Book Review: “The Authorized Roy Orbison” by Roy Jr., Wesley and Alex Orbison

The Authorized Roy Orbison by his three sons Roy Jr., Wesley and Alex Orbison is a 256 page, 10.5″ x 10.5″ hardcover wonder. It’s big enough to be considered a coffee table book but it’s so much more than that. It’s the story of musical genius Roy Orbison from his birth in Vernon, TX on April 23, 1936 until after his death on December 6, 1988 at the young age of 52 as told by his three sons.

The Authorized Roy Orbison was published on October 17, 2017 and the pictures in this book alone make it worth the purchase. (The cover price is $30, but at the time I bought it on Amazon, it was only $15.) Filled with colorful concert photos, B&W family photos, album covers, promotional and concert posters, the reader could easily just spend several hours taking in Roy’s life in only photos and by reading the captions.

For the Beatles fans, the book doesn’t stop at telling about Roy and the Fabs touring together in 1963, it talks about them meeting up later on the set for A Hard Day’s Night and socializing whenever Roy was in the U.K. on tour himself. And don’t forget about Roy’s huge comeback in 1988 as Left Wilbury in the Traveling Wilburys with Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and George Harrison. You Got It…

And then…there’s pages 27 & 28. Why? Why did there have to be a huge glaring error in this otherwise almost flawless book? The text in the first five paragraphs on page 27 is repeated verbatim on page 28…only the pictures have changed. This really left me shaking my head. Someone really messed up. The only plus side I can make of this is that it will be a collector’s item someday. “Yeah, but do you have the edition with the repeat on pages 27 & 28?!” Ugh.

But please, don’t let that stop you from buying this amazing book reading along to the sometimes tough, sometimes tragic, but  still successful life of Roy “Lefty Wilbury” Orbison. And for that reason…

I rate this book, 3 out of 4 Beetles!