Originally published Monday, October 13, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Comments (0)
E-mail article
Print view
Roy Orbison 4-CD set captures career full of emotion, vulnerability
Twenty years after he died, Roy Orbison still can touch people with his piercing tenor. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, responsible for...
The Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Twenty years after he died, Roy Orbison still can touch people with his piercing tenor.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, responsible for evergreen hits like "Oh, Pretty Woman," "Only the Lonely" and "Crying," won six Grammys and sold millions of CDs before dying of a heart attack in 1988 at age 52. Now the singer is the subject of a new retrospective, a four-CD box set of his 107 recordings. "The Soul of Rock and Roll" contains all of his hits and 12 previously unreleased tracks.
Barbara Orbison, his widow, says the new project tells "the history of Roy Orbison. They let you know how he evolved to become the artist he was."
Orbison, whose distinctive persona included ever-present sunglasses, dark clothing and an ebony pompadour, had hits including "Blue Bayou," "In Dreams," "Dream Baby," "Running Scared" and "Mean Woman Blues."
"Elvis had sensuality and rebellion, but Roy had the depth of emotion not many others had," said Jen Gunderman, who teaches a course on the history of rock 'n' roll at Vanderbilt University.
"There was a kind of mystery and fragility about him. ... There was a vulnerability you didn't see with others."
Gunderman credited Orbison with helping to invent the rock ballad. "He always conveyed sweeping emotion," Gunderman said of Orbison.
She also said his performances in Europe with the Beatles as they were on their way to becoming the Fab Four helped influence a generation of musicians.
"His tour with the Beatles in 1963 had a huge influence on all of the British invasion acts, and not just with his singing, but with his arrangements," Gunderman said. "He tied together pop and country and rockabilly and British invasion acts in a way that's really unique."
Orbison suffered a career decline and personal tragedies after achieving success: His wife Claudette died in a 1966 motorcycle crash and two sons died in a house fire in 1968.
Orbison's career rebounded in the 1980s. He joined the Eagles on tour, and Van Halen had a hit with his "Oh, Pretty Woman" in 1982. He and k.d. lang did a duet remake of "Crying," winning a Grammy in 1988. Earlier in the decade, the duet "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again" with Emmylou Harris won a Grammy.
In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A year later, he performed with the Traveling Wilburys, joining Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and George Harrison.
Orbison also toured with the Rolling Stones, and the deference that Barbara Orbison said Roy was given reflects how many rock stars felt about him.
"Keith [Richards] said everyone called him 'Keith' and they called Mick [Jagger] 'Mick,' but they called him Mr. Orbison."
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
More Music & nightlife headlines...
E-mail article
Print view Share:
Digg
Newsvine
![]()
Anjulie mixes musical styles into a lot of fun
Mose Allison, pianist and composer, still shoots from the hip at 82
Retro celeb-popsters Cherdonna and Lou on stage for 2 nights
Review: A night at the Seattle International Cabaret Festival

Opening day at Crystal Mountain
Skiers crowded the slopes at Crystal Mountain for one of the resort's earliest openings.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- Homeless man, 46, arrested in Greenwood arsons
- KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
- Steve Kelley | ESPN's Bill Simmons gets us: He hates Clay Bennett, too
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
- Seattle U. Men's Hoops | Big recruit goes from Huskies to Redhawks
- Razor found in muffin an accident, 'mortified' baker says
- Mariners sign Jack Wilson to 2-year contract
- Suspect's family shaken by slaying of police officer
- Mountlake Terrace woman reports razor in muffin
- Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
631 - Seattle man to pack a pistol into community center to protest mayor's ban
192 - Light rail to airport to begin Dec. 19
177 - GOP clueless as families struggle with health care
163 - KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
132 - ESPN's Bill Simmons gets us: He hates Clay Bennett, too
125 - Mariners sign Jack Wilson to 2-year contract
118 - Wright State game thread
97 - Person of interest in custody in connection with Greenwood arsons
94 - Rang says Locker not ready for NFL
84
- Light rail to airport to begin Dec. 19
- Homeless man, 46, arrested in Greenwood arsons
- Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy
- Steve Kelley | ESPN's Bill Simmons gets us: He hates Clay Bennett, too
- Washington in race for federal education funds
- KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
- Goodwill's Glitter Sale is Nov. 14-15
- Boeing: 787 fix is complete on first plane
- Seattle U. Men's Hoops | Big recruit goes from Huskies to Redhawks








