Roy Orbison

Orbison's father taught him guitar in Wink when he was six. At North Texas State College he met fellow student Pat Boone, and Midland-Odessa record shop owner Cecil "Pop" Holifield reportedly played "Ooby Dooby" to Sam Phillips of Sun Records over the telephone. Orbison's early success came mostly as a writer: the Everly Brothers had a hit in 1958 with "Claudette," named for his first wife. Elvis Presley once called him "the greatest singer in the world," and in England in 1963 Orbison headlined a tour that included the Beatles, then on the verge of fame.

What the plaque says

Roy Orbison (April 23, 1936 - December 6, 1988) Roy Kelton Orbison was one of America's most famed rock and roll musicians. Born in Vernon (Wilbarger Co.), Orbison and family moved often and by 1946 they had settled in Wink. The Orbisons lived at 102 Langley Way (now 105 North Roy Orbison Drive). As a high school student in Wink, Orbison formed his first band. The Wink Westerners (later The Teen Kings). He attended North Texas State University at which time The Teen Kings recorded "Ooby Dooby," a song which led to their signing by Sun Records in 1956. By the early 1960s, Orbison had signed with Monument Records, where he had his greatest commercial success, recording songs like "Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)," "Crying," "In Dreams," "Running Scared" and "Oh! Pretty Women," By this time, Orbison had perfected his unique, powerful singing voice, while focusing on complex melodies in his music. He also began to wear his familiar dark sunglasses during performances. By the mid-1960s, though, Orbison's career languished. In addition, he suffered a number of personal tragedies. In 1966, Orbison's wife, Claudette (Frady), died in a motorcycle accident; two years later, two of their three sons died in a fire. In 1969, Orbison remarried; he would have two more sons. In the late 1970s, other artists began covering Orbison's music and by the late 1980s, his career was revived. Orbison was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1988, he recorded the album, Mystery Girl, which included the hit, "You Got It." Before it was finalized, Orbison died unexpectedly of a heart attack. The album was released posthumously and was a success. Today, Orbison continues to be remembered for his legacy of music, which has inspired generations of successful musicians. (2009)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Roy Orbison Museum — 0.2 mi
  A volunteer-run room in the oil town where Roy Orbison spent his high school years, opened on request, with a guitar he played and his tinted prescription sunglasses.
• Million Barrel Museum — 20 mi
  An oil reservoir that could not hold oil, then a water park that lasted one day, now a museum in Monahans with the story of the Pyote bomber base beside it.
• Monahans Sandhills State Park — 22 mi
  A small corner of a 200-mile dune field east of the Pecos, where fresh water lies just under the sand and a forest of shin oak grows no higher than your knee.

More markers nearby

• Wink — steps away
• Winkler County Discovery Well — 0.2 mi
• Old Duval Townsite — 6.1 mi
• Colonel C. M. Winkler — 8.1 mi