Traveling Wilburys

The Traveling Wilburys were a supergroup created by George Harrison and Jeff Lynne. Initially an informal grouping with Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, they got together to quickly record an additional track as a B-side for Harrison's "When We Was Fab" single at Bob Dylan's Santa Monica, California studio. The song they came up with was "Handle With Care" - which the record company immediately realised was too good to be released as a single "filler".

Related Topics:
Supergroup - George Harrison - Jeff Lynne - Roy Orbison - Tom Petty - Bob Dylan - Santa Monica, California

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They enjoyed working together so much that they decided to create an album together. Written by all its members, the song-writing and recording was accomplished by this group of musical legends over a ten day period, (as Dylan was due to go out on tour). Released in October 1988, under various pseudonyms as half-brothers, supposed sons of Charles Truscott Wilbury, Senior, the album was immediately dubbed as one of the top 100 albums of all time by Rolling Stone. It was unfortunate that the untimely death of band member Roy Orbison (on December 6, 1988) interfered with what might have been to come.

Related Topics:
Pseudonym - Rolling Stone - Roy Orbison - December 6 - 1988

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"Wilburys" was a slang term coined by Harrison and Lynne during the recording of Cloud Nine, the Harrison album that featured "When We Was Fab", as a reference to "gremlins" in the recording equipment and process. The term was used again when the entire group was together. Harrison suggested "The Trembling Wilburys" as the group's name, but they decided to use "Traveling" instead.

Related Topics:
Cloud Nine - Gremlin

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A charity single, "Nobody's Child" followed, and then a second album (titled Volume 3 to account for the missing chapter that was Roy Orbison's contribution) in October 1990. However, without Orbison's voice, songwriting and "elder statesman" influences, the album met with more limited success.

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As of January 2005, rumours refuse to die that there may be a third album in the works, jokingly titled "Vol. 5" because of George Harrison's passing in late 2001.

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The two Wilbury albums have long been out of print. However, Tom Petty announced on his XM radio show that both would be re-released sometime in late 2005 with bonus tracks.

Related Topics:
XM - 2005

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The Traveling Wilburys of Volume 1 were:

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• Nelson Wilbury - George Harrison
• Otis Wilbury - Jeff Lynne
• Lefty Wilbury - Roy Orbison
• Charlie T. Jnr. - Tom Petty
• Lucky Wilbury - Bob Dylan

The Traveling Wilburys of Volume 3 were:

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• Spike Wilbury - George Harrison
• Clayton Wilbury - Jeff Lynne
• Muddy Wilbury - Tom Petty
• Boo Wilbury - Bob Dylan
 
Traveling Wilburys: Discography ►