American musician Orbison Roy: biography, creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Audience loves supermen, but is interested in those who sing of romantic misfortune and express a sad mood. In the distant 60s, Orbison Roy was known as an incorrigible romantic. He did not have a bright appearance, dazzling charisma, but the lack of these qualities was compensated by a velvety voice that could compete with an operatic one. He had a deep and pronounced talent, and his performance touched the soul. Orbison created his own form of rock and roll and gave a platform to many country stars.

Not Superman

Who inspired him to create? Carla Perkins, Johnny Cash and, of course, Elvis Presley. Orbison Roy firmly relied on country and pop music in his work. His followers were Bruce Springsten, Chris Isaac. The musician was born in 1936, on April 23. It was Texas. His family was not connected with music. Already for six years from the Orbison family, Roy receivedguitar. Perhaps this predetermined the fate of the guy. Soon he was participating in impromptu home concerts with might and main. Orbison Roy wrote his first love song at the age of eight.

Start of the journey

After the debut song, the boy received an invitation to the Saturday radio show. At the end of 1946, the Orbison family moved to the Winx. Here Roy formed his first band (The Wink Westerners) when he was barely 13 years old. The group was amazingly successful. The guys regularly received invitations to the radio. The repertoire was gradually expanded. It included instrumental compositions. Promising singer Roy Orbison was a very active teenager and could not sit still. During the holidays, he worked part-time physically, took on any dirty and hard work. He also managed to play in the orchestra, play the trumpet. In his senior year, he became the manager of the school football team. In 1953, the group began touring the city's clubs and soon went on a tour of West Texas. After high school, Roy went to college, where he made his first professional recording with fellow students. True, they did not receive a contract.

At the fork

In college, Roy chose history and English. Along with him, other members of his group gathered here. They changed the name and updated the style of music a bit. On local television, the guys got their own show, where they invited guests. Roy was interviewed by Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, who always admired him. The group existed until 1956, andthen broke up. Roy decided to focus on developing his composing skills.

In 1958, Roy recorded the song Claudette, dedicated to his wife. The composition climbed into the Top 30, and Roy's songs interested Buddy Holly, Rick Nelson and Jerry Lee Lewis. Orbison grew a lot in terms of professionalism and began to set the fashion in music, creating his own orchestrations with exhilarating drums and strings. The creation of hits did not stop. Orbison took the unexpected step of opening for the Beatles, who were just starting out in 1963.

Hit for the ages

In 1964, Roy Orbison released a unique hit. "Pretty Woman" was co-written with Bill Dees. In fact, this is the most iconic song of the rock era. In August 1964, the single was released in the States and reached the hands of seven million music lovers around the world. The lyrics of the song are the story of a man who saw a beauty on the street. He passionately desires her and asks himself if such a beauty could be lonely. At the end of the song, the woman notices him and approaches. The text came about by accident when Roy and Bill Dees saw Roy's wife going to the store. When she returned, the song was ready. Then, in many interviews, the musicians said that it took as much time to create the melody as it sounds.

Tipping point

No matter how famous Roy Orbison was, all his songs could not become hits, and therefore there were failures. In 1966, his wife Claudette died in a car accident. Two years later, two children died in a fire, and his house burned to the ground. overcomecrisis helped a new acquaintance. The young German Barbara became Roy's second wife. But for a long time it was not possible to revive the glory. I had to make money by touring. All this, together with smoking and poor nutrition, undermined Roy's he alth. In January 1978, he underwent heart surgery.

End

In 1988, the singer died of a heart attack in Nashville. He was only 52 years old. After a short time, the name of Roy returned to the first lines of the charts. Orbison's work continued to be carried to the masses by his faithful wife Barbara, who inherited everything. Today, Roy Orbison continues to be listened to and loved very much, and reissues of his albums continue to be redeemed. He was loved for his melodic voice and the complexity of musical arrangements. He was nicknamed "Caruso" in the world of rock.

Orbison's work was influenced by his idols - Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, but Roy managed to find a balance between the styles of these performers. He didn't have to create a sexy image, he naturally conveyed an image of masculinity and self-confidence. Eyewitnesses recall that Roy was modest in everyday life, loved black clothes and dark glasses, hid from journalists and maintained an aura of mystery.

In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Nashville Poet's Hall. In 2010, a star was installed on the Walk of Fame in his honor. And even now it is too early to sum up the creative activity of the maestro. He released 38 (!) albums, and not all of them were compiled by Roy Orbison himself. Albums since 1989posthumously. There are 11 of these in total. Many of Orbison's songs are not associated with his name by the audience. For example, such a story happened with an incredibly romantic track from the movie "Ghost", where the song became a symbol of the love of the characters Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. The charming voice of Elvis Presley perfectly merged with the text and style of the composition, so the associations arise exclusively with the king of pop music, and not with the modest composer Orbison. But the composition "Pretty Woman" is strongly associated with the images created by Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in the film "Pretty Woman". The cuts of the composition have long gone to the people, and by the first chords, the people begin to feel the theme of the episode.

After the death of the composer, the mayor of Nashville gave him a gift - he declared May 1 as Roy Orbison Memorial Day. And in 2008, an entomologist at the University of Arizona introduced a rare Indian beetle, which he named after Orbison. In addition, the musician became the prototype of Doctor Octopus in the comic book "The Amazing Spider-Man".