Age, Biography and Wiki

Roy Orbison (Roy Kelton Orbison (The Big O, The Voice, The Caruso of Rock, Lefty Wilbury)) was born on 23 April, 1936 in Vernon, Texas, U.S., is an American singer-songwriter (1936–1988). Discover Roy Orbison's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 52 years old?

Popular As Roy Kelton Orbison (The Big O, The Voice, The Caruso of Rock, Lefty Wilbury)
Occupation Singer-songwriter musician
Age 52 years old
Zodiac Sign Taurus
Born 23 April, 1936
Birthday 23 April
Birthplace Vernon, Texas, U.S.
Date of death 6 December, 1988
Died Place Hendersonville, Tennessee, U.S.
Nationality United States

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 23 April. He is a member of famous Soundtrack with the age 52 years old group.

Roy Orbison Height, Weight & Measurements

At 52 years old, Roy Orbison height is 5' 11" (1.8 m) .

Physical Status
Height 5' 11" (1.8 m)
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
Hair Color Not Available

Who Is Roy Orbison's Wife?

His wife is Claudette Frady (m. 1957-November 1964) (m. October 1965-June 6, 1966) Barbara Jakobs (m. March 25, 1969)

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Claudette Frady (m. 1957-November 1964) (m. October 1965-June 6, 1966) Barbara Jakobs (m. March 25, 1969)
Sibling Not Available
Children 5, including, Alex

Roy Orbison Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Roy Orbison worth at the age of 52 years old? Roy Orbison’s income source is mostly from being a successful Soundtrack. He is from United States. We have estimated Roy Orbison's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income Soundtrack

Roy Orbison Social Network

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Timeline

1715

Orbison’s direct paternal ancestor was traced to Thomas Orbison (b.1715) from Lurgan, Northern Ireland who settled in the Province of Pennsylvania in the middle of the century.

1913

He was the second of three sons born to Orbie Lee Orbison (1913–1984) and Nadine Vesta Shults (1914–1992).

1936

Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads.

Orbison was born on April 23, 1936, in Vernon, Texas.

1940

He began singing on a local radio show at age 8, and he became the show's host by the late 1940s.

At the age of 9, Orbison won a contest on radio station KVWC, which led to his own radio show where he sang the same songs every week.

1942

According to The Authorized Roy Orbison, a biography written by Roy's son Alex, the family moved to Fort Worth in 1942 to find work in the aircraft factories.

He attended Denver Avenue Elementary School there until a polio scare prompted the family to return to Vernon.

Orbison's father gave him a guitar on his sixth birthday, and Roy was taught how to play it by his father and older brother.

Roy recalled, "I was finished, you know, for anything else" by the time he was 7, and music became the focus of his life.

His major musical influence as a youth was country music.

He was particularly moved by Lefty Frizzell's singing, with its slurred syllables, leading Orbison to adopt the stage name "Lefty Wilbury" during his time with the Traveling Wilburys.

He also enjoyed Hank Williams, Moon Mullican and Jimmie Rodgers.

One of the first musicians that he heard in person was Ernest Tubb, playing on the back of a truck in Fort Worth.

In West Texas, he was exposed to rhythm and blues, Tex-Mex, the orchestral arrangements of Mantovani, and Cajun music.

The cajun favorite "Jole Blon" was one of the first songs that he sang in public.

1946

According to The Authorized Roy Orbison, the family moved again in 1946, to Wink, Texas.

Orbison described life in Wink as "football, oil fields, oil, grease, and sand" and expressed relief that he was able to leave the desolate town.

All the Orbison children had poor eyesight; Roy used thick corrective lenses from an early age.

He was self-conscious about his appearance and began dyeing his nearly-white hair black when he was still young.

He was quiet, self-effacing, and remarkably polite and obliging.

He was always keen to sing, however, and considered his voice memorable, but not great.

1949

In 1949, at the ago of 13, Orbison and some friends formed the band Wink Westerners.

1956

He was signed by Sam Phillips of Sun Records in 1956, but enjoyed his greatest success with Monument Records.

1960

Orbison's music is mostly in the rock genre and his most successful periods were in the early 1960s and the late 1980s.

His music was described by critics as operatic, earning him the nicknames "The Caruso of Rock" and "The Big O".

Many of Orbison's songs conveyed vulnerability at a time when most male rock-and-roll performers projected machismo.

He performed with minimal motion and in black clothes, matching his dyed black hair and dark sunglasses.

Born in Texas, Orbison began singing in a rockabilly and country-and-western band as a teenager.

From 1960 to 1966, 22 of Orbison's singles reached the Billboard Top 40.

He wrote or co-wrote almost all of his own Top 10 hits, including "Only the Lonely" (1960), "Running Scared" (1961), "Crying" (1961), "In Dreams" (1963), and "Oh, Pretty Woman" (1964).

After the mid-1960s Orbison suffered a number of personal tragedies, and his career faltered.

1980

He experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s, following the success of several cover versions of his songs.

1987

Orbison's honors include inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989, and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2014.

He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and five other Grammy Awards.

Rolling Stone placed him at number 37 on its list of the "Greatest Artists of All Time" and number 13 on its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time".

1988

In 1988, he co-founded the Traveling Wilburys supergroup with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne.

Orbison died of a heart attack that December at age 52.

1989

One month later, his song "You Got It" (1989) was released as a solo single, becoming his first hit to reach both the US and UK Top 10 in nearly 25 years.

2002

In 2002, Billboard magazine listed him at number 74 on its list of the Top 600 recording artists.