The Hugo Keesing collection on Roy Orbison

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Roy Orbison (1936-1988) was an award-winning American singer-songwriter who, in the development of rock and roll in the 1950s and 1960s, stood out for his reserved stage presence, powerful vocals, and emotionally vulnerable ballads like "Only the Lonely" and "Crying." Always dressed in all black, wearing thick black sunglasses, with dyed black hair, Orbison performed his music standing almost completely still for the duration of each concert. Often referred to as the "Big O" and the "[Enrico] Caruso of Rock," a comparison to the famous opera singer of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Orbison's big break happened in 1956 when he signed with Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis. After moving to Monument Records in 1960, Orbison was one of the first to popularize the "Nashville sound," pioneered by producer Chet Atkins and characterized by its smooth vocals, refined textures and tempos, and easy tempos - an attempt to revive country music after the rise of rock and roll. Orbison gained international fame in 1963 when he toured the globe with major acts of the day, such as The Beatles and Rolling Stones. In spite of the rock and roll craze in America known as the "British Invasion" that took place during 1964 and 1965, Orbison was still able to maintain his popularity during this time, with his 1964 hit "Oh, Pretty Woman" reaching No. 1 on both the British and American Hot 100 charts. Unfortunately, his success began to decline in 1966 when his wife Claudette was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident. He still toured in the late 1960s and recorded throughout the 1970s, even starring in a film titled The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967), but did not see the same commericial success he had prior to his wife's death. Tragedy struck again when his two eldest sons were killed in a house fire in 1968. His career experienced a revival in the late 1970s and 1980s when famous artists of the time, such as Linda Ronstadt and Van Halen, recorded Orbison's songs, exposing a new generation to his music. In 1981 he won his first Grammy for his duet with Emmylou Harris, "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again." By 1987 he had gained enough popularity to re-release several of his recordings on an album titled In Dreams: The Greatest Hits. Orbison was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and initiated into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Bruce Springsteen that same year. Shortly after, Virgin Records released a recorded concert titled Roy Orbison and Frieads: A Black & White Night, featuring musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, and k.d. lang. In 1988 Orbison formed a "super-group" band called the Traveling Wilburys with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, George Harrison, and Jeff Lynne (lead of the Electric Light Orchestra). Their album remained for several weeks on the Hot 100 charts in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia and won Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. During this same year, Orbison also completed a solo album within a month before his untimely death, titled Myster Girl. He died of heart attack at the age of 52 on December 6, 1988.