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April 15, 2004

The Immortals - The Greatest Artists of All Time: 37) Roy Orbison

By K.D. Lang

Recordings and Reviews

The Soul of Rock and Roll

Roy Orbison was a superhero of song. Unassuming in appearance, he became someone extraordinary when his weeping tenor took flight, rising from deep, dark places on anguished ballads like "Only the Lonely" and "Crying." Orbison rebuilt the stark balladry of Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" as a juk...

2008 RS: 5of 5 Stars

Mystery Girl

1989

Laminar Flow

1979

I'm Still in Love with You

1976

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Biography

One of the original, if not the most enthusiastic, Sun Records rockabilly artists, Roy Orbison went on to become one of the most distinctive singers in popular music. In his first peak period (1961-64), Roy Orbison vacillated between snarling blues rock and his mainstay, the romantic/paranoiac ballad with crescendoing falsetto and strings. With his twanging guitar and quavering bel canto tenor, Or...

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