Why did Roy Orbison wear sunglasses?

Roy Orbison, born in Texas, was an American singer-songwriter and musician.

Orbison’s career began in a rockabilly / country / western band in high school when he signed with Sun Records in Memphis. His greatest success was with Monument Records in the early 1960s. 22 of his songs reached the Top Forty, including “Only the Lonely”, “Crying”, “In Dreams” and “Oh, Pretty Woman”. His career faltered during the 1970s, but several versions of his songs (Glen Campbell’s “Dream Baby,” Don McLean’s “Crying,” Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou,” to name a few) and the use of one at a time film. David Lynch revived his career in the 1980s. He became a member of the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne and released an album in 1988. Unfortunately, Orbison died of a heart attack at the young age of 52 years.

Two things made Orbison particularly memorable; the first was the quality of his voice. It was a natural baritone with a spectacular range. He used his powerful and distinctive voice to great effect, and his use of falsetto was masterful. Many people speculated that it could cover 4 octaves.

The second thing that created an air of mystery about Orbison was the “shadows” he wore. Turns out they were prescription sunglasses because, like other siblings, the Orbison family had a history of eye problems. But Orbison started wearing the sunglasses because he showed up to a concert and, realizing that his glasses were still on the plane, he only had the Ray-Ban Wayfarer prescription sunglasses with him. From then on, sunglasses were part of the Orbison style that he developed himself.

Orbison was loved by many of the world’s most famous rock and pop stars, including the Beatles and Bob Dylan.