The
Traveling Wilburys were an
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
–American
supergroupIn the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
consisting of
Bob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
,
George HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
,
Jeff LynneJeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
,
Roy OrbisonRoy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
and
Tom PettyThomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
, accompanied by drummer
Jim KeltnerJames Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...
. The band recorded two albums in 1988 and 1990, though Roy Orbison died before the second was recorded.
"Wilbury" was a slang term first used by Harrison during the recording of
Cloud Nine-Personnel:The following personnel was credited in the liner notes.*George Harrison – vocals, guitars, keyboards, sitar*Jeff Lynne – guitars, bass, vocals, keyboards*Eric Clapton – guitar*Elton John – piano*Gary Wright – piano*Ringo Starr – drums...
with Jeff 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.
1988–1990
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-sideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
for the single release of Harrison's "
This Is Love"This Is Love" is a song by George Harrison and is the fifth track on his 1987 studio album Cloud Nine. In June 1988, the song was also released as the third single from that album, peaking at #55 in the UK Singles Chart ....
". Tom Petty's involvement came by chance, as Harrison had left his guitar at Petty's house and Petty came back with Harrison. The record label, however, decided that the song that resulted, "
Handle with Care"Handle with Care" is the first track from the Traveling Wilburys 1988 album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, and the group's biggest hit. Writing credits are shared by all five band members, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan....
", 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. 1Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 is the debut album by the supergroup Traveling Wilburys and was recorded and released in 1988 to commercial success and critical acclaim.- Background :...
, 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 StewartDavid Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
. 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 AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
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 videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
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.
The Traveling Wilburys contributed the title track, "
Nobody's Child"Nobody's Child" is a song written by Cy Coben and Mel Foree. It was first recorded by Hank Snow in 1949 and it became one of his standards, although it did not chart for him...
", to the Romanian Angel Appeal benefit album
Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal- Notes :* On the included performance, the All-Starr Band consisted of Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, Nils Lofgren, Billy Preston, Dr. John, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Jim Keltner, Clarence Clemons, and Zak Starkey....
, released on July 24, 1990.
The final studio album by the Wilburys, intentionally misnumbered
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 is the 1990 follow-up album by the supergroup Traveling Wilburys to their 1988 debut Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1.-History:...
, was released on October 30, 1990, but met with less success than the previous one. In the booklet contained in the 2007 box set, the album title is credited to "George being George"; apparently Harrison was making a wry reference to the appearance of a bootleg that served as a sort of "Volume 2".
After his 1991 tour of Japan, George spoke of a Traveling Wilburys tour,
The Wilburys tour never came about. Petty said about the Wilburys touring,
2007
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the two Traveling Wilburys albums had limited availability and were
out of printOut of print refers to an item, typically a book , but can include any print or visual media or sound recording, that is in the state of no longer being published....
in most areas. Harrison, as primary holder of the rights, did not reissue them before his death in 2001. In June 2007, the two albums were reissued as
The Traveling Wilburys CollectionThe Traveling Wilburys Collection is a 2007 box set compilation album comprising both albums by the Traveling Wilburys, a DVD with their videos and a documentary about the group. The set was released June 12, 2007 by Rhino, in association with Wilbury Records. The album went straight to number 1 in...
, a box set including both albums on CD (with bonus tracks) and a DVD featuring a twenty-four minute band documentary and a collection of music videos.
The box set was released in three editions; the standard edition, with both CDs and DVD in a double
DigipakDigipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
package and a 16-page booklet; a "deluxe" boxed edition with the CDs and DVD and an extensive 40-page booklet, artist postcards, and photographs; or a "deluxe" boxed edition on vinyl. This version omits the DVD, but adds a
12" vinyl discThe 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
with rare versions of the songs.
The release surprised many when it debuted at #1 in the UK album charts and the Australian album charts. On the US
Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
it reached #9. The collection sold 500,000 copies worldwide during the first three weeks and remained in the UK top 5 for seven weeks after its release.
Line-ups
Volume 1
- "Nelson Wilbury" – George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
- "Otis Wilbury" – Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
- "Lefty Wilbury" – Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
- "Charlie T. Wilbury, Jr" – Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
- "Lucky Wilbury" – Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
Volume 3
- "Spike Wilbury" – George Harrison
- "Clayton Wilbury" – Jeff Lynne
- "Muddy Wilbury" – Tom Petty
- "Boo Wilbury" – Bob Dylan
Additional Traveling Wilburys named in the 2007 collection:
- "Buster Sidebury" – Jim Keltner
James Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...
- "Ayrton Wilbury" – Dhani Harrison
Dhani Harrison is an English musician and the son of George Harrison of The Beatles and Olivia Harrison. Harrison debuted as a professional musician when completing his father's final album Brainwashed after George Harrison's death in November 2001...
Keltner, the session drummer and percussionist, was not listed as a Wilbury in
Volume 1 or
Volume 3; however, he is in all of the music videos. In the DVD released in 2007, he is given the Wilbury nickname "Buster Sidebury". Overdubs to the bonus tracks "Maxine" and "Like a Ship" credit "Ayrton Wilbury", a pseudonym for Dhani Harrison. The pseudonym Ayrton was used in honor of the Harrisons' late family friend
Ayrton SennaAyrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
.
The lead guitar on the song "She's My Baby" (on
Volume 3) was played by rock guitarist
Gary MooreRobert William Gary Moore , better known simply as Gary Moore, was a Northern Irish musician from Belfast, best recognised as a blues rock guitarist and singer....
.
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Singles
Other charted songs
External links