Photo: Jack de Nijs for Anefo / CC0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Roy Orbison, born on April 23, 1936 in Vernon, Texas, United States, was a singer, guitarist and composer. Roy Orbison died on December 6, 1988 at the age of 52. Education on record includes University of North Texas. Awards on record include Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1998), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1987) and star on Hollywood Walk of Fame. Notable works include Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel), Crying and Oh, Pretty Woman.
My Take
Roy Orbison remains, for me, the great anomaly of early rock and roll. While his contemporaries projected swagger, he stood motionless behind dark glasses and sang about loneliness with an operatic voice that seemed to come from somewhere else entirely. Songs like Crying and Only the Lonely still feel structurally daring, refusing verse-chorus convention and building instead toward emotional peaks. His willingness to sound vulnerable made him timeless where tougher acts dated badly. That he died in 1988, just as his late-career revival was blooming, is one of music's crueler ironies. I return to his records more than almost any from that era.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Roy Orbison
- Name (Japanese)
- ロイ・オービソン
- Reading
- ろい・おーびそん
- Born
- April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988
- Origin
- Vernon, Texas, United States
- Occupation
- singer / guitarist / composer / songwriter / singer-songwriter
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Rat
2. Background
- University
- University of North Texas
Awards & achievements
- 1998 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1987 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
3. Works & records
Filmography / notable works
| Category | Title |
|---|---|
| Notable work | Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel) |
| Notable work | Crying |
| Notable work | Oh, Pretty Woman |
4. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.royorbison.com
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/officialroyorbison/
- Xhttps://x.com/royorbison
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy%20Orbison
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AD%E3%82%A4%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%BD%E3%83%B3
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q188426
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Roy Orbison born?
Born April 23, 1936.
When did Roy Orbison die?
Died December 6, 1988, aged 52.
Where was Roy Orbison from?
Roy Orbison was from Vernon, Texas, United States.
What did Roy Orbison do?
Roy Orbison worked as singer, guitarist, composer, songwriter, singer-songwriter.
What was Roy Orbison known for?
Notable works include Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel), Crying, Oh, Pretty Woman.
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