Editing Roy Orbison (section)

=== 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
|filename=Roy Orbison - Oh, Pretty Woman.ogg
|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}}