Roy Orbison

Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's music is mostly in the rock genre and his most successful periods were in the early 1960s and the late 1980s. His music was described by critics as operatic, earning him the nicknames "The Caruso of Rock" and "The Big O". Many of Orbison's songs conveyed vulnerability at a time when most male rock-and-roll performers projected machismo. He performed with minimal motion and in black clothes, matching his dyed black hair and dark sunglasses.

23 April 1936

Born on the same birth day (23 April): Aaron Dessner • Alexander Ales • Andruw Jones • Annie Easley • Blair Brown • Daniela Hantuchová • Frédéric Ozanam • Gail Goodrich • Georges Vanier • Glenn Cornick • J. P. Donleavy • Joan of France, Duchess of Berry • Robby Naish • Valerie Bertinelli

Born in the same month (April 1936): Bobby Smith (rhythm and blues singer) • Dragoljub Minić • Drew Shafer • Harold Vick • Helen Berman • Henck Arron • Jack Pardee • Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild • Jean-Pierre Changeux • Jerzy Maksymiuk • John A. Bennett • John Howell (athlete) • John Madden • Kennedy Simmonds • Lisa Davis (actress) • Pauli Ellefsen • Pierre Rosenberg • Raymond Poulidor • Ronnie Bucknum • Tariq Aziz • Valerie Solanas