Tag Archives: Big O

Roy Orbison

On December 6, 1988, Roy Kelton Orbison died aged 52. He was musician (guitar, harmonica), singer and songwriter, thanks to his distinctive and impassioned voice, named “Caruso of Rock” and nicknamed the Big O. In the period between 1960 and 1964, 22 of his songs placed on the Billboard Top 40. In 1987, Roy Orbison was inducted in the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” and in “Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame”; in 1989 in the “Songwriters Hall of Fame”. “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked him at number 37 on its list of the “Greatest Artists of All Time” and number 13 on the list of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time’. In 2002, “Billboard” magazine ranked Orbison at number 74 in its list of the “Top 600 Recording Artists”. Orbison won six “Grammy Awards”, including “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 1998.