[]
Roy Orbison
  • Published: 4 August 2026
  • ISBN: 9780806544632
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 240
  • RRP: $55.00

Roy Orbison

King of Hearts

Pre-order from…
Amazon Booktopia Dymocks QBD Readings Your Bookstore Abbeys Boomerang Find local retailers Find local retailers Collins Fishpond Gleebooks Harry Hartog Kinokuniya Robinsons The Nile Mighty Ape

The definitive biography of one of music history’s most beloved, versatile, unforgettable icons—Roy Orbison, the singer-songwriter of legendary hits including “Only the Lonely,” “Crying,” and “Oh, Pretty Woman”—from his chart-topping highs and tragic lows to his momentous comeback.

He didn’t look, move, or sound like his contemporaries, but Roy Orbison, king of the emotionally charged, slow-burning, drama-ballad, struck a worldwide chord. Now, from acclaimed music biographer Jeff Apter, comes the definitive biography of one of music history’s most beloved, versatile, singer-songwriter legends.

Clad in black with dark shades, Roy Orbison had a mystique, style, and voice that were unmistakable and singularly different from his famous peers of the 1950s and ’60s, like Johnny Cash, Elvis, or Jerry Lee Lewis. Roy hit notes that, in the words of Bruce Springsteen, sounded “like the world’s going to end.”

Born in Vernon, Texas, Roy was the son of a guitar-playing oil worker. Already a music fan by age 6, Roy went on to form a high school band. Honky-tonk gigs followed. Then a contract at Elvis Presley’s label, Sun Records, where Roy found mentors and friends among the likes of Carl Perkins. Following a shift to Monument Records, he shared a bill with a group called the Beatles, who were huge fans of his.

After experimenting with different styles, Roy edged closer to a sound all his own. He found it with smash singles including “Only the Lonely,” “Crying,” and “Oh, Pretty Woman,” songs heavy with pathos and remarkable vocals. It was gold. But what lay ahead was a professional downswing, and personal tragedy with the death of his wife and two sons. 20 lean years followed. Yet Roy Orbison was far from over.

Amid the rockabilly revival of the 1980s and the formation of the British-American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys—with, among others, Jeff Lynne, who would eventually produce Roy’s posthumous albums—Roy’s comeback was legendary. Asked how he’d like to be remembered, Roy said, “One day when they are mentioning people who had an impact, if they just mention me among the rest of the guys and gals, it would be great.” He got his wish. Roy Orbison: King of Hearts seals it.
  • Published: 4 August 2026
  • ISBN: 9780806544632
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 240
  • RRP: $55.00
Categories:

About the author

Jeff Apter

Jeff Apter is the author of 15 non-fiction books, including biographies of the Finn brothers, Keith Urban and cricketer Michael Slater. He is the Music Contributor for Vogue, was the former Music Editor at Australian Rolling Stone, and has been writing about popular culture for more than 20 years.
portrait photo of Jeff Apter

Also by Jeff Apter

Carl Perkins
See all

Praise for Roy Orbison

Praise for Roy Orbison: King of Hearts

“The look, the voice, the name—all of which seemed to suggest Roy Orbison was a music specter from another galaxy. I’m so proud to have the record on ‘Crying,’ and so happy for what it did for this really beautiful human being. I’m also proud to call him my friend. Our paths are forever crossed. His music is perfect, like this book.” —Don McLean, singer-songwriter

“One day, as I was listening to Roy’s song ‘A Love So Beautiful’ back-to-back with Giacomo Puccini’s ‘Nessun dorma,’ I found a small clue to understanding the music of Roy Orbison. His effortless tenor triumphs over life, love, and loss with heartbreaking bravery, as this book attests. The message is timeless: Vincerò! Vincerò!” —Jennifer Warnes, Grammy Award–winning singer-songwriter

“Rockabilly Roy was as good as it gets. His early records are a true inspiration and influence. The image and voice have stood the test of time and will always be part of the rock ’n’ roll landscape. Jeff Apter has captured the various dimensions of his life with the utmost respect in this seminal biography of a music legend.” —Slim Jim Phantom of the Stray Cats

“Jeff Apter has done his homework. Roy Orbison emerges from these pages brimming with life. Apter tells a frank and sharply observed story of an American treasure—a recording star in the 1960s and ’70s—when music was changing faster than 45 rpms.” —Bob Spitz, New York Times bestselling author of The Beatles: The Biography and Led Zeppelin: The Biography


“Roy Orbison is fortunate to have as devoted a biographer as Jeff Apter to tell his story. He sensitively handles the singer-songwriter’s career ups and downs and the terrible personal tragedies that could have kept him from functioning, let alone recording and touring. Fortitude kept him going, as well as family members and caring friends like Johnny Cash. I highly recommend Apter’s superb biography of an immortal who deserves more attention in these prosaic times.” —Elizabeth J. Rosenthal, author of His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John and The Master of Drums: Gene Krupa and the Music He Gave the World

“Hits just the right note. . . . Apter does a good job of charting Orbison’s career. . . . Orbison lived through many tragedies, among them the deaths of two sons in a house fire. But he also had many triumphs born of his musical admirers. . . . There’s plenty of enjoyable trivia here, including why Orbison wore dark glasses indoors and was moved to sneak in a Beatles reference or two into his own songs. A worthy life of a musician well worth knowing more about.” —Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Roy Orbison: King of Hearts

“The look, the voice, the name—all of which seemed to suggest Roy Orbison was a music specter from another galaxy. I’m so proud to have the record on ‘Crying,’ and so happy for what it did for this really beautiful human being. I’m also proud to call him my friend. Our paths are forever crossed. His music is perfect, like this book.” —Don McLean, singer-songwriter

“One day, as I was listening to Roy’s song ‘A Love So Beautiful’ back-to-back with Giacomo Puccini’s ‘Nessun dorma,’ I found a small clue to understanding the music of Roy Orbison. His effortless tenor triumphs over life, love, and loss with heartbreaking bravery, as this book attests. The message is timeless: Vincerò! Vincerò!” —Jennifer Warnes, Grammy Award–winning singer-songwriter

“Rockabilly Roy was as good as it gets. His early records are a true inspiration and influence. The image and voice have stood the test of time and will always be part of the rock ’n’ roll landscape. Jeff Apter has captured the various dimensions of his life with the utmost respect in this seminal biography of a music legend.” —Slim Jim Phantom of the Stray Cats

“Jeff Apter has done his homework. Roy Orbison emerges from these pages brimming with life. Apter tells a frank and sharply observed story of an American treasure—a recording star in the 1960s and ’70s—when music was changing faster than 45 rpms.” —Bob Spitz, New York Times bestselling author of The Beatles: The Biography and Led Zeppelin: The Biography


“Roy Orbison is fortunate to have as devoted a biographer as Jeff Apter to tell his story. He sensitively handles the singer-songwriter’s career ups and downs and the terrible personal tragedies that could have kept him from functioning, let alone recording and touring. Fortitude kept him going, as well as family members and caring friends like Johnny Cash. I highly recommend Apter’s superb biography of an immortal who deserves more attention in these prosaic times.” —Elizabeth J. Rosenthal, author of His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John and The Master of Drums: Gene Krupa and the Music He Gave the World

“Hits just the right note. . . . Apter does a good job of charting Orbison’s career. . . . Orbison lived through many tragedies, among them the deaths of two sons in a house fire. But he also had many triumphs born of his musical admirers. . . . There’s plenty of enjoyable trivia here, including why Orbison wore dark glasses indoors and was moved to sneak in a Beatles reference or two into his own songs. A worthy life of a musician well worth knowing more about.” —Kirkus Reviews