The article identifies Roy Orbison as the singer Bob Dylan regarded as unsurpassed, highlighting Dylan’s admiration for Orbison’s distinctive voice and emotional delivery. It matters because it places one major American songwriter’s praise alongside Orbison’s enduring reputation as an exceptional vocalist and influence on popular music.

Dylan is presented as valuing Orbison’s ability to combine technical control with vulnerability, particularly in dramatic ballads such as ‘Only the Lonely’ and ‘Crying’. Orbison’s wide range, operatic style and darkly expressive songs set him apart from many rock-and-roll contemporaries, helping explain why Dylan considered his singing to be in a class of its own.