Maps of Music

Crying (1962)

Where the lyrics of Crying take you, and where it was really made.

An album named after its 1961 hit single, yet its tracklist also includes covers such as 'The Great Pretender' and 'Love Hurts'.

Key places

Recording site RCA Studio B — The recording location listed for this album is RCA Victor Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Crying: third album by Roy Orbison
Released January 1962, available in both stereo and mono
Second album on Monument Records
Album name taken from the 1961 hit song of the same name
Covers include 'The Great Pretender' and 'Love Hurts'
Early recordings of 'She Wears My Ring' are included, a song that later became a big hit for country singer Ray Price in 1968

Recording location listed as RCA Victor Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee
Bill Porter is credited as recording engineer
Personnel include Roy Orbison on vocals and guitar, with a large group of Nashville session players on guitar, bass, piano, drums and strings
Session credits include Boudleaux Bryant, Hank Garland, Floyd Cramer and Buddy Harman among others

1	Crying	2:46
2	The Great Pretender	3:01
3	Love Hurts	2:26
4	She Wears My Ring	2:29
5	Wedding Day	2:05
6	Summer Song	2:44
7	Dance	2:52
8	Lana	2:17
9	Loneliness	2:27
10	Let’s Make a Memory	2:17
11	Night Life	2:30
12	Running Scared	2:12
13	Candy Man	2:44
14	Let the Good Times Roll	2:33
15	Dream Baby (How long Must I Dream)	2:32
16	The Actress	2:36

Roy Kelton Orbison (born April 23, 1936, Vernon, Texas; died December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist.
He began singing in a country-and-western band as a teenager in Wink, Texas, formed the Wink Westerners in 1949 and later the Teen Kings.
He was signed to Sun Records by Sam Phillips in 1956.

Known for a distinctive, powerful voice, complex song structures and dark, emotional ballads.
Signed to Monument Records; from 1960 to 1966, 22 of his singles reached the Billboard top 40.
Wrote or co-wrote almost all of his own top-10 hits, including "Only the Lonely", "Running Scared", "Crying" and "Oh, Pretty Woman".
Suffered personal tragedies after the mid-1960s, including the deaths of his first wife Claudette and two sons, and his career faltered.
Revived in the late 1980s after cover versions of his songs; co-founded the Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne in 1988.
Died of a heart attack in December 1988 at age 52.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987; received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Billboard's Spotlight of the Week album reviews said the album features a fine collection of tunes
Cashbox described it as a top-notch listening pleasure album
AllMusic's Richie Unterberger said it was above-average for the slight standards of the time, but a fairly slight effort nonetheless
Unterberger noted that nearly all material is by Orbison, plus writers who often tailored songs for him, such as Boudleaux and Felice Bryant and Joe Melson

Billboard Top LPs chart: debuted in the issue dated April 7, 1962, stayed 31 weeks, peaked at number 21
Billboard 200 peak: number 21, the best position for an Orbison album until Mystery Girl in 1989
UK albums chart: entered June 30, 1963, reached number 17 over three weeks
Cashbox albums chart: debuted in the issue dated April 7, 1962, stayed 10 weeks, peaked at No. 35

The album name comes from the 1961 hit song of the same name, which was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2002.
The album was previously released as Monument #SM 14007.
The album included the singles 'Running Scared', a number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and 'Crying', which reached number two on the same chart.
In 1993 Monument released a CD pairing this album with the debut Lonely and Blue, with this album on tracks 13 through 24.
Lonely and Blue was Orbison's debut, and the CD reissue placed it alongside Crying on one disc.