The Traveling Wilburys biography
The Traveling Wilburys (sometimes shortened to the Wilburys) were an English-American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, accompanied by drummer Jim Keltner. The band recorded two albums in 1988 and 1990, though Orbison died before the second was recorded.
"Wilbury" was a slang term first used by Harrison during the recording of Cloud Nine (1987) with Lynne. Referring to recording errors created by some faulty equipment, Harrison jokingly remarked to Lynne, "We'll bury 'em in the mix". Thereafter, they used the term for any small error in performance and the term was used again when the group were together. Harrison suggested "The Trembling Wilburys" as the group's name; instead, Lynne suggested "Traveling", with which the group agreed.
History
1988-1990
George Harrison first mentions The Traveling Wilburys during a radio interview with Bob Coburn on the Rockline radio station in February 1988. When asked what he planned to do as a follow-up for his
Cloud Nine album, George replies: "What I'd really like to do next is... to do an album with me and some of my mates... a few tunes, you know. Maybe The Traveling Wilburys... it's this new group I got: it's called The Traveling Wilburys, I'd like to do an album with them and later we can all do our own albums again."
Starting with a meal among Roy Orbison, George Harrison and Jeff Lynne, the group came together at Bob Dylan's home studio in Malibu, California, to record an additional track as a B-side for the single release of Harrison's "This Is Love". Tom Petty's involvement came by chance, as Harrison had left his guitar at Petty's house and Harrison went to get it and Petty came back with Harrison. The record label, however, decided that the song that resulted, "Handle with Care", was too good to be released as a "single filler".
The members enjoyed working together so much that they decided to create a full album together. Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, written by all the members, was recorded over a ten-day period in May 1988, and released on October 18. The album was recorded in the house and garden of Eurythmics member Dave Stewart. The "Wilburys" joke was extended further, with the band members credited under various pseudonyms and pretending to be half-brothers - sons of a fictional Charles Truscott Wilbury, Sr.
The album was a critical and commercial success, spawning several successful singles and eventually reaching triple-platinum sales status in the US. The album was nominated for several awards and won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group in 1989.
Roy Orbison's death on December 6, 1988, brought the end of the original lineup. In tribute to Orbison, during the music video for "End of the Line", when Orbison sings, his guitar is shown rocking in a chair as the rest of the group play, followed by a brief shot focusing on a framed picture of him. Following Orbison's death, Jeff Lynne collaborated with Del Shannon on his album Rock On, which spawned rumors that Shannon would join the group.
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