Friday, March 04, 2022

FRIDAY MUSIC: Roy Orbison, by JD

Roy Orbison had one of the most easily identifiable and unique voices in popular music but tragically died far too young at the age of 52 in December 1988 just one year after being inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of Fame.

Roy Kelton Orbison was born on April 23, 1936, in Vernon, Texas. A year before Beatlemania overtook the United States in 1964, the four lads from Liverpool invited Orbison to open for them on their English tour. On his first night, Orbison performed 14 encores before the Beatles even made it on stage.

He dressed like an insurance salesman and was famously lifeless during his performances. "He never even twitched," recalled George Harrison, who was simultaneously awestruck and confounded by Orbison's stage presence. "He was like marble." What Orbison did have was one of the most distinctive, versatile and powerful voices in pop music. In the words of Elvis Presley, Orbison was simply "the greatest singer in the world."









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