Dark Star: The Roy Orbison Story by Ellis Amburn

Roy Orbison was a star whose work profoundly affectted rock stars from Elvis Presley to Bruce Springsteen. His songs "Oh, Pretty Woman," "Only the Lonely," "In Dreams," "Crying" and many others expanded the emotional reach and sound of rock 'n' roll forever. At the same time, he emerged as one of rock 'n' roll's most tragic figures.

Here is the definitive biography of rock's most unlikely and enigmatic star. In Dark Star, biographer Ellis Amburn chronicles Roy Orbison's life and career, from the dusty oil patches and honky tonks of west Texas to the heights of international stardom, from the depths of tragedy and obscurity to rebirth as a viable star -- only to have it all cut short by a fatal heart attack in 1988, when he was only fifty-two. Ironicallly, at the time of his death Roy had a hit album with The Travelling Wilburys (a group album recorded with his friends George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynn). A few weeks later his final album, Mystery Girl, was a smash hit upon release. 

Dark Star follows Roy through his awkward childhood in the 1940s, the breakup of his band "The Teen Kings," and the lurching ride toward fame and wealth. It also examines Roy's addictions to hard work, heavy touring schedules. fast motorcycles, smoking and speed, all of which would contribute to great personal tragedies, including the loss of his first wife and then two of his children in the late 1960s. His heartache and obsessions would send him into obscurity for two decades.

Ellis Amburn draws extensively on his interviews with Roy's family, the family of his first wife, old friends, colleagues and bandmates. In tracing Roy's life, Dark Star also dramatically recounts the pioneer days of rock 'n' roll: Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis at Sun Records; the wild events on tour with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys; and much more. It also tells of Roy's driven attempt at a comeback during the late 1980s and how he has helped by admirers like Linda Ronstadt, David Lynch and Bruce Springsteen. 

This is the story of one of rock's most renowned yet unfulfilled figures -- the story of an uneasy man who hid behind dark glasses, black clothes and dyed-black hair, and who possessed the most operatic, haunting voice in popular music. Dark Star is a detailed, compelling and frankly drawn biography that will shed new light on a great performer and his difficult life.