Apter, Jeff - Roy Orbison: King of Hearts

The gripping biography charting the rise, fall, and momentous comeback of music legend – Roy Orbison. The definitive biography of one of music history’s most beloved, versatile, unforgettable icons – Roy Orbison, the singer-songwriter of legendary hits including “Only the Lonely,” “Crying,” and “Oh, Pretty Woman” – from his chart-topping highs and tragic lows to his momentous comeback. He didn't look, move, or sound like his contemporaries, but Roy Orbison, king of the emotionally charged, slowburning, drama-ballad, struck a worldwide chord. Now, from acclaimed music biographer Jeff Apter, comes the definitive biography of one of music history's most beloved, versatile, singer-songwriter legends. Clad in black with dark shades, Roy Orbison had a mystique, style, and voice that were unmistakable and singularly different from his famous peers of the 1950s and 60s, like Johnny Cash, Elvis, or Jerry Lee Lewis. Born in Vernon, Texas, Roy was the son of a guitar-playing oil worker. Already a music fan by age 6, Roy went on to form a high school band. Honky-tonk gigs followed. Then a contract at Elvis Presley’s label, Sun Records, where Roy found mentors and friends among the likes of Carl Perkins. Following a shift to Monument Records, he shared a bill with a group called the Beatles, who were huge fans of his. After experimenting with different styles, Roy edged closer to a sound all his own. He found it with smash singles including “Only the Lonely,” “Crying,” and “Oh, Pretty Woman,” songs heavy with pathos and remarkable vocals. But what lay ahead was a professional downswing, and personal tragedy with the death of his wife and two sons. 20 lean years followed. Yet Roy Orbison was far from over. Amid the rockabilly revival of the 1980s and the formation of the British-American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys, Roy’s comeback was legendary.