Editing Roy Orbison (section)

===1970s: Struggles===
[[File:Carl Perkins Roy Orbison Johnny Cash Jerry Lee Lewis 1977.jpg|thumb|Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis in a televised 1977 Christmas special]]

Orbison continued recording albums in the 1970s, but his career stagnated during this decade<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p169}}. In 1974, he switched record labels from MGM to [[Mercury Records]] for a one-album deal.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p170}}<ref name="offbio" /> Although the peak of his success was over, his single "Penny Arcade" was number one in Australia for many weeks and "Too Soon to Know" reached number three in England.<ref name="offbio" /> His fortunes sank so low in America that his concerts were mostly empty, such as the concert at Cincinnati Gardens that he played on his 40th birthday in April 1976<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p174}}. Peter Lehman observed that Orbison's absence was a part of the mystery of his persona: "Since it was never clear where he had come from, no one seemed to pay much mind to where he had gone; he was just gone."<ref>Lehman, p. 2.</ref> However, several artists released popular covers of his songs. Orbison's version of "[[Love Hurts]]" was remade by [[Gram Parsons]] and [[Emmylou Harris]], again by hard rock band [[Nazareth (band)|Nazareth]], and by [[Jim Capaldi]]. [[Sonny James]]' version of "Only the Lonely" reached number one on the country music charts.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p167-8}} [[Bruce Springsteen]] ended his concerts with Orbison songs, and [[Glen Campbell]] had a minor hit with a remake of "Dream Baby".

A compilation of Orbison's greatest hits reached number one in the UK in January 1976, and Orbison began to open concerts that year for the [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]], who had started as [[Linda Ronstadt]]'s backup band. Ronstadt covered "[[Blue Bayou]]" in 1977, her version reaching number three on the ''Billboard'' charts and remaining in the charts for 24 weeks. Orbison credited this cover in particular for reviving his memory in the popular mind, if not his career.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p178}} He signed again with Monument in 1976 and recorded ''[[Regeneration (Roy Orbison album)|Regeneration]]'' with Fred Foster, but it proved no more successful than before.

In late 1977, Orbison was not feeling well and decided to spend the winter in Hawaii. He checked in to a hospital there, where testing discovered that he had severely obstructed [[coronary arteries]] and was barely alive.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p177}} Orbison underwent open-heart surgery on January 18, 1978.<ref name="offbio" /> He had suffered from [[Peptic ulcer|duodenal ulcers]] since 1960 and had been a heavy smoker since adolescence.<ref>Clayson, Alan, pp. 3, 183–184.</ref> Orbison said he felt rejuvenated after the procedure, but he continued to smoke cigarettes, despite the advice of his doctor.<ref name="Amburn"/>{{refpage|p178}}.