On April 23, 1936, in Vernon, Texas, Orbison was born. The family relocated to Fort Worth in 1942 in search of employment in the aviation manufacturers, according to The Authorized Roy Orbison. Up until the family’s return to Vernon due to a polio scare, he attended Denver Avenue Elementary School there.
Why did Roy Orbison wear dark glasses?
Roy Orbison’s kids are on a quest to shed some light on the late legend and the amazing, if occasionally tragic, life he had, nearly 30 years after his passing at the age of 52.
The Authorized Roy Orbison, written by Roy Jr., Wesley, and Alex Orbison, collectively known as “Roy’s Boys,” explores the frequently discussed but little-known aspects of their father’s life, including the tale of how Roy unintentionally invented his distinctive appearance with those timeless dark glasses.
The origin of the black sunglasses, according to Roy Jr., was during Orbison’s 1963 tour with The Beatles. Orbison, who has struggled with poor eyesight his entire life, had a pair of dark glasses with him but had left his regular glasses on a plane just before the tour.
Since he couldn’t see without glasses, Roy chose to continue wearing dark glasses only to be able to go about his daily activities normally. Roy Orbison’s iconic look had already begun by the time his flight touched down in England on that particular day in 1963.
