Roy Kelton Orbison, born in Vernon, TX, was a Rock and roll singer and songwriter from the 1950s to the 1980s.
In high school, he created a band known as the Wink Westerners, where he was the lead singer and guitar player. After graduating, he attended North Texas State College, where he met Pat Boone. Together, they transformed the Wink Westerners into the Teen Kings. In the first artifact below, it mentions how the Teen Kings and how they got their start. They ended up in Nashville after their record “Ooby Dooby” gained the attention of the owner of Sun Records.
Orbison’s first chart hit was in 1956 under the rockabilly genre, a mixture of country and rhythm and blues developed by Elvis Presley and Sam Phillips, owner of Sun Records. His time with the Teen Kings really kick started his career. Artifact 2 below shows a Texas high school hosting the Teens for an event, claiming they’re “one of America’s top popular singers.”
Following the disbanding of the Teen Kings in 1956, Orbison continued his solo career, although most of his early success was just as a songwriter. However, he quickly regained his popularity, with a string of top hits from 1960-1966. After that, he suffered a loss in popularity as well as the loss of his wife and two sons.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Orbison’s popularity was revived, however his career was cut short when he died of a heart attack at 52 in 1988. Following his death, many popular artists spoke out about his unique sound and career. Some of these artists were quoted in an article that was released following his passing, which are shown below in Artifact 3.
Musical Artifacts:
Below are two recordings of Orbison preforming live, one from 1972 and one from 1988, a couple months before his sudden passing. Orbison has a unique look, which can be seen in both videos. One of his most popular songs, “Oh, Pretty Woman” is featured here.
Orbison had such a passion for music and such a unique voice. His career inspired countless artists and played an important role in the early days of rock and roll. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010. In 1991, the Roy Orbison Museum in Wink, TX was founded, and the Roy Orbison Festival held each June.
Sources:
Texas Tech University. “Pampa News.” Southwest Collections, 1988, http://collections2.swco.ttu.edu/handle/20.500.12255/157921. Accessed 2 April 2023.
“TSHA | Orbison, Roy Kelton.” Texas State Historical Association, 1 October 1995, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/orbison-roy-kelton. Accessed 2 April 2023.
