Joe Melson

Claudie Joe Melson (May 11, 1935 – July 1, 2026) was an American singer and a BMI Award-winning songwriter best known for his collaborations with Roy Orbison, including "Only the Lonely" and "Crying", which are both in the Grammy Hall of Fame and have both been included in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Melson was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.

Life and career Joe Melson was born in Bonham, Texas, on May 11, 1935. first at his home in Midland, Texas, and then in Nashville, Tennessee, Melson teamed up with Roy Orbison, who had just joined Monument Records, and to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart, launching Orbison to international musical stardom.

Not only did that song influence Orbison to write such operatic ballads as "In Dreams", but a few months later it also inspired Orbison's friend Elvis Presley to record "It's Now or Never," based on the Neapolitan art song "'O sole mio".

Melson and Orbison followed up with similar sounds such as the dramatic "Running Scared" that went to No. 1 in the US.

Melson died at his home in Nashville on July 1, 2026, at the age of 91.