Roy Orbison - The Man Behind the Sunglasses and Pretty Woman - Photos Behind the Music

Elvis once called Roy Orbison the best singer in the world. He had a 3-4 octave range, earning him the nickname The Caruso of Rock. His distinctive sound and penetrating vocals became the soundtrack of a generation.

When Roy Orbison was 6 years old, his parents gave him a guitar. The year was 1942 and his Dad taught him the chords to You Are My Sunshine. From then on, music was it for him. For Roy Orbison, singing would be his sunshine time and time again throughout his life.

Orbison grew up in Texas, his parents both working at a defense plant in Ft. Worth, the war a backdrop in their lives. Their house, a gathering place for many, had a steady stream of soldiers coming over to play music. Orbison watched those young men, ready to ship off to war, full of life and energy. He said, “I guess that level of intensity made a big impression on me, because it’s still there. That sense of “do it for all it’s worth and do it now and do it good.” Not to analyze it too much, but I think the verve and gusto that everybody felt and portrayed around me has stayed with me all this time.”

He started out at Sun Studio in Memphis where he recorded Ooby Dooby, his first hit song in the late 50s. He rubbed elbows with the likes Elvis and Johnny Cash. He met his wife, Claudette.

He made the switch to Monument Records in Nashville and his career took off. During the first half of the 1960s, Orbison had 24 Top 40 hits, including Only the Lonely, Crying, Running Scared, Oh Pretty Woman, and In Dreams.

Both Elvis Presley and The Beatles opened for Orbison early in their careers.. In fact, when the manager of the Beatles asked Orbison to tour England together in 1963, Robison quipped, “What’s a Beatle?” On opening night, the Beatles watched in wonder as Orbison sang through 14 encores.

On a Friday afternoon in 1964, Orbison was home working with his songwriting partner, Bill Dees. Claudette popped in to tell him she was going shopping. Orbison asked if she had any money. Dees said, “A pretty woman never needs money.” To which Orbison sang out, “Pretty Woman walking down the street.” That classic song, Oh, Pretty Woman was written in the next 40 minutes before Claudette even returned home. They recorded the song the following Friday and it was released the Friday after that.

To the public, he was a mystery. He didn’t have a publicist, helping to mold his image. His picture didn’t appear in magazines or in his single sleeves.

He rarely spoke to his audience. He’d stand at center stage, barely moving, singing his heart out. Many thought he was blind. He wasn’t. He actually left his glasses on a plane just before the Beatles tour, leaving him with only his large prescription sunglasses. He wore them on stage and decided he much preferred them.

So the persona was born and he continued to build on that mysterious man image, dressing in black and dying his hair to match.

But those who knew him said he was the sweetest man in rock and roll. He was funny. He was just incredibly shy and soft spoken. The persona helped him manage his tremendous stage fright.

Tragedy was not a stranger to Orbison. His wife, Claudette, was killed in a motorcycling accident, just behind him on the road in 1966. Two years later, while he was away on tour, his Nashville home burned down, killing two of his young sons.

Orbison dealt with those losses the only way he knew how: he kept singing. While the writing and hits slowed down after that,, his performing did not. He was a work horse: He toured all the time.

Roy remarried again and the two had more children.

In the 1980s, he was on the way to reinventing himself. He’d recorded and found success and enjoyment with a new band, The Traveling Wilburys, with Tom Petty, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and Bob Dylan.

He’d been honored with numerous awards including Grammys and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In December, 1988, Orbison spent the afternoon playing with and flying his beloved model airplanes with his sons. That evening, he had a fatal heart attack. He was 52.

What started out as some simple chords to a little boy with a new guitar transformed into a man redefining rock and roll for the ages.