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The
Biography
b. 23 April 1936, Vernon, Texas, USA, d. 6 December 1988,
Madison, Tennessee, USA. Critical acclaim came too late for one of the leading
singers of the 60s. He became the master of the epic ballad of doom-laden
despair, possessing a voice of
remarkable range and power, and
often finding it more comfortable to stay in the high register. The former
reluctant rockabilly singer, who worked with Norman Petty and Sam
Phillips in the 50s, moved to Nashville and became a staff writer for Acuff-Rose
Music. He used his royalties from the success
of "Claudette", recorded by the Everly Brothers, and written
for his first wife, to buy himself out of his contract with Sun Records, and signed with the small Monument label.
Although his main intention was to be a songwriter, Orbison found himself
glancing the US chart with "Up Town" in 1960. A few months later, his song "Only
The Lonely" was rejected by Elvis Presley and the Everly
Brothers, and Orbison decided to record it himself. The result was a sensation:
the song topped the UK charts and narrowly missed the top spot in the USA. The
trite opening of "dum dum dum dummy doo wah, yea yea yea yea yeah", leads into
one of the most distinctive pop songs ever recorded. It climaxes with a
glass-shattering falsetto, and is destined to remain a modern classic.
The shy and quiet-spoken Orbison donned a pair of dark-tinted glasses to
cover up his chronic astigmatism, although early publicity photos had already
sneaked out. In later years his widow claimed that he was an albino. Over the
next five years Orbison enjoyed unprecedented success in Britain and America,
repeating his formula with further stylish but melancholy ballads, including
"Blue Angel", "Running Scared", "Crying", "Dream Baby", "Blue Bayou" and "In
Dreams'. Even during the take-over of America by the Beatles (of whom he became a good
friend), Orbison was one of the few American artists to retain his ground
commercially. During the Beatles" peak chart year he had two UK number 1
singles, the powerful "It's Over" and the hypnotic "Oh Pretty Woman". The latter
has an incredibly simple instrumental introduction with acoustic guitar and
snare drum, and it is recognized today by millions, particularly following its
use in the blockbuster film Pretty Woman.Orbison had
the advantage of crafting his own songs to suit his voice and temperament, yet
although he continued to have hits throughout the 60s, none except "It's Too
Soon To Know" equalled his former heights; he regularly toured Britain, which he
regarded as his second home. He experienced appalling tragedy when, in 1966, his
wife Claudette was killed as she fell from the back of his motorcycle, and in
1968, a fire destroyed his home, also taking the lives of his two sons.
In 1967 he starred as a singing cowboy in The Fastest
Guitar Alive, but demonstrated that he was no actor. By the end of the
decade Orbison's musical direction had faltered and he resorted to writing
average MOR songs such as the unremarkable "Penny Arcade". The 70s were barren
times for his career, although a 1976 compilation topped the UK charts. By the
end of the decade he underwent open-heart surgery. He bounced back in 1980,
winning a Grammy for his duet with Emmylou Harris on "That
Lovin' You Feelin' Again" from the movie Roadie, and
David Lynch used "In Dreams" to haunting effect in his chilling Blue Velvet in 1986. The following year Orbison was inducted
into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame; at the
ceremony he sang "Oh Pretty Woman" with Bruce Springsteen. With
Orbison once again in favour, Virgin Records signed
him, and he recorded an album of his old songs using today's hi-tech production
techniques. The result was predictably disappointing; it was the sound and
production of the classics that had made them great. The video A Black & White Night
showed Orbison being courted
by numerous stars, including Springsteen, Tom Waits and Elvis
Costello. This high profile led him to join George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and
Jeff Lynne
as the Traveling Wilburys. Their
splendid debut album owed much to Orbison's major input.
Less than a month after its critically acclaimed release, Orbison suffered a
fatal heart attack in Nashville. The posthumously released Mystery Girl in 1989 was the most successful album of
his entire career, and not merely as a result of morbid sympathy. The record
contained a collection of songs that indicated a man feeling happy and relaxed;
his voice had never sounded better. The uplifting "You Got It" and the mellow
"She's A Mystery To Me" were impressive epitaphs to the legendary Big "O". His
widow Barbara filed a sizeable lawsuit against Sony Records in 1998. She is
claiming damages for the underpayment of royalties for Orbison's work with
Monument Records over a lengthy period. He possessed one of the best and most
distinctive voices in the history of popular music.
Source:
VH1.com
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