Editing Roy Orbison (section)

==Career==
===1949–1955: Wink Westerners===
In 1949, Orbison (then 13 years old) formed the band "Wink Westerners"<ref name=offbio/> with school friends Billy Pat Ellis on drums, Slob Evans on bass fiddle, Richard West on piano, and James Morrow on electric mandolin.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p16}} They played country and western swing standards and [[Glenn Miller]] jazz swing songs at local [[honky-tonk]] bars, and had a weekly morning radio show on [[KERB (AM)|KERB]] in [[Kermit, Texas]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royorbison.com/us/historymaker |title=History Maker |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401175007/http://www.royorbison.com/us/historymaker |archive-date=April 1, 2012 |website=The Official Roy Orbison Site |access-date=April 12, 2012}}</ref> Their first performance was at a school assembly in 1953.<ref name=offbio/> They were offered $400 to play at a dance, and Orbison realized that he could make a living in music.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p23}} Orbison was also part of a [[marching band]] and singing [[Octet (music)|octet]].<ref name=offbio/> At the age of 15, Orbison decided that instead of becoming a guitar player, he would use the guitar as an accompaniment to his singing.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p26}}

In 1953, the Wink Westerners entered a talent contest on [[KMID-TV]] in [[Midland, Texas]].{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017}} The group won the contest, resulting in a 30-minute spot on a local television show.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p27}} After the show, Orbison asked the owner of the company sponsoring the show if he could sponsor the group for ongoing shows, which led to the Wink Westerners playing weekly shows on KMID-TV on Friday nights and on Odessa television station [[KOSA-TV]] on Saturday nights.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p28}}{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017}} Around this time, Orbison began dyeing his hair (naturally a "dishwater grey color") to jet black.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p28}}

After graduating from high school in 1954, Orbison enrolled at [[University of North Texas|North Texas State College]] in [[Denton, Texas|Denton]]. His plan was to study geology so he could secure work in the oil fields if music did not pay; however, he became bored with the course in its first year, and switched to history and English.<ref name=offbio/> Orbison preferred to play music with fellow students Billy Pat Ellis, [[Dick Penner]], and Wade Moore.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p29-30}} Penner and Moore had written a simple, catchy rockabilly song, "Ooby Dooby", which impressed Orbison, and he started looking into how he could make a recording of it.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p30}} Orbison continued performing with the Wink Westerners after his first year.{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017}} He then heard that his schoolmate [[Pat Boone]] had signed a record deal, and it further strengthened his resolve to become a professional musician.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p30}} At a New Year's Eve dance in 1954, the Wink Westerners had mostly played country and western swing music throughout the night, but ended the night by playing [[Bill Haley & the Comets]]’ hit song "[[Shake, Rattle and Roll]]" repeatedly, which became the catalyst for the band switching to [[rock and roll]] music.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p31}} Also, Orbison had seen [[Elvis Presley]] perform back during his days at North Texas State College in 1954, and was impressed by the shocking gyrations that Elvis exhibited on stage.{{efn|Orbison later said that he "couldn't overemphasize how shocking" Presley looked and seemed to him that night.<ref>Clayson, Alan, pp. 26–27.</ref>}}

===1955–1956: The Teen Kings===
{{main|Roy Orbison's Sun recordings}}
At the end of the spring semester of 1955, Orbison dropped out of North Texas State College, switching to [[Odessa College|Odessa Junior College.]]<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p32}} The Wink Westerners were disbanded in the fall of 1955, and Orbison formed a new band called the Teen Kings.{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017}} The band was made of Orbison, Billy Pat Ellis, and James Morrow from the Wink Westerners, plus Jack Kennelly on bass and Johnny Wilson.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p32}} At a dance event where the Teen Kings performed, Orbison met his future wife, Claudette Frady.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p30}} Claudette was 14 at the time, five years younger than Orbison.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p40}}

The Teen Kings's first recording was the song "Ooby Dooby", which was recorded at [[Norman Petty]]'s studio in [[Clovis, New Mexico]], in March 1956.{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017|p=254}} It was published by Odessa-based start-up label [[Je–Wel]]<ref name="escott"/>{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017|p=245}} as the B-side of the ''JE-WEL 101'' single.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p36}} The A-side of the single was "Tryin' to Get to You", a song previously recorded by Elvis Presley.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p36}}

After "Ooby Dooby" was published by Je-Wel Records, Orbison became convinced that a larger record company would be able to sell more copies of the record, and he spoke to a lawyer about breaking the contract with Je-Wel.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p40}} Initially, Orbison obtained an injunction to prevent Je-Wel from distributing the record, before they reached an agreement that the band would pay back the label the costs of producing the records.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p40}} Orbison was now free to find a new label to market Ooby Dooby, but a further setback was that he cut a demonstration tape of the song for [[Columbia Records]], which they turned down, but had one of their contract artists ([[Sid King]]) release a recording of "Ooby Dooby" before Orbison could offer the tape to another record company.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p40}}

Eventually, [[Sam Phillips]]'s [[Sun Records]] signed up to record "Ooby Dooby", but the events that led to this are disputed.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p42}} Some claim that Johnny Cash toured the Odessa area in 1955 and 1956,{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017}} appearing on the same local TV show as the Wink Westerners,{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017}} Cash stated, "[I]n late '55 or early '56, I was touring with Elvis when I met Roy in Texas... I told him to get in touch with Sun Records if he wanted to be a recording artist". Orbison has said that when he did this, Phillips told him, "Johnny Cash doesn't run my record company!".<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p42}} However, both Sam Philips and Billy Pat Ellis (the band's drummer) have disputed that Johnny Cash was involved.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p42-43}} Three of the Teen Kings's band members have said that their relationship with Sun Records began when Odessa record-store owner Poppa Holifield played it over the telephone for Sam Phillips in April 1956, and Phillips offered the Teen Kings a contract.{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017}}<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p42}}

The Teen Kings went to [[Sun Studio]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], to re-record "Ooby Dooby" for publication by Sun Records.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p42}} After an audition of the song, Sam Phillips signed the band up for "a year or two".<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p47}} However, the band's career soon slumped, since Orbison wanted to record emotional ballads rather than the rockabilly songs demanded by Sam Phillips, and Phillips's goal for a successor to Elvis Presley had moved on from Orbison to [[Carl Perkins]].<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p51}} The Teen Kings were granted a reprieve when Carl Perkins was badly injured in a car crash, resulting in "Ooby Dooby" being released (along with "Go Go Go") as Sun Single 242 in May 1956.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p51}}{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017}} The Teen Kings began an experimental tour of [[drive-in theatre|drive-in theaters]] in the Southern U.S. states (playing on top of projection house roofs between drive-in film showings) with [[Sonny James]], [[Johnny Horton]], Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash.<ref name="offbio" /> Much influenced by Elvis Presley, Orbison performed frenetically, doing "everything we could to get applause, because we had only one hit record".<ref>Clayson, Alan, p. 44.</ref> Orbison also began writing songs in a rockabilly style, including "[[Go Go Go (Down the Line)|Go! Go! Go!]]" and "Rockhouse".<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Orbison|first1=Roy Jr.|title=The Authorized Roy Orbison|last2=Orbison Alex|last3=Orbison|first3=Wesley|last4=Slate|first4=Jeff|publisher=Center Street|date=2017|isbn=978-1-4789-7654-7|location=New York|pages=50, 57|language=English|oclc=1017566749}}</ref> In June 1956, "Ooby Dooby" peaked at number 59 in the ''Billboard'' charts and sold 200,000 copies,<ref name="escott"/> but the follow-up singles did not reach the charts.<ref name="offbio"/>

The Teen Kings played alongside Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Warren Smith, and Eddie Bond at the [[Overton Park Shell]] on June 1, 1956, but Orbison's relationship with the rest of the band was deteriorating at this stage.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p53}} Elvis Presley was in the audience for this show, and Orbison claimed that Elvis praised Orbison, but another band member says that it was actually Jack Kennelly (the band's bass player) whom Presley praised.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p53}} Kennelly said, "Roy's dream was to be a star, and once Sam (Phillips) inflated his ego, he couldn't be a part of a unit. Roy became egomaniacal".<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p53}} In the summer of 1956, Orbison purchased a brand-new purple Cadillac and a diamond ring with his first royalty check from "Ooby Dooby";<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p53}} however, the band soon found out that their paychecks from the concerts were not covering their costs and that life as a touring band was a demoralizing experience.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p55}} The band's contract did not include any royalty payments ("BMI") when their songs were played on the radio, and Orbison had run out of money by late 1956.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p58}} Orbison was encouraged by Norman Petty to record a single without the Teen Kings and the rest of the band walked on Roy during a recording session when told of a plan to rename the band "Roy Orbison and the Teen Kings".<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p56}} The band broke up in December 1956,<ref name="offbio" /> and Sam Phillips said they were arguing about money, but the basic problem was that Orbison was too much of a loner and driven egoist.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p61}} The lack of a band was a serious problem for Orbison's contract at Sun Records, since the label had no use for a singer who did not have a band.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p61}}

===1956–1959: Solo work and Acuff-Rose Music===
[[File:Roy Orbison 1965 (2).png|thumb|Orbison in 1965, wearing thick-rimmed glasses]]

After the Teen Kings split, Orbison stayed in Memphis with his girlfriend Claudette.{{efn|Alan Clayson's biography refers to her as Claudette Hestand.}} They stayed in Phillips' home, and Phillips stated that they did not sleep together in his house.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p63}} However, Orbison was broke, and realized that he could not survive as a recording artist, so after several weeks, he returned to the road. He toured with Johnny Cash, [[Sonny Burgess]], [[Eddie Cochran]], and Gene Vincent, playing mostly songs from other artists before finishing the set with a song of his own.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p64}} At the time, Orbison was addicted to sleeping pills and speed.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p67}} Orbison was introduced to Elvis Presley's social circle, and at some stage picked up a date for Presley in his purple [[Cadillac]].<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p53}}

In August 1957, Orbison returned to the Sun Recording Studio and recorded several new songs with just his acoustic guitar instead of a backing band.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p68}} None was successful, though, and Roy gave up on becoming a recording artist.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p68}} Sam Phillips remembered being much more impressed with Orbison's mastery of the guitar than with his voice.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p60-61}} Orbison returned to Odessa, Texas, in the fall of 1957 to be together with his 16-year-old girlfriend, Claudette.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p69}} The two began to talk about getting married. On a professional level, Orbison met singer [[Joe Melson]] while in Memphis, who would collaborate with Orbison on his biggest hit songs in the early 1960s.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p70}}

A ballad Orbison wrote, "The Clown", met with a lukewarm response; after hearing it, Sun Records producer [[Jack Clement]] told Orbison that he would never make it as a ballad singer.<ref>Clayson, Alan, p. 45.</ref> Nonetheless, he continued to pitch his ballad "[[Claudette (song)|Claudette]]" (on which he began working in early 1956) to singers he met on tour,<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p68}} and in April 1958, [[the Everly Brothers]] recorded it as the B-side of their hit "[[All I Have to Do Is Dream]]".<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p76}} "Claudette" reached number 30 in the charts in March 1959.<ref name="offbio" /> Orbison then left Sun Records, due to a dispute about royalties from "Claudette" (which was recorded by Nashville Records).<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p72}} Orbison and Claudette had married in 1957, and their first child was born on September 16, 1958.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p76}} Using the royalty payments from the Everly Brothers hit "Claudette", Orbison bought the most expensive new pink Cadillac available.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p76}} However, Roy and Claudette spent the money lavishly and were soon broke and living with Roy's parents in Wink.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p78}}

Increasingly frustrated at Sun, he gradually stopped recording. He toured music circuits around Texas, and then quit performing for seven months in 1958.<ref>Clayson, Alan, p. 56.</ref>

During the period of 1958–1959, Orbison made his living at [[Acuff-Rose Music]],<ref name="offbio" /> a songwriting firm concentrating mainly on country music. After spending an entire day writing a song, he would make several demonstration tapes at a time and send them to [[Wesley Rose]], who would try to find musical acts to record them. Orbison then worked with, and was in awe of, [[Chet Atkins]] (who had played guitar with Presley) and attempted to sell his recordings of songs by other writers to the [[RCA Records|RCA Victor]] record label. One of these songs was "Seems to Me", by [[Felice and Boudleaux Bryant|Boudleaux Bryant]]. Bryant's impression of Orbison was of "a timid, shy kid who seemed to be rather befuddled by the whole music scene. I remember the way he sang then—softly, prettily, but almost bashfully, as if someone might be disturbed by his efforts and reprimand him."<ref>Clayson, Alan, p. 62.</ref>

Playing shows at night and living with his wife and young child in a tiny apartment, Orbison often took his guitar to his car to write songs. Songwriter [[Joe Melson]], an acquaintance of Orbison's, tapped on his car window one day in Texas in 1958, and the two decided to write some songs together.<ref>Clayson, pp. 68–69.</ref> In three recording sessions in 1958 and 1959, Orbison recorded seven songs for [[RCA Victor]] at their [[RCA Studio B|Nashville studios]]; only two singles ("Paper Boy" and "With the Bug"<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p86}}) were judged worthy of release by the label.<ref name="Zak, p. 32.">Zak, p. 32.</ref> Wesley Rose brought Orbison to the attention of the producer [[Fred Foster]] at [[Monument Records]], the record label to which  Orbison would soon switch.<ref name="offbio" />

=== 1960–1964: Monument Records and stardom ===
====Early singles====
[[File:Roy Orbison - Cash Box 1960.png|160px|thumb|Orbison on the cover of ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox]]'', September 3, 1960]]

In his first session for Monument in Nashville, Orbison recorded a song that RCA Victor had refused, "Paper Boy". It was accompanied by the B-side sing "With the Bug", but neither song charted.<ref name="Zak, p. 33.">Zak, p. 33.</ref>

Orbison's own style, the sound created at [[RCA Studio B|RCA Victor Studio B]] in Nashville with pioneer engineer [[Bill Porter (sound engineer)|Bill Porter]], the production by Foster, and the accompanying musicians gave Orbison's music a "polished, professional sound... finally allowing Orbison's stylistic inclinations free rein".<ref name="Zak, p. 32."/> Orbison requested to use [[string instrument|string instruments]] instead of [[fiddle|fiddles]], which was unusual for the time.<ref name="offbio" /><ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p87}} He recorded three new songs, the most notable of which was "Uptown", written with Joe Melson and released in late 1959.<ref name="offbio" /><ref name="Lehman, p. 48.">Lehman, p. 48.</ref> Impressed with the results, Melson later recalled, "We stood in the studio, listening to the playbacks, and thought it was the most beautiful sound in the world."<ref name="escott"/><ref>Clayson, Alan, pp. 70–71.</ref> ''The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll'' states that the music Orbison made in Nashville "brought a new splendour to rock", and compared the melodramatic effects of the orchestral accompaniment to the musical productions of [[Phil Spector]].<ref name=decurtis155>DeCurtis and Henke, p. 155.</ref>

"Uptown" was a modest hit and the first song by Orbison and Melson to reach the ''Billboard'' Top 100.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p89}} His initial success came just as the 1950s rock-and-roll era was winding down. Starting in 1960, the charts in the United States came to be dominated by teen idols, novelty acts, and Motown girl groups.<ref>Lehman, p. 19.</ref>

===="Only the Lonely"====
[[File:Blue Angel - Today's Teardrops - Billboard ad 1960.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' advertisement, September 12, 1960]] 
Experimenting with a new sound, Orbison and Joe Melson wrote a song in early 1960, which in using elements from "Uptown" and another song they had written called "Come Back to Me (My Love)", employed strings and the Anita Kerr doo-wop backing singers.<ref name="Zak, p. 35.">Zak, p. 35.</ref> It also featured a note hit by Orbison in [[falsetto]] that showcased a powerful voice, which according to biographer Clayson, "came not from his throat, but deeper within".<ref>Clayson, p. 77.</ref> The song was "[[Only the Lonely|Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)]]". Orbison was passing through Memphis when he tried to pitch the song to Elvis Presley (along with several other songs) to make some money quickly, but it was early in the morning and Presley did not want to see Orbison at that time.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p91}} Orbison and Melson instead recorded the song at RCA Victor's Nashville studio, with sound engineer Bill Porter trying a completely new strategy, building the mix from the top down rather than from the bottom up, beginning with close-microphoned backing vocals in the foreground, and ending with the rhythm section soft in the background.<ref name="Lehman, p. 48."/><ref>{{cite interview |interviewer=Michael Fremer |last=Porter |first=Bill |date=January 1, 2006 |url=http://www.musicangle.com/feat.php?id=108 |title=Recording Elvis and Roy With Legendary Studio Wiz Bill Porter-Part II |website=MusicAngle |access-date=February 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714134327/http://www.musicangle.com/feat.php?id=108 |archive-date=July 14, 2011}}</ref> This combination became Orbison's trademark sound.<ref name="Zak, p. 35."/>

"Only the Lonely" shot to number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and hit number one in the UK and Australia.<ref name="offbio" /> According to Orbison, the subsequent songs he wrote with Melson during this period were constructed with his voice in mind, specifically to showcase its range and power. He told ''Rolling Stone'' in 1988, "I liked the sound of [my voice]. I liked making it sing, making the voice ring, and I just kept doing it. And I think that somewhere between the time of "Ooby Dooby" and "Only the Lonely", it kind of turned into a good voice."<ref name="rockhall">{{cite web |url=http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/roy-orbison |title=Roy Orbison |publisher=[[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] |access-date=May 21, 2009}}</ref> At the time of its recording, though, Orbison was struggling to earn a living, because he was only working as a singer at local dances.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p94}} Also, the days of his working with Melson were numbered, due to disagreements such as who came up with the title for "Only the Lonely".<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p95}} The success of "Only the Lonely" transformed Orbison into an overnight star, and he appeared on Dick Clark's ''Saturday Night Beechnut Show'' in New York City.{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017|p=78}} When Presley heard "Only the Lonely" for the first time, he bought a box of copies to pass to his friends.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p98}}

====Move to Nashville====
{{Listen
|filename=Roy Orbison - Running Scared.ogg
|title="Running Scared" (1961)
|description=The ending of "Running Scared" features Orbison's natural voice hitting high A natural.
|format=[[Ogg]]}}

Soon after recording an early version of his next hit "[[Blue Angel (song)|Blue Angel]]", Orbison and his wife and son (Roy DeWayne, born in 1958) moved from Wink to the suburb of Hendersonville near [[Nashville]].<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p94}} Orbison's second son, Anthony King, would follow in 1962.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Orbison|first1=Roy Jr.|title=The Authorized Roy Orbison|last2=Orbison Alex|last3=Orbison|first3=Wesley|last4=Slate|first4=Jeff|publisher=Center Street|date=2017|isbn=978-1-4789-7654-7|location=New York|page=92|oclc=1017566749}}</ref> Melson also moved to Hendersonville soon after, and began working on "Blue Angel" together, which was recorded in August 1960.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p102}} This hit was a more complex song, yet it still peaked at number nine in the USA.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p102}} The follow-up single, "I'm Hurtin'" (with "[[I Can't Stop Loving You]]" as the B-side) rose to number 27 in the US, but failed to chart in the UK.{{sfnp|Whitburn|2004|p=470}} After the success of "Blue Angel", Orbison undertook a hectic touring schedule, often performing with his neighbor [[Patsy Cline]].<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p103}} During this time, Claudette was lonely and unhappy, and some people said that Orbison was unfaithful to her while he was on tour.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p104}}

Back in the studio, seeking a change from the pop sound of "Only the Lonely", "Blue Angel", and "I'm Hurtin'",<ref>{{cite book |last1=Orbison |first1=Roy |last2=Orbison |first2=Alex |last3=Orbison |first3=Wesley |last4=Slate |first4=Jeff |title=The Authorized Roy Orbison |publisher=Center Street |location=New York |date=2017 |page=245 |oclc=1017566749 |isbn=978-1-4789-7654-7}}</ref> Orbison worked on a new song, "[[Running Scared (Roy Orbison song)|Running Scared]]", about a man worried that his girlfriend is about to leave him for another man.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p106}} Orbison encountered difficulty when he found himself unable to hit the song's highest note without his voice breaking. He was backed by an orchestra in the studio, and Porter told him he would have to sing louder than his accompaniment because the orchestra was unable to be softer than his voice.<ref>Clayson, Alan, pp. 81–82.</ref> Fred Foster then put Orbison in the corner of the studio and surrounded him with coat racks, forming an improvised isolation booth to emphasize his voice. Orbison was unhappy with the first two takes. In the third, however, he abandoned the idea of using falsetto and sang the final high 'A' naturally, so astonishing everyone present that the accompanying musicians stopped playing.<ref name=decurtis155/> On that third take, "Running Scared" was completed. Fred Foster later recalled, "He did it, and everybody looked around in amazement. Nobody had heard anything like it before."<ref name="escott"/> Just weeks later, "Running Scared" became Orbison's first number-one hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart<ref name="offbio" /> and it reached number 9 in the UK. The composition of Orbison's following hits reflected "Running Scared", a story about an emotionally vulnerable man facing loss or grief, with a crescendo culminating in a surprise climax that employed Orbison's dynamic voice.{{sfnp|Whitburn|2004|p=470}}

The B-side "[[Crying (Roy Orbison song)|Crying]]" followed soon after, and reached the top-five singles in August 1961.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p107}} "Crying" was coupled with an up-tempo R&B song, "[[Candy Man (Roy Orbison song)|Candy Man]]", written by Fred Neil and Beverley Ross, which reached the ''Billboard'' Top 30, staying on the charts for two months.{{sfnp|Whitburn|2004|p=470}} By the end of 1961, Orbison had recorded six hit singles in a row over the past two years.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p107}} While Orbison was touring Australia in 1962, an Australian DJ referred to him affectionately as "The Big O"{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}, partly based on the big finishes to his dramatic ballads, and the moniker stuck with him thereafter. Orbison's second son was born the same year, and Orbison hit number four in the United States and number two in the UK with "[[Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)]]", an upbeat song by country songwriter [[Cindy Walker]]. Orbison enlisted The Webbs, from Dothan, Alabama, as his backing band. The band changed their names to the Candy Men (in reference to Roy's hit) and played with Orbison from 1962 to 1967.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Orbison |first1=Roy Jr. |last2=Orbison |first2=Alex |last3=Orbison |first3=Wesley |last4=Slate |first4=Jeff |title=The Authorized Roy Orbison |publisher=Center Street |location=New York |date=2017 |page=137 |oclc=1017566749 |isbn=978-1-4789-7654-7}}</ref> They later went on to have their own career, releasing a few singles and two albums on their own. Also in 1962, he charted with "The Crowd", "Leah", and "Workin' for the Man", which he wrote about working one summer in the oil fields near Wink.{{sfnp|Whitburn|2004|p=524}}<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p32}} Orbison's relationship with Joe Melson, however, was deteriorating, over Melson's growing concerns that his own solo career would never get off the ground.<ref>Clayson, Alan, p. 91.</ref>

Orbison first met [[Bob Dylan]] at Dylan's 21st birthday party in May 1962.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p112}}

From 1959 to 1963, Orbison was the top-selling American artist and one of the world’s biggest names in music.<ref name="offbio" />

===="In Dreams" and international tours====
Orbison's string of top-40 hits continued with "[[In Dreams (Roy Orbison song)|In Dreams]]" (US number seven in January 1963,<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p114}} UK number six), "Falling" (US number 22, UK number 9) and "[[Mean Woman Blues]]" (US number five, UK number three) coupled with "[[Blue Bayou]]" (US number 29, UK number three).{{sfnp|Whitburn|2004|p=524}}<ref name="britishhits">Brown, Kutner, and Warwick, p. 645.</ref> According to the discography in ''The Authorized Roy Orbison'',<ref>{{cite book |last1=Orbison |first1=Roy Jr. |last2=Orbison |first2=Alex |last3=Orbison |first3=Wesley |last4=Slate |first4=Jeff |title=The Authorized Roy Orbison | publisher=Center Street |location=New York |edition=1st |year=2017 |page=245 |oclc=1017566749 |isbn=978-1-4789-7654-7}}</ref> a rare alternative version of "Blue Bayou" was released in Italy. Orbison finished 1963 with a Christmas song written by [[Willie Nelson]], "[[Pretty Paper (song)|Pretty Paper]]" (US number 15 in 1963, UK number six in 1964).

As "In Dreams" was released in April 1963, Orbison was asked to replace [[Duane Eddy]] on a tour of the UK in top billing with [[the Beatles]]. The [[Roy Orbison/The Beatles Tour|tour]] sold out in one afternoon.<ref name="offbio" /> When Orbison arrived in Britain, however, he realized he was no longer the main draw. He had never heard of the Beatles, and annoyed, asked rhetorically, "What's a Beatle, anyway?" to which [[John Lennon]] replied, after tapping his shoulder, "I am".<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p115}} On the opening night, Orbison opted to go onstage first, although he was the more established act. The Beatles stood dumbfounded backstage as Orbison simply played through 14 encores.<ref name="clayson109-113">Clayson, Alan, pp. 109–113.</ref> Finally, when the audience began chanting "We want Roy!" again, Lennon and [[Paul McCartney]] physically held Orbison back.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p117}} [[Ringo Starr]] later said, "In [[Glasgow]], we were all backstage listening to the tremendous applause he was getting. He was just standing there, not moving or anything."<ref name="clayson109-113"/> Through the tour, however, the two acts quickly learned to get along, a process made easier by the fact that the Beatles admired his work.<ref>Lennon, John; McCartney, Paul; Harrison, George; Starr, Ringo (2002). ''The Beatles Anthology. Chronicle''. p. 94.</ref> Orbison felt a kinship with Lennon, but [[George Harrison]] was with whom he would later form a strong friendship.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

In 1963, touring took a toll on Orbison's personal life. After discovering a letter from one of Orbison's secret girlfriends, his wife Claudette had an affair with the builder of their home in Tennessee.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p120}} Billy Pat Ellis said, "Claudette had the affair because Roy was gone a lot and she got lonely and wanted to prove she was attractive again".<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p120}} When Orbison toured Britain again in the autumn of 1963, she joined him.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p122-3}} 

Later in 1963, Orbison toured England, Ireland, and Canada.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p122}} In 1964, he toured Australia and New Zealand with the [[Beach Boys]]<ref name="offbio" /> and returned again to Britain and Ireland, where he was so besieged by teenaged girls that the Irish police had to halt his performances to pull the girls off him.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p125}} He traveled to Australia again in 1965, this time with [[the Rolling Stones]].<ref name="offbio" /> [[Mick Jagger]] later remarked, referring to a snapshot he took of Orbison in New Zealand, "a fine figure of a man in the hot springs, he was."<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p134}}

===="Oh, Pretty Woman"====
{{Listen
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|title="Oh, Pretty Woman" (1964)
|description=The opening guitar riff of "[[Oh, Pretty Woman]]" was a direct influence on "[[(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction]]" by the [[The Rolling Stones|Rolling Stones]].<ref>Clayson, Alan, p. 128, and Lehman, p. 169.</ref>
|format=[[Ogg]]}}

Orbison also began collaborating with [[Bill Dees]], whom he had known in Texas. With Dees, he wrote "[[It's Over (Roy Orbison song)|It's Over]]", a number-one hit in the UK.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p126}} When Claudette walked in the room where Dees and Orbison were writing to say she was heading for Nashville, Orbison asked if she had any money. Dees said, "A pretty woman never needs any money".<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p127}} Just 40 minutes later, "[[Oh, Pretty Woman]]" was completed. A riff-laden masterpiece that employed a playful growl he got from a [[Bob Hope]] movie, the epithet ''mercy'' Orbison uttered when he was unable to hit a note, it rose to number one in the autumn of 1964 in the United States and stayed on the charts for 14 weeks. It rose to number one in the UK, as well, spending a total of 18 weeks on the charts. The single sold over seven million copies.<ref name="escott"/> Orbison's success was greater in Britain; as ''Billboard'' magazine noted, "In a 68-week period that began on August 8, 1963, Roy Orbison was the ''only'' American artist to have a number-one single in Britain. He did it twice, with 'It's Over' on June 25, 1964, and 'Oh, Pretty Woman' on October 8, 1964. The latter song also went to number one in America, making Orbison impervious to the current chart dominance of British artists on both sides of the Atlantic."<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p128}}

===1965–1969: Career decline and tragedies===
[[File:Roy Orbison 1967.png|thumb|Orbison in 1967]]
By late 1964, Orbison had "occasionally treated himself to a [[groupie]]"<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p130}} and his wife Claudette had had an affair with the builder Braxton Dixon, who had built Orbison's house.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p121}} After Roy became aware of the affair, he fired Dixon and finished building the house himself (with the help of a hired carpenter).<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p132}} In early 1965, Roy confirmed that Claudette and he were divorced.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p132}} Later in 1965, Claudette gave birth to Roy's third child, and Roy and Claudette reunited several months later.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p143}}

Orbison's singles in early 1965 had been unsuccessful, and his contract with Monument was expiring soon.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p137}} Wesley Rose, at this time acting as Orbison's agent, moved him from Monument Records to [[MGM Records]] (though in Europe he remained with [[Decca Records|Decca's]] [[London Records]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.45cat.com/record/hlu9986 |title=Roy Orbison - Ride Away / Wondering - London - UK - HLU 9986 |website=45cat |access-date=August 29, 2015}}</ref>) for $1&nbsp;million<ref name="offbio" /> and with the understanding that he would expand into television and films, as Elvis Presley had done. Orbison was a film enthusiast, and when not touring, writing, or recording, he dedicated time to seeing up to three films a day.<ref>Clayson, Alan, pp. 130–131.</ref> The move was described as Orbison "joining the ranks of fading rock stars fleeing to MGM".<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p137}}

Rose also became Orbison's producer. Fred Foster later suggested that Rose's takeover was responsible for the commercial failure of Orbison's work at MGM. Engineer Bill Porter agreed that Orbison's best work could only be achieved with RCA Victor's A-Team in Nashville.<ref name="Zak, p. 33."/> Orbison's first collection at MGM, an album titled ''There Is Only One Roy Orbison'', sold fewer than 200,000 copies.<ref name="escott"/> With the onset of the [[British Invasion]] in 1964–65, the direction of popular music shifted dramatically, and most performers of Orbison's generation (Orbison was 28 in 1964) were driven from the charts.<ref>Lehman, p. 14</ref> The contractual requirement to release a certain number of singles and albums per year for MGM also took its toll on the quality of Orbison's songs.<ref name="offbio" />

Orbison was fascinated with machines. He was known to follow a car that he liked and make the driver an offer on the spot.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p126}} While on tour again in the UK in 1966,{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017|p=131}} Orbison broke his foot falling off a motorcycle in front of thousands of screaming fans at a race track; he performed his show that evening in a cast. Claudette traveled to Britain to accompany Roy for the remainder of the tour. It was now made public that the couple had happily remarried and were back together (they had remarried in December 1965).{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017|p=129}}

Roy and Claudette shared a love for motorcycles after Roy had been introduced to them by Elvis Presley.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p54}} Orbison was a daredevil driver, blasting around on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle and owning a Ferrari car, which he used to challenge other drivers to race him on the highway.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p1}} On June 6, 1966, when Orbison and Claudette were both riding their motorcycles home from [[Bristol, Tennessee]], she was struck by a pickup truck in [[Gallatin, Tennessee]]<ref>Clayson, Alan, p. 139.</ref> and thrown into the air. She was taken by ambulance to hospital, but her liver was seriously injured and she died, aged 25.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p148}}

A grieving Orbison threw himself into his work, collaborating with Bill Dees to write music for ''[[The Fastest Guitar Alive]]'', a film in which MGM had scheduled for him to star, as well.<ref name="offbio" /> It was initially planned as a dramatic Western, but was rewritten as a comedy.<ref>Lehman, pp. 108–109.</ref> Orbison's character was a spy who stole and had to protect and deliver a cache of gold to the Confederate Army during the [[American Civil War]], and was supplied with a guitar that turned into a rifle. The prop allowed him to deliver the line, "I could kill you with this and play your funeral march at the same time", with, according to biographer [[Colin Escott]], "zero conviction".<ref name="escott"/> Orbison was pleased with the film, although it proved to be a critical and box-office failure. While MGM had included five films in his contract, no more were made.<ref>Clayson, Alan, pp. 146–147.</ref><ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p151-3}}

He recorded an album dedicated to the songs of [[Don Gibson]] and another of [[Hank Williams]] covers, but both sold poorly.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p153}} During the counterculture era, with the charts dominated by artists including [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[Jefferson Airplane]], the Rolling Stones, and [[the Doors]], Orbison lost mainstream appeal, yet seemed confident that this would return, later saying: "[I] didn't hear a lot I could relate to, so I kind of stood there like a tree where the winds blow and the seasons change, and you're still there and you bloom again."<ref>Clayson, Alan, p. 152.</ref> Orbison's single "Cry Softly Lonely One" from March 1967 was his last song to enter the top 100 until the 1980s.<ref name="offbio" />

During a tour of Britain and playing [[Birmingham]] on Saturday, September 14, 1968,{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017|p=144}} he received the news that his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee, had burned down, and his two eldest sons had died.<ref>Clayson, Alan, pp. 161–63.</ref> This occurred two years after the death of his wife Claudette and Orbison's grief meant he could not write songs.<ref name="offbio" /> Fire officials stated that the cause of the fire may have been an [[aerosol]] can, which possibly contained [[lacquer]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Hendersonville, TN Home Fire Roy Orbison's House, Sep 1968 {{!}} GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods|url=http://www.gendisasters.com/tennessee/18633/hendersonville-tn-home-fire-roy-orbison-039s-house-sep-1968|access-date=July 26, 2021|website=www.gendisasters.com}}</ref> The property was sold to Johnny Cash, whose house at the same location also burned down later.<ref name="offbio" />

During the 1968 tour of England, Orbison and his childhood friend Bobby Blackburn slept with many girls over the course of two months, and used a calendar on the wall to track when each girl was arriving and leaving their rented apartment in Upper Brook Street in London.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p156}} During this time, Orbison met the 16-year-old German girl [[Barbara Orbison|Barbara Wellhonen]], with whom he became fascinated,<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p156}} although Orbison continued to see other girls in the meantime.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p157}} On May 25, 1969,<ref name="offbio" /> Orbison and Wellhonen got married.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p163}} Roy was 33 years old at the time, and sources vary regarding whether Wellhonen was 17, 18, or 19.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p163}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bandweblogs.com/blog/2008/10/10/barbara-orbison-exclusive-interview/ | title=Barbara Orbison EXCLUSIVE interview – Band Weblogs }}</ref> Wesley (born 1965), his youngest son with Claudette, was raised by Orbison's parents. Orbison and Wellhonen had a son (Roy Kelton) in 1970 and another ([[Alex Orbison|Alexander]]) in 1975.<ref>Clayson, Alan, p. 178.</ref>

===1970s: Struggles===
[[File:Carl Perkins Roy Orbison Johnny Cash Jerry Lee Lewis 1977.jpg|thumb|Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis in a televised 1977 Christmas special]]

Orbison continued recording albums in the 1970s, but his career stagnated during this decade<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p169}}. In 1974, he switched record labels from MGM to [[Mercury Records]] for a one-album deal.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p170}}<ref name="offbio" /> Although the peak of his success was over, his single "Penny Arcade" was number one in Australia for many weeks and "Too Soon to Know" reached number three in England.<ref name="offbio" /> His fortunes sank so low in America that his concerts were mostly empty, such as the concert at Cincinnati Gardens that he played on his 40th birthday in April 1976<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p174}}. Peter Lehman observed that Orbison's absence was a part of the mystery of his persona: "Since it was never clear where he had come from, no one seemed to pay much mind to where he had gone; he was just gone."<ref>Lehman, p. 2.</ref> However, several artists released popular covers of his songs. Orbison's version of "[[Love Hurts]]" was remade by [[Gram Parsons]] and [[Emmylou Harris]], again by hard rock band [[Nazareth (band)|Nazareth]], and by [[Jim Capaldi]]. [[Sonny James]]' version of "Only the Lonely" reached number one on the country music charts.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p167-8}} [[Bruce Springsteen]] ended his concerts with Orbison songs, and [[Glen Campbell]] had a minor hit with a remake of "Dream Baby".

A compilation of Orbison's greatest hits reached number one in the UK in January 1976, and Orbison began to open concerts that year for the [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]], who had started as [[Linda Ronstadt]]'s backup band. Ronstadt covered "[[Blue Bayou]]" in 1977, her version reaching number three on the ''Billboard'' charts and remaining in the charts for 24 weeks. Orbison credited this cover in particular for reviving his memory in the popular mind, if not his career.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p178}} He signed again with Monument in 1976 and recorded ''[[Regeneration (Roy Orbison album)|Regeneration]]'' with Fred Foster, but it proved no more successful than before.

In late 1977, Orbison was not feeling well and decided to spend the winter in Hawaii. He checked in to a hospital there, where testing discovered that he had severely obstructed [[coronary arteries]] and was barely alive.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p177}} Orbison underwent open-heart surgery on January 18, 1978.<ref name="offbio" /> He had suffered from [[Peptic ulcer|duodenal ulcers]] since 1960 and had been a heavy smoker since adolescence.<ref>Clayson, Alan, pp. 3, 183–184.</ref> Orbison said he felt rejuvenated after the procedure, but he continued to smoke cigarettes, despite the advice of his doctor.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p178}}.

=== 1980–1988: Revival and Traveling Wilburys ===
[[File:Orbison1987.jpg|thumb|right|Orbison performing in New York in 1987]]
In 1980, [[Don McLean]] recorded a cover of Orbison's 1961 hit single "[[Crying (Roy Orbison song)|Crying]]"{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017}} and it went to the top of the charts, first in the Netherlands then reaching number five in the US and staying on the charts for 15 weeks; it was number one in the UK for three weeks and also topped the Irish charts.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p182}} In 1981, he performed "Pretty Woman" on an episode of ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0567227/|title = The Great Hazzard Hijack| website=[[IMDb]] |date = March 27, 1981}}</ref> Orbison was all but forgotten in the US, yet he reached popularity in less likely places such as [[Bulgaria]] in 1982.{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017}} He was astonished to find that he was as popular there as he had been in 1964, and he was forced to stay in his hotel room because he was mobbed on the streets of [[Sofia]].<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p183}} In 1981, Emmylou Harris and he won a [[Grammy Award]] for their duet "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again" from the comedy film ''[[Roadie (1980 film)|Roadie]]'' (in which Orbison also played a cameo role), and things were picking up.{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017|p=183}} It was Orbison's first Grammy, and he felt hopeful of making a full return to popular music,<ref>Clayson, Alan, p. 192.</ref> In the meantime, [[Van Halen]] released a hard-rock cover of "Oh, Pretty Woman" on their 1982 album ''[[Diver Down]]'', further exposing a younger generation to Orbison's music.{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017|p=183}}

Orbison, his wife, and two oldest children moved from Nashville to [[Malibu, California|Malibu]] in 1986<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p189}}. Following the move, Orbison's involvement with the Los Angeles creative community proved to be very important for him.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p214}}.

Orbison was alleged to have originally declined [[David Lynch]]'s request to allow the use of "In Dreams" for the film ''[[Blue Velvet (film)|Blue Velvet]]'' (1986),<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p191}} although Lynch has stated to the contrary that his producers and he obtained permission to use the song without speaking to Orbison in the first place.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXoqN6mPGPE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/GXoqN6mPGPE| archive-date=December 11, 2021|title=David Lynch on working with Roy Orbison |author=adamzanzie |website=youtube.com |date=September 5, 2019 |access-date=August 20, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Lynch's first choice for a song had actually been "Crying";{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017|p=199}} the song served as one of several obsessions of psychopath [[Frank Booth (Blue Velvet)|Frank Booth]] ([[Dennis Hopper]]). It was lip-synched by Ben ([[Dean Stockwell]]), Booth's drug-dealer boss, using an industrial work light as a pretend microphone, lighting his face.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |title=Dean Stockwell in 'Blue Velvet': The Movie That Made Him Timeless |url=https://variety.com/2021/film/columns/dean-stockwell-blue-velvet-quantum-leap-1235108606/ |work=Variety |date=November 9, 2021}}</ref> In later scenes, Booth demands the song be played repeatedly, and also wanting the song while beating the protagonist.<ref>{{cite web |last=Oisin H.C |first=Toni |title=How 'Blue Velvet's Frank Booth Is an Allegory for Internalized Homophobia |url=https://collider.com/blue-velvet-frank-booth-toxic-masculinity/ |website=Collider |language=en |date=December 1, 2021}}</ref> During filming, Lynch would also sit his cast down every few hours and ask them to listen to the song.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p193}} Orbison was initially shocked at its use; he saw the film in a theater in Malibu and later said, "I was mortified because they were talking about the 'candy-colored clown' in relation to a dope deal&nbsp;... I thought, 'What in the world&nbsp;...?' But later, when I was touring, we got the video out and I really got to appreciate what David gave to the song, and what the song gave to the movie—how it achieved this otherworldly quality that added a whole new dimension to 'In Dreams'."<ref name="escott"/> The use of "In Dreams" in the film greatly helped Orbison's comeback.<ref name="offbio" />

In 1987, Orbison released an album of re-recorded hits titled ''[[In Dreams: The Greatest Hits]]''. "Life Fades Away", a song he co-wrote with his friend [[Glenn Danzig]] and recorded, was featured in the film ''[[Less than Zero (film)|Less than Zero]]'' (1987).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royorbison.com/glenn-danzig-and-roy-orbison/ |title=Glenn Danzig and Roy Orbison |publisher=RoyOrbison.com |access-date=July 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219224630/http://www.royorbison.com/glenn-danzig-and-roy-orbison/ |archive-date=February 19, 2015 }}</ref>  [[k.d. lang]] and he performed a duet of "Crying" for inclusion on the soundtrack to the film ''[[Hiding Out]]'' (1987); the pair received a [[Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals]] after Orbison's death.<ref name="grammy">{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/roy-orbison |title=Grammy Award Results for Roy Orbison |website=Recording Academy GRAMMY Awards |access-date=June 16, 2018}}</ref>

Also in 1987, Orbison was inducted into the [[Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame]] and was initiated into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] by Bruce Springsteen, who concluded his speech with a reference to his own album ''[[Born to Run]]'': "I wanted a record with words like Bob Dylan that sounded like Phil Spector—but, most of all, I wanted to sing like Roy Orbison. Now, everyone knows that no one sings like Roy Orbison."<ref name="clayson202-203">Clayson, Alan, pp. 202–203.</ref> In response, Orbison asked Springsteen for a copy of the speech, and said of his induction that he felt "validated" by the honor.<ref name="clayson202-203"/> After the awards, Orbison signed with [[Virgin Records]], which immediately released a "greatest hits" album and began preparing for an album of new songs.<ref name="offbio" />

A few months later, Orbison and Springsteen paired again to film a concert at the [[Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles)|Cocoanut Grove nightclub]] in Los Angeles. They were joined by [[Jackson Browne]], [[T Bone Burnett]], [[Elvis Costello]], [[Tom Waits]], [[Bonnie Raitt]], [[Jennifer Warnes]], [[James Burton]], [[JD Souther]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.james-burton.net/biography/ |title=Biography |website=The Official James Burton Website |access-date=July 4, 2014}}</ref> and k.d. lang. Lang later recounted how humbled Orbison had been by the display of support from so many talented and busy musicians: "Roy looked at all of us and said, 'If there is anything I can ever do for you, please call on me'. He was very serious. It was his way of thanking us. It was very emotional."<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p207}} The concert was filmed in one take and aired on [[Cinemax]] under the title ''[[Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night]]''; it was released on video by Virgin Records, selling 50,000 copies.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p205}} The concert is considered a landmark in Orbison's career.<ref name="offbio" />

The creation of the world's most recognized [[Supergroup (music)|supergroup]],<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/supergroups-from-cream-and-traveling-wilburys-to-audioslave-and-chickenfoot-140540/cream-38577/ | title=Supergroups: From Cream and Traveling Wilburys to Audioslave and Chickenfoot | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | date=December 3, 2010 }}</ref> '''[[Traveling Wilburys]]''' began in 1987, when Orbison began collaborating seriously with [[Electric Light Orchestra]] bandleader [[Jeff Lynne]] on a new album.<ref name="offbio" /> Lynne had just completed production work on George Harrison's ''[[Cloud Nine (George Harrison album)|Cloud Nine]]'' album, and all three ate lunch together one day when Orbison accepted an invitation to sing on Harrison's new single.{{sfnp|Slate, Orbison et al.|2017|p=211}} They subsequently contacted Bob Dylan, who, in turn, allowed them to use a recording studio in his home. Along the way, Harrison made a quick visit to [[Tom Petty]]'s residence to obtain his guitar; Petty and his band had backed Dylan on his last tour.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p218}} By that evening, the group had written "[[Handle with Care (song)|Handle with Care]]", which led to the concept of recording an entire album. They called themselves the Traveling Wilburys, representing themselves as half-brothers with the same father. They gave themselves stage names; Orbison chose his from his musical hero, calling himself "Lefty Wilbury" after Lefty Frizzell.<ref>Clayson, Alan, pp. 206–207.</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/traveling-wilburys-vol-1-103329/|title=Traveling Wilburys Volume One|first1=David|last1=Wild|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=October 18, 1988}}</ref> Expanding on the concept of a traveling band of raucous musicians, Orbison offered a quote about the group's foundation in honor: "Some people say Daddy was a cad and a bounder. I remember him as a Baptist minister."<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p221}}

Lynne later spoke of the recording sessions: "Everybody just sat there going, 'Wow, it's Roy Orbison!'&nbsp;... Even though he's become your pal and you're hanging out and having a laugh and going to dinner, as soon as he gets behind that [mic] and he's doing his business, suddenly it's shudder time."<ref>Clayson, Alan, p. 208.</ref> The band's debut album, ''[[Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1]]'' (1988), was released on October 25, 1988.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-traveling-wilburys-vol-1-mw0000787431|title=The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 - The Traveling Wilburys &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits &#124; AllMusic|via=www.allmusic.com}}</ref> Orbison was given one solo track, "[[Not Alone Any More]]", on the album. His contributions were highly praised by the press.<ref name="grammy"/><ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p222}}
Orbison determinedly pursued his second chance at stardom, but he expressed amazement at his success: "It's very nice to be wanted again, but I still can't quite believe it."<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p223}} He lost some weight to fit his new image and the constant demand of touring, as well as the newer demands of making videos. In the final three months of his life, he gave ''Rolling Stone'' extensive access to his daily activities; he intended to write an autobiography and wanted [[Martin Sheen]] to play him in a biopic.<ref name=Pond/>

Orbison completed a solo comeback album, ''[[Mystery Girl]]'', in November 1988.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p227-8}} ''Mystery Girl'' was co-produced by Jeff Lynne. Orbison considered Lynne to be the best producer with whom he had ever collaborated.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p213}} Elvis Costello, [[Bono]], Orbison's son Wesley, and others offered their songs to him.{{sfnp|Whitburn|2004|p=524}}<ref name="britishhits"/>

Around November 1988, Orbison confided in Johnny Cash that he was having chest pains.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p226}} Orbison traveled to Europe and received an award at the Diamond Awards festival in [[Antwerp]], where footage for the video for "You Got It" was filmed.<ref name="offbio" /> He gave several interviews a day in a hectic schedule and became ill with a blinding headache during the final interview.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p226}} A few days later, a manager at a club in [[Boston]] was concerned that he looked ill, but Orbison played the show to a standing ovation.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p227-8}}