Career 1949–1955: Wink Westerners In 1949, Orbison (then 13 years old) formed the band Wink Westerners with school friends Billy Pat Ellis on drums, Slob Evans on bass fiddle, Richard West on piano, and James Morrow on electric mandolin. They played country and western swing standards and Glenn Miller jazz swing songs at local honky-tonk bars and had a weekly morning radio show on KERB in Kermit, Texas. Their first performance was at a school assembly in 1953. They were offered $400 to play at a dance, and Orbison realized that he could make a living in music. Orbison was also part of a marching band and singing octet. At the age of 15, Orbison decided that instead of becoming a guitar player, he would use the guitar as an accompaniment to his singing.
Career 1949–1955: Wink Westerners In 1949, Orbison (then 13 years old) formed the band Wink Westerners with school friends Billy Pat Ellis on drums, Slob Evans on bass fiddle, Richard West on piano, and James Morrow on electric mandolin. They played country and western swing standards and Glenn Miller jazz swing songs at local honky-tonk bars and had a weekly morning radio show on KERB in Kermit, Texas. Their first performance was at a school assembly in 1953. They were offered $400 to play at a dance, and Orbison realized that he could make a living in music. Orbison was also part of a marching band and singing octet. At the age of 15, Orbison decided that instead of becoming a guitar player, he would use the guitar as an accompaniment to his singing.