Roy Orbison mix from the top down rather than from the bottom up, beginning with close-miked backing vocals in the foreground, and ending with the rhythm section soft in the background. This combination became Orbison's trademark sound. "Only the Lonely" shot to number two on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and hit number one in the UK and Australia. According to Orbison, the subsequent songs he wrote with Melson during this period were constructed with his voice in mind, specifically to showcase its range and power. He told "Rolling Stone" in 1988, "I liked the sound of [my voice]. I liked making it
Barbara Orbison Barbara Orbison Barbara Orbison (January 10, 1950 – December 6, 2011) was a German-born United States-based entrepreneur, music producer/publisher, and the second wife of American musician Roy Orbison. Barbara Anne Marie Wellhöner Jakobs was born in Bielefeld, West Germany on January 10, 1950. Aged 18, Barbara met the 32-year-old Orbison when he asked friends to introduce him to her at Batley Variety Club, West Yorkshire, England, during Orbison's UK tour. A few weeks later, Orbison suffered a devastating tragedy when two of his three sons died in a house fire. They married on March 25, 1969, in Hendersonville, Tennessee. They