
Roy Orbison
Actor · 1936 – 1988 · Vernon, Texas, USA
Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were in the early 1960s and the late 1980s. Many of Orbison's songs conveyed vulnerability at a time when most male performers projected strength. 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 country-and-western band as a teenager. He was signed by Sam Phillips of Sun Records in 1956 after being urged by Johnny Cash. Elvis Presley was leaving Sun and Phillips was looking to replace him. His first Sun recording, "Ooby Dooby", was musically akin of Presley's early Sun recordings. He had moderate success at Sun, but enjoyed his greatest success with Monument Records. 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), "Oh, Pretty Woman" (1964), "I Drove All Night" (1987), "She's a Mystery to Me" (1988), "You Got It" (1988), and "California Blue" (1988). After the mid-1960s, Orbison suffered a number of personal tragedies, and his career faltered. He experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s, following the success of several cover versions of his songs. 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. One month later, his song "You Got It" (1989) was released as a solo single, becoming his first hit to reach the top 10 in both the US and UK in nearly 25 years. 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". In 2002, Billboard magazine listed him at number 74 on its list of the Top 600 recording artists. Description above from the Wikipedia article Roy Orbison, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Movies16
Movie5.9ComedyDramaJake and Kristy Briggs are newlyweds. Being young, they are perhaps a bit unprepared for the full reality of marriage and all that it (and their parents) expect from them. Do they want babies? Their parents certainly want them to. Is married life all that there is? Things certainly aren't helped by Jake's friend Davis, who always seems to turn up just in time to put a spanner in the works.
She's Having a Baby
1988 · 232 votes
Movie7.7MusicRecorded live at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles, Roy is joined by an eclectic ensemble of rock and roll superstars including Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, J.D. Souther, Jennifer Warnes, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Waits.
Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night
1988 · 16 votes
Movie5.9ComedyMusicA young Texas good ol' boy has a knack with electronic equipment, and that talent gets him a job as a roadie with a raucous traveling rock-and-roll show.
Roadie
1980 · 29 votes
Movie7.4DocumentaryMusicSt. Louis, 1986. For Chuck Berry's 60th, Keith Richards assembles a pickup band of Robert Cray, Joey Spampinato, Eric Clapton, himself and long-time Berry pianist, Johnnie Johnson. Joined on stage by Etta James, Linda Ronstadt and Julian Lennon, Berry performs his classic rock songs. His abilities as a composer, lyricist, singer, musician and entertainer are on display and, in behind-the-scenes interviews, are discussed by Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bruce Springstein, the Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison and others. There's even a rarity for Berry—a rehearsal. Archival footage from the early 1950s and a duet with John Lennon round out this portrait of a master.
Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll
1987 · 19 votes
Movie6.2DocumentaryMusicRoy Orbison - In Dreams is the ultimate exclusive music documentary of the life of Roy Orbison. It provides in-depth insights into his legendary career with classic performances, personal home movies and photos, location footage and interviews with the great and the humble that he touched with his music.
In Dreams: The Roy Orbison Story
1999 · 7 votes
Movie7.7DocumentaryMusicDirected by Peter Bogdanovich and packed with rare concert footage and home movies, this documentary explores the history of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, including Petty's famous collaborations and notorious clashes with the record industry. Interviews with musical luminaries including Jackson Browne, George Harrison, Eddie Vedder, Roger McGuinn, Jeff Lynne, Dave Stewart and Petty himself shed some revelatory vision.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream
2007 · 30 votes
Movie7.4MusicDocumentaryDocumentary which gets to the heart of who Jeff Lynne is and how he has had such a tremendous musical influence on our world. The story is told by the British artist himself and such distinguished collaborators and friends of Jeff as Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Tom Petty, Joe Walsh, Olivia and Dhani Harrison, Barbara Orbison and Eric Idle. The film reveals that Lynne is a true man of music, for whom the recording studio is his greatest instrument. With access to Lynne in his studio above LA, this is an intimate account of a great British pop classicist who has ploughed a unique furrow since starting out on the Birmingham Beat scene in the early 60s, moving from the Idle Race to the multi-million selling ELO in the 70s and then, with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and George Harrison, as a key member of the Traveling Wilburys.
Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne & ELO
2012 · 18 votes
Movie6.5DocumentaryMusicThe discography of Roy Orbison (1936-1988) - which yielded some of the most heartfelt, passionate classics of the rock ‘n’ roll era - shined even brighter with the release of Mystery Girl, the last album Orbison recorded, in 1989. The commercial success of Mystery Girl was nothing short of impressive: the album was a Top 5 hit, eventually earning Orbison his first platinum award for over 1 million sales, and featured the worldwide Top 10 smash “You Got It.” Mystery Girl: Unraveled features a new hour-long documentary on the making of the album, executive produced by Roy’s sons. The documentary includes new interviews with those behind the album including Steve Cropper, Tom Petty, Mick Campbell and Jeff Lynne. In addition there are eight wonderful music videos, including an unreleased alternate video for “She’s a Mystery to Me” and three new videos for “The Way Is Love,” “You Got It” and “California Blue.
Roy Orbison: Mystery Girl - Unraveled
2014 · 4 votes
Movie4.8ComedyMusicConfederate super-spy Johnny and his partner in crime Steve travel to San Francisco near the end of the Civil War, masquerading, respectively, as a singer/guitar instructor and a magic-elixir vendor. Once there, Johnny dons a fake wig, beard and mustache, and steals Union gold to bring back to the South, aided by a guitar that doubles as a gun.
The Fastest Guitar Alive
1967 · 6 votes
MovieDocumentaryMusicTrace the career trajectory of master musician Roy Orbison in this DVD, a collection of concert segments combined with interviews of modern-day musicians as diverse as stadium rock star Bono and country music legend Dwight Yoakam, all of whom count Orbison as an inspiration. Songs include "Oh, Pretty Woman," "Blue Bayou" and "Crying."
Movie7.0MusicDocumentarySpring, 1988: George Harrison asks Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty to spend a day in the studio at Bob Dylan's L.A. house. The result is "Handle With Care." He liked the process so much that the five of them, plus Jim Keltner, spend a week in May at Dave Stewart's house, where they write and record a song a day to produce an album. We watch the creative process: group efforts ("Dirty World" is a found poem) and individual ones (Dylan's lyrics for "Congratulations'). Petty calls them "a bunch of friends who happened to be really good at making music." The album, released in October, goes platinum. The rock video for "End of the Line" is a eulogy for Orbison (1936-1988).
The True History Of The Traveling Wilburys
2007 · 1 votes
Movie7.0MusicDocumentaryBlack and White Night 30 is a re-imagined, re-edited, remastered and expanded version of the original television special. Re-edited by Roy's youngest son Alex Orbison, the program has been restored to reflect the correct set order as the audience who attended the show saw it.
Roy Orbison: Black and White Night 30
2017 · 1 votes
MovieMusicJohnny Cash's second Christmas special includes an all-star tribute to Elvis Presley, who died in August 1977, two months before this program was taped for CBS television. Fellow rockabilly pioneers Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison join Cash on "This Train is Bound For Glory" in memory of Presley, whose affinity for such sacred music was well-known. The 1977 special also includes holiday guest performances as Johnny takes the stage with Roy Clark for a spirited rendition of "Frosty The Snow Man" as well as the Statler Brothers with the yuletide classic "Blue Christmas."
- Movie8.0Documentary
For many music fans, history is divided into the long, dull centuries before rock 'n' roll was born and the exciting decades since, when the influential musical form changed the world. This documentary traces the early years of this audio revolution, featuring historic footage and interviews with several musical pioneers, including Little Richard, Bill Haley and The Comets, Ricky Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis and Bo Diddley.
One for the Money: The Birth of Rock & Roll
2006 · 1 votes
Movie7.0DocumentaryMusicThis music documentary celebrates the five-time Grammy-winning Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. The program charts Orbison's career and relationships with other musicians through interviews and archive performances, some never before seen in America. From the sell-out international tour with The Beatles through his collaboration with George Harrison and The Traveling Wilburys, Orbison’s legacy endures.
Roy Orbison Forever
2022 · 4 votes
MovieMusicA presentation of some of the best moments of speeches, performances and backstage moments of the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies. Footage was culled from the RockHalls archives and represent 24 years of events
Series12
TV6.9ComedyNewsA late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.
Saturday Night Live
1975 · 527 votes
TV6.6RealityThe biggest stars, the most iconic performances, the most outrageous outfits – it’s Britain’s number one pop show.
Top of the Pops
1964 · 44 votes
TV5.3Talk ShowChat show hosted by Terry Wogan, featuring live studio interviews with famous and notable personalities.
Wogan
1982 · 7 votes
TV6.8ComedyTalk ShowThe Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948 · 23 votes
TV6.7The Dick Clark Show is an American musical variety show broadcast weekly in the United States on the ABC television network 7:30-8 PM on Saturdays from February 15, 1958 through September 10, 1960, sponsored by Beechnut Gum.
The Dick Clark Show
1958 · 3 votes
TV6.4RealityShindig! is an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles at the time who also created the show along with his wife Sharon Sheeley and production executive Art Stolnitz. The original pilot was rejected by ABC and David Sontag, then Executive Producer of ABC, redeveloped and completely redesigned the show. A new pilot with a new cast of artists was shot starring Sam Cooke. That pilot aired as the premiere episode.
Shindig!
1964 · 5 votes
TV7.7DocumentaryA documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music.
Classic Albums
1997 · 8 votes
TV8.1The Midnight Special is an American late-night musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981. The ninety-minute program followed the Friday night edition of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The show typically featured guest hosts, except for a period from July 1975 through March 1976 when singer Helen Reddy served as the regular host. Wolfman Jack served as the announcer and frequent guest host. The series also occasionally aired vintage footage of older acts. As the program neared the end of its run in the early 1980s, it began to frequently use lip-synched performances rather than live. The program also featured occasional comedic performances such as Richard Pryor and Andy Kaufman.
The Midnight Special
1972 · 7 votes
TV5.0DocumentaryThe story of the big names that have shaped the musical genres, plus an occasional stopgap for the new rock 'n' roll - comedy.
Legends
2006 · 1 votes
TV6.5Talk ShowThe Johnny Cash Show was an American television music variety show hosted by Johnny Cash. The Screen Gems 58-episode series ran from June 7, 1969 to March 31, 1971 on ABC; it was taped at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The show reached No. 17 in the Nielsen ratings in 1970. Cash opened each show, and its regulars included members of his touring troupe, June Carter Cash and the Carter Family, The Statler Brothers, Carl Perkins, and The Tennessee Three, with Australian-born musical director-arranger-conductor Bill Walker. The Statler Brothers performed brief comic interludes. It featured many folk-country musicians, such as Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Kris Kristofferson, Mickey Newbury, Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Merle Haggard, James Taylor and Tammy Wynette. It also featured other musicians such as jazz great Louis Armstrong, who died eight months after appearing on the show.
The Johnny Cash Show
1969 · 4 votes
TV6.7ComedyJust Our Luck is a short-lived American sitcom which aired on the American Broadcasting Company in the fall of 1983. Created by brothers Lawrence and Charles Gordon, it was considered a modernized version of the classic 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. The series stars Richard Gilliland as a mild-mannered TV weatherman for KPOX-TV, and T. K. Carter as a hip, fun-loving 3,000-year-old genie who is freed by Gilliland after being imprisoned in his bottle for nearly two centuries. The series was produced by Lorimar Productions, and initially promoted by ABC as one of its new ambitious comedies along with Webster. Just Our Luck was created to compete against The A-Team on NBC but earned low ratings for much of its run. It was poorly received by critics, however, and was the subject of controversy when the NAACP charged the show with promoting negative stereotypes of African-Americans. The NAACP originally campaigned to have the show removed but later settled for a degree of creative control in the show's development. This included changes to Carter's dialogue, the hiring of black staff writers and the addition of Leonard Simon to the cast. The show was cancelled after three months.
Just Our Luck
1983 · 3 votes
TV8.4DocumentaryPaul McCartney sits down for a rare in-depth one-on-one with legendary producer Rick Rubin to discuss his ground breaking work with The Beatles, the emblematic 70s arena rock of Wings and his 50 years and counting as a solo artist.
McCartney 3, 2, 1
2021 · 49 votes