Post by Holsety on Sept 22, 2019 21:15:26 GMT
Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23rd, 1936 - December 6, 1988)
Member of: Traveling Wilburys (1988)
Vocal Range: E2 - E5
{Description By Dark Star }With his ethereal tone, signature vibrato-heavy phrasing, and crystal clear high register, Texas-born singer-songwriter Roy Orbison had a voice few could match. Best known for hits such as “Only the Lonely,” “In Dreams,” and “(Oh!) Pretty Woman,” Orbison’s style was a seamless bland of rock, crooning, country and opera, allowing his voice to take on a variety of different styles and emotional coloring.
First coming to prominence in the 1960s’, Orbison won acclaim almost instantly for his singing, with Elvis Presley calling him ‘the greatest singer in the world.’ In addition to his technical skills, Orbison is perhaps second to only Sinatra in his ability to convey emotion palpably through song, best evidenced by the devastating crescendos he’d build up to in songs such as “Running Scared” and “It’s Over.”
Orbison’s career hit a road block by the end of the 1960s’ and throughout the 1970s’, but he had a major resurgence in 1986, when his classic “In Dreams” became a hit once again for its use in the movie Blue Velvet. His album Mystery Girl as well as his stint with The Traveling Wilburys saw Orbison achieve perhaps his greatest artistic success, thanks to its significant contributions from names such as Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Jeff Lynne, and Bono, all of whom consider him a significant influence. His performances from this time such as “She’s a Mystery to Me,” “The Comedians,” and “Life Fades Away” show that Roy had lost virtually nothing vocally, with his high range and signature tone still intact, his slightly older sound even more capable of giving sincere, dramatic and touching renditions.
On December 6, 1988, Roy Orbison passed away of a heart attack, leaving a rich legacy that still lives on today. Without a doubt one of the unique and greatest voices ever, and one most aspiring singers should study not only for his technical prowess, but his incredibly tasteful approach to his high range and outstanding grasp on dynamics. A truly one-of-a-kind singer.
First coming to prominence in the 1960s’, Orbison won acclaim almost instantly for his singing, with Elvis Presley calling him ‘the greatest singer in the world.’ In addition to his technical skills, Orbison is perhaps second to only Sinatra in his ability to convey emotion palpably through song, best evidenced by the devastating crescendos he’d build up to in songs such as “Running Scared” and “It’s Over.”
Orbison’s career hit a road block by the end of the 1960s’ and throughout the 1970s’, but he had a major resurgence in 1986, when his classic “In Dreams” became a hit once again for its use in the movie Blue Velvet. His album Mystery Girl as well as his stint with The Traveling Wilburys saw Orbison achieve perhaps his greatest artistic success, thanks to its significant contributions from names such as Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Jeff Lynne, and Bono, all of whom consider him a significant influence. His performances from this time such as “She’s a Mystery to Me,” “The Comedians,” and “Life Fades Away” show that Roy had lost virtually nothing vocally, with his high range and signature tone still intact, his slightly older sound even more capable of giving sincere, dramatic and touching renditions.
On December 6, 1988, Roy Orbison passed away of a heart attack, leaving a rich legacy that still lives on today. Without a doubt one of the unique and greatest voices ever, and one most aspiring singers should study not only for his technical prowess, but his incredibly tasteful approach to his high range and outstanding grasp on dynamics. A truly one-of-a-kind singer.
Significant High Notes:
E5 ("Hey, Good Lookin’", "Indian Wedding")
E♭5 ("Dance")
D5 ("Blue Rain (Coming Down)", "Cry Softly, Lonely One", "Crying", "End of the Line", "God Love You", "I Recommend Her", "Indian Wedding", "Laurie")
C♯5 ("Heartache", "Lana", "Land of a Thousand Dances", "Pantomime")
C5 ("Blue Angel", "In Dreams", "It Takes All Kinds of People", "It's Lonely", "Laurie", "Mean Woman Blues", "Only the Lonely", "Pistolero", "(Say) You're My Girl", "She's a Mystery to Me")
B4 ("Breaking Up Is Breaking My Heart", "Cry Softly, Lonely One", "Falling", "Goodnight", "Harlem Woman", "Hey, Good Lookin’", "Hung Up on You", "I Recommend Her", "I Wanna Live", "I'm in a Blue, Blue Mood", "If Only for Awhile", "Indian Wedding", "Lana", "Land of a Thousand Dances", "Life Fades Away", "A Love So Beautiful", "Money (That’s What I Want)", "Only Alive", "Pantomime", "Poor Baby", "She", "Walk On", "Where Is Tomorrow", "You Win Again")
B♭4 ("After the Love Has Gone", "All I Have to Do Is Dream", "Belinda", "Blue Angel", "Blue Rain (Coming Down)", "The Comedians", "The Crowd", "Crying Time", "Dance", "The Fastest Guitar Alive", "I Drove All Night", "(I Get So) Sentimental", "(I'm a) Southern Man", "It's Over", "Leah")
A4 ("After Tonight", "(All I Can Do) Is Dream You", "All I Need is Time", "Beaujolais", "Beautiful Dreamer", "Best Friend", "Borne on the Wind", "Break My Mind", "Breaking Up Is Breaking My Heart", "California Blue", "California Sunshine Girl", "Careless Heart", "Crawling Back", "Child-Woman, Woman-Child", "Communication Breakdown", "The Crowd", "Crying", "Danny Boy", "Dream", "Drift Away", "Easy Way Out", "Falling", "Friday Night", "Give Up", "God Love You", "The Great Pretender", "Heartbreak Radio", "Help Me", "House Without Windows", "I Can’t Stop Loving You" ’72 version, "I Care", "(I Get So) Sentimental", "I Wanna Live", "(I'm a) Southern Man", "I’m Hurtin’", "I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry", "I’ve Been Loving You Too Long", "If Only for Awhile", "In Dreams", "In the Real World", "It Ain't No Big Thing (Just Say So Long)", "It Takes One (to Know One)", "It's Over", "Just Let Me Make Believe", "Land of a Thousand Dances", "(Last Night) I Heard You Crying in Your Sleep", "Leah", "Let the Good Times Roll", "Losing You", "Love in Time", "Mean Woman Blues", "Money (That’s What I Want)", "More", "Movin’", "My Prayer", "A New Star", "Not Alone Any More", "The Only One", "Pistolero", "Pretty One", "Problem Child", "Remember the Good", "Rollin’ On", "Run the Engines Up High", "Running Scared", "(Say) You're My Girl", "Spanish Nights", "Still", "Sugar and Honey", "Sunset", "She Wears My Ring", "Sweet Caroline", "Take Care of Your Woman", "Tears", "That’s a No No", "(They Call You) Gigolette", "This Is My Land", "Time to Cry", "Truly Truly True", "Unchained Melody", "Twinkle Toes", "Wait", "Walk On", "We’ll Take the Night", "What Now My Love", "When I Stop Dreaming", "Where Is Tomorrow", "Whirlwind", "Wild Hearts Run Out of Time", "Windsurfer", "Wondering", "Working for the Man", "You Don’t Know Me", "You May Feel Me Crying", "You Got It", "You Lay So Easy on My Mind", "You Win Again", "You’ll Never Walk Alone")
G♯4 ("(All I Can Do) Is Dream You", "Breaking Up Is Breaking My Heart", "Can't Wait", "Careless Heart", "Circle", "Go, Go, Go (Down the Line)", "Harlem Woman", "Heartache", "Indian Wedding", "It Takes One (to Know One)", "Just Another Name for Rock and Roll", "Little Girl (in the Big City)", "Love Is a Cold Wind", "Night Life", "No Chain at All", "Only You", "Pantomime", "Ride Away", "Rollin’ On", "She", "The Star-Spangled Banner" live LA Kings Game 1988, "That’s a No No", "Warm Hot Spot", "We’ll Take the Night", "Why Hurt the One Who Loves You", "Yesterday’s Child", "Yo Te Amo Maria", "You Got It", "Your Cheatin’ Heart")
G4 ("Afraid to Sleep", "All I Need is Time", "Amy", "Belinda", "Big as I Can Dream", "Blue Angel", "Blue Avenue", "Blue Bayou", "Blue, Blue Day", "California Blue", "Candy Man", "Changes", "Circle", "Cold, Cold Heart", "The Comedians", "The Crowd", "Dream Baby", "Evergreen", "Go Away", "Goodnight", "The Great Pretender", "Growing Up", "Help Me", "Help Me Rhonda", "Hung Up on You", "I Can’t Stop Loving You" ’72 version, "I Drove All Night", "I Fought the Law", "I Recommend Her", "I Wanna Live", "I’ll Say It’s My Fault", "I’m Hurtin’", "I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry", "In Dreams", "It Wasn't Very Long Ago", "It's Lonely", "It’s Too Late", "Jumbalaya (On the Bayou)", "Just Another Name for Rock and Roll", "Lay It Down", "Leaving Makes the Rain Come Down", "Let’s Make a Memory", "Loneliness", "Love Hurts", "Love in Time", "A Love So Beautiful", "Loving Touch", "A Mansion on the Hill",. "Mean Little Mama", "Money (That’s What I Want)", "A New Star", "(No) I’ll Never Get Over You", "Night Life", "Not Alone Any More", "Oh, Such a Stranger", "Only the Lonely", "Poor Baby", "Rock House", "The Same Street", "Say No More", "(Say) You're My Girl", "She Won’t Hang Her Love (Out on the Line)", "Spanish Nights", "Summer Song", "Sunset", "Sweet Dreams", "Sweet Memories", "There’ll Be No Teardrops Tomorrow", "(They Call You) Gigolette", "This Is Your Song", "Too Soon to Know", "Truly Truly True", "Try to Remember", "Twinkle Toes", "Under Suspicion", "Wait", "Walk On", "What I'd Say", "When I Stop Dreaming", "Whirlwind", "Wondering", "The World You Live In", "Working for the Man", "You Fool You", "You May Feel Me Crying", "You Win Again", "You’ll Never Be Sixteen Again", "Your Cheatin’ Heart", "You’re the One")
F♯4 ("After the Love Has Gone", "(All I Can Do) Is Dream You", "All I Need is Time", "Born to Love Me", "Careless Heart", "Claudette", "Cold, Cold Heart", "Crying Time", "Easy Way Out", "End of the Line", "Evergreen", "Far, Far Away", "Give Myself a Party", "Give Up", "Going Back to Gloria", "Good Time Party", "Handle With Care", "Harlem Woman", "Heading South", "Heartbreak Radio", "Hey, Good Lookin’", "Hound Dog Man", "Hung Up on You", "I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love With You)", "I Can’t Stop Loving You", "I Will Always", "(I'm A) Southern Man", "Lana", "(Last Night) I Heard You Crying in Your Sleep", "Life Fades Away", "Lonely Wine", "More", "The Morning After", "No One Will Ever Know", "Not Alone Any More", "Oh, Pretty Woman", "Only Alive", "Plain Jane Country", "Rainbow Love", "Raindrops", "Ride Away", "Sleepy Hollow", "Still", "Sugar and Honey", "Sweet and Easy to Love", "Sweet Mama Blue", "The World You Live In", "There’ll Be No Teardrops Tomorrow", "This Kind of Love", "Unchained Melody", "Why a Woman Cries", "Wild Hearts Run Out of Time", "Yo Te Amo Maria", "You Don’t Know Me", "You’ll Never Walk Alone", "You’re the One")
F4 ("After Tonight", "Best Friend", "Big as I Can Dream", "Borne on the Wind", "Can't Wait", "Changes", "Crawling Back", "The Defector", "Dream Baby", "(I Get So) Sentimental", "(I’d Be) a Legend in My Time", "I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry", "(Last Night) I Heard You Crying in Your Sleep", "Love Hurts", "Maybe", "No Chain at All", "Ooby Dooby", "Penny Arcade", "Say No More", "There Won’t Be Many Coming Home", "Trying to Get to You", "Under Suspicion", "We’re Into Something Good", "Wedding Day", "Wondering", "You Fool You", "You're My Baby")
Significant Low Notes:
D3 ("All I Need is Time", "Amy", "California Sunshine Girl", "Child-Woman, Woman-Child", "City Life", "Cold, Cold Heart", "Come Back to Me (My Love)", "Distant Drums", "Evergreen", "Give Myself a Party", "Good Time Party", "Help Me", "House Without Windows", "I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love With You)", "I Can’t Stop Loving You", "I Care", "It Ain’t No Big Thing (But It’s Growing)", "It Takes All Kinds of People", "Jumbalaya (on the Bayou)", "Let’s Make a Memory", "Lonesome Number One", "Medicine Man", "Not Alone Any More", "Oh, Such a Stranger", "Only Alive", "Problem Child", "Raindrops", "Run, Baby, Run (Back Into My Arms)", "Still", "Sugar and Honey", "There’ll Be No Teardrops Tomorrow", "This Is Your Song", "Wedding Day", "What About Me", "Words", "You Fool You")
C♯3 ("Big Hearted Me", "Blues in My Mind", "California Blue", "Crawling Back", "Crying", "Heading South", "Hung Up on You", "If Only for Awhile", "If You Can't Say Something Nice", "It Takes One (to Know One)", "Memories", "More", "A New Star", "Night Life", "Remember the Good", "Rock House", "Running Scared", "This Kind of Love", "Unchained Melody", "We’ll Take the Night", "Why a Woman Cries", "Wild Hearts Run Out of Time", "You’re the One")
C3 ("All I Have to Do Is Dream", "Amy", "Best Friend", "Big as I Can Dream", "Blue Bayou", "Blue Rain (Coming Down)", "Born to Love Me", "Breaking Up Is Breaking My Heart", "The Comedians", "The Crowd", "Cry", "Cry Softly, "The Defector", "Drift Away", "Lonely One", "Go Away", "Go, Go, Go, (Down the Line)", "Good Morning, Dear", "I Drove All Night", "(I Get So) Sentimental", "(I’d Be) a Legend in My Time", "Indian Wedding", "It's Lonely", "Laurie", "Leaving Makes the Rain Come Down", "Loneliness", "The Loner", "Mama", "Maybe", "Never", "Pretty One", "(Say) You're My Girl", "Scarlet Ribbons (for Her Hair)", "She Wears My Ring", "She’s a Mystery to Me", "Something You Can't Take Away", "Sunset", "There Won’t Be Many Coming Home", "The Three Bells", "Time Changed Everything", "Too Soon to Know", "Twenty-Two Days", "Walk On", "Whirlwind", "Yo Te Amo Maria", "You May Feel Me Crying")
B2 ("Born to Love Me", "Communication Breakdown", "Crying" kd lang version, "Dirty World", "God Love You", "Heartache", "Heading South", "Hey, Good Lookin’", "Here Comes the Rain, Baby", "I'm in a Blue, Blue Mood", "I’m the Man on Susie’s Mind", "If You Can't Say Something Nice", "It Ain’t No Big Thing (But It’s Growing)", "It Ain't No Big Thing (Just Say So Long)", "It Takes One (to Know One)", "It’s Too Late", "Kaw Liga", "Leah", "Life Fades Away", "Losing You", "Memories", "More", "A New Star", "Old Love Song", "One of the Lonely Ones", "(No) I’ll Never Get Over You", "Pretty Paper", "Rainbow Love", "Ride Away", "River", "Rollin’ On", "Run the Engines Up High", "She", "Sleepy Hollow", "Summer Love", "Summer Song", "Sweet Dreams", "Take Care of Your Woman", "Unchained Melody", "Wait", "Why Hurt the One Who Loves You", "The World You Live In", "You’ll Never Be Sixteen Again")
B♭2 ("All I Need is Time", "Big as I Can Dream", "Blue Angel", "The Defector", "Lonely Wine", "Only the Lonely", "Pantomime", "Something You Can't Take Away")
A2 ("The Comedians", "Crawling Back", "Goodnight", "In Dreams", "Growing Up", "Hung Up on You", "I Wanna Live", "I’m the Man on Susie’s Mind", "Little Girl (in the Big City)", "The Only One", "Pretty One", "Rainbow Love", "Run the Engines Up High", "She’s a Mystery to Me", "Spanish Nights", "Take Care of Your Woman", "There Won’t Be Many Coming Home", "This Is My Land", "Trying to Get to You", "You Don’t Know Me", "You’ll Never Be Sixteen Again", "You’ll Never Walk Alone", "You’re Gonna Cry")
G♯2 ("(I'm a) Southern Man", "The Star-Spangled Banner" live LA Kings Game 1988)
G2 ("Sweet Caroline")
F2 ("Go, Go, Go (Down the Line)" live in London 1983)
E2 ("Night Life")
..................................................................................
*Blue marks soft falsetto notes or notes with a lighter approach.
*Underlines mark any instance of backing vocal or singing otherwise obscured.
{Album Ranges}
Lonely And Blue (1960): B♭2-A4 -C5
Roy Orbison at the Rock House (1961): A2-G4-A4
Crying (1962): E2-B♭4-E♭5
In Dreams (1963): A2-A4-C5
The Orbison Way (1965): A2-B4
There Is Only One Roy Orbison (1965): B♭2-A4-B4
Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson (1966): C3-G4
The Classic Roy Orbison (1966): A2-A4-C♯5
Cry Softly Lonely One (1967): B2-B4-D5
The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967): A2-C5
Roy Orbison’s Many Moods (1969): B2-B4-D5
Hank Williams The Orbison Way (1970): B2-B4-E5
The Big 'O' (1970): C3-C♯5
Roy Orbison Sings (1972): B2-C5-D5
Memphis (1972): A2-A4
One Of The Lonely Ones (1973*): A2-A4-D5
Milestones (1973): G2-B♭4-D5
I’m Still In Love With You (1974): A2-C5
Regeneration (1977): G♯2-B♭4
Laminar Flow (1979): D3-B4
Mystery Girl (1989): A2-C5
King Of Hearts (1992): B2-B4
*Released 2015
Lonely And Blue (1960): B♭2-A4 -C5
Roy Orbison at the Rock House (1961): A2-G4-A4
Crying (1962): E2-B♭4-E♭5
In Dreams (1963): A2-A4-C5
The Orbison Way (1965): A2-B4
There Is Only One Roy Orbison (1965): B♭2-A4-B4
Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson (1966): C3-G4
The Classic Roy Orbison (1966): A2-A4-C♯5
Cry Softly Lonely One (1967): B2-B4-D5
The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967): A2-C5
Roy Orbison’s Many Moods (1969): B2-B4-D5
Hank Williams The Orbison Way (1970): B2-B4-E5
The Big 'O' (1970): C3-C♯5
Roy Orbison Sings (1972): B2-C5-D5
Memphis (1972): A2-A4
One Of The Lonely Ones (1973*): A2-A4-D5
Milestones (1973): G2-B♭4-D5
I’m Still In Love With You (1974): A2-C5
Regeneration (1977): G♯2-B♭4
Laminar Flow (1979): D3-B4
Mystery Girl (1989): A2-C5
King Of Hearts (1992): B2-B4
*Released 2015
