Texas born singer and songwriter Roy Orbison had a one of a kind voice that allowed him to dominate the charts in the 60s with classics such as "Only The Lonely (Know The Way I Feel)" (#2), "Running Scared" (#1), "Crying" (#2), "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)" (#4), and "Oh, Pretty Woman" (#1). Some of these tunes are in the Grammy and/or R&R Hall of Fame, and his accomplishments made Orbison the 14th most successful chart artist of the 60s and 94th all-time. Orbison was then plagued with a number of tragedies. His wife was killed in an accident in 1966 and he lost his two sons to a fire in 1968. These personal tragedies also took their toll on his musical career as Orbison didn't land a single chart appearance throughout the 70s. In the 80s, Orbison and his mighty voice experienced a strong resurgence. He performed a duet with Emmylou Harris in 1980 called "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again," which was used in the Meat Loaf movie Roadie, that went to #55 and earned a Grammy for Country Vocal Duo. "Oh, Pretty Woman" was back on the charts in 1982 thanks to a popular cover by Van Halen. Orbison made a guest appearance to sing the tune on The Dukes Of Hazzard, next to Catherine Bach no less. In 1987, he performed a stunning duet of his classic hit, "Crying" with k.d. lang that won another Grammy. He was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1987 by Bruce Springsteen. As he teamed up to record his comeback album with Jeff Lynne of ELO (which would become "Mystery Girl"), happy accidents led to the formation of supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, which featured Orbison as "Lefty Wilbury." But tragedy once again caught up with Orbison. In the midst of his comeback, he died of a heart attack late in 1988 at age 52. He did not live to see that he would crack the top 10 one final time as a solo artist in 1989, the first time since 1964, when "You Got It," co-written with his Wilbury Mates Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty, hit #8. "Life Fades Away" never charted, but helped initiate Orbison's late 80s comeback. The song, co-written with metal star Danzig, was on the soundtrack to the 1987 film Less Than Zero. As usual, Orbison ends the haunting song with a jaw-dropping vocal climax.
One of the most successful artists to pioneer theatrical rock is none other than Michael Lee Aday, better known as Meat Loaf, a nickname given to him by a football coach. His unique style and voice was getting noticed early in his career, as he was cast in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and was invited to sing most of the tracks on the 1976 Ted Nugent record, "Free-For-All." Meat Loaf's big break arrived with his epic 1977 record, "Bat Out Of Hell." It became one of the biggest selling albums of all-time and produced three top 40 hits that are now staples of classic rock: "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad" (#11), "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" (#39), and "You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth" (#39). His follow-up record was delayed four years thanks to a vocal injury, and after "I'm Gonna Love Her For Both Of Us" stalled at #84 in 1981, it appeared Meat Loaf was toast. Enter one of music's most unlikely comebacks: in 1993, Meat Loaf scored his biggest hit with "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)." The song, which had everyone guessing what he wouldn't do, stayed at #1 for a ridiculous five weeks and earned the Loaf a well-deserved Grammy. The song came from his 7th album, and second in the "Bat Out of Hell" trilogy. The success helped keep Meat Loaf on the charts until 1996, when "Not A Dry Eye In The House" stalled at #82. There were high hopes in 2006 that the third installment of the "Bat Out Of Hell" trilogy would make people hungry for Meat Loaf once again. The record still has the epic (in other words, overly long), soaring ballads one would expect, but it also rocks harder than its predecessors. It failed to reignite his chart career, but there are some worthy cuts like "If It Ain't Broke, Break It."
Karla DeVito (no relation to Danny) rose to fame as a backup singer on Meatloaf's classic "Bat Out Of Hell" tour. Her solo career never took off, though, despite her bright yet meaty vocals. Her debut album, "Is This A Cool World Or What" almost spawned a top 100 hit with her cover of the Grass Roots's "Midnight Confession". Another well done cover on this record is her version of "Just One Smile", originally by Blood, Sweat & Tears. Her cover of John Fogerty's "Almost Saturday Night" is my favorite, though. DeVito released another noncharting record in 1986 called "Wake 'Em Up In Tokyo" and also had a song called "We Are Not Alone" featured on the soundtrack to The Breakfast Club.
