "Oh, Pretty Woman". Orbison was initiated into the second class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 by longtime admirer Bruce Springsteen. Rolling Stone listed Orbison as No. 37 in their list of The Greatest Artists of All Time. Rolling Stone rated Orbison at No. 13 in their list of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time in 2008.