travelling wilburys ringo starr

• Privacy Policy and Cookie agreement

Who Was In The Travelling Wilburys?

Apr 24 2024

• 1 Who is still alive from the Traveling Wilburys
• 2.0.1 Who is the leader of Elo?
• 2.0.2 Who were the guitarists who played with Roy Orbison?
• 2.0.3 What did George Harrison think of Roy Orbison?
• 2.0.4 Why did Roy Orbison wear sunglasses?
• 3.1 Did Ringo Starr play with the Traveling Wilburys?
• 3.2 Who was the oldest member of the Traveling Wilburys?
• 4.0.1 How many members were in the supergroup the Traveling Wilburys?
• 4.1 Why did the Traveling Wilburys break up?
• 5.0.1 What was Roy Orbison’s vocal range?
• 5.0.2 How old was Barbara Orbison when she married Roy Orbison?
• 5.1 Why did ELO fall out?
• 6 Is ELO still in existence
• 7 Why is ELO named ELO

Who is still alive from the Traveling Wilburys

Jeff Lynne Looks Back On Traveling Wilburys & the 30th Anniversary of ‘Vol.1’: ‘It Was a Marvelous Time’ On the 30th anniversary of The Traveling Wilburys’ ‘Vol.1,’ Jeff Lynne looks back on the group’s origins and songwriting process, how they kept egos at bay and just what the heck ‘Tweeter the Monkey It seems fitting that, when you read about the creation of The Travelling Wilburys in 1988, it’s hard to sort out which stories are true and which are apocryphal.

After all, the five megastars who made up the supergroup went by pseudonyms and claimed to be half-brothers: Nelson (George Harrison), Otis (Jeff Lynne), Lefty (Roy Orbison), Charlie T., Jr. (Tom Petty) and Lucky (Bob Dylan). Other legends abound: Did the name “Wilbury” come from Lynne telling George Harrison, during sessions for the former Beatle’s comeback record Cloud Nine, that “we’ll bury mistakes in the mix”? Did the four other members ask Orbison to join the band right before he went on stage? Did George Harrison announce the project for the first time during a radio interview? The answers are no, kind of and maybe — at least according to Jeff Lynne, who recalls the group’s formation as quick and simple.

While working on Cloud Nine, he and Harrison started throwing out names of people with whom they’d love to be in a band. “Whenever we asked somebody, they would join immediately, so the group was formed in about 15 minutes,” he tells Billboard, When their debut album, Traveling Wilburys Vol.1, was released thirty years ago today on October 19, 1988, it became an instant hit in an era that was oriented more toward pop groups and hair metal bands than five guys in their 30s, 40s and 50s singing folksy rock songs.

• It also won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.
• But the record did more than prove their staying power — it also rejuvenated the careers of Dylan, Orbison and Petty.
• Petty went on to release his magnum opus, Full Moon Fever, produced by Lynne, the following year, and Dylan’s Oh Mercy, also released in 1989, became his biggest hit in years.

Orbison, sadly, didn’t get to reap the benefits for long; he died of a heart attack in December of 1988, shortly after Vol.1 and before his own comeback album, Mystery Girl, was released. Lynne and Dylan are now the last remaining Wilburys following Petty’s shocking death in 2017.

• Below, Lynne — who’s currently touring with ELO and prepping a new studio album — tells Billboard about the process of getting the Wilburys together, how they kept egos at bay and just what the heck “Tweeter the Monkey Man” is about anyway.
• I’ve read a lot of different stories about how the band came together.

What’s your recollection? I’d just started working with George, producing, and we’d been working on it for a couple of months probably, and George said, “You know what? Me and you should have a group.” And I said to him, “Oh, that’s a great idea.” What a lovely thing to be asked to be in a group by George Harrison.

And I said, “Who should we have in it?” I don’t know what I was expecting, but he said, “Bob Dylan.” And then I said, “Can we have Roy Orbison in it as well?” ‘Cause it was still a fantasy, really, at the time for me. I didn’t realize that this was about to happen. And luckily, we both said “Tom Petty,” because we both loved Tom, and it all came together just like that.

Did it feel like a challenge to get all these people together? Or did you think, “He’s a Beatle, so he knows everybody, and I know a lot of people myself, it won’t be that hard”? It seemed like it was doable. I didn’t have to wait too long to find out whether it was doable.

They all said yes immediately, so that’s how it started out. It was just on the phone, basically, and then we got together in L.A. at Bob’s house. Did George announce that he was forming this group on a radio show? From what I understand, that’s how the public found out about it. He may well have done, but I don’t know.

I didn’t hear the radio show, so I didn’t know about that particularly. What I remember mostly was George had half a song done, and then we all convened at Bob Dylan’s garage, which is kind of wacky in itself. He had a little miniature studio in there, and was called “Handle With Care,” and that was the first one we did.

Who knew whom at the time? I didn’t know Tom that well. I’d met him a couple of times, I’d met Bob a couple of times. I’d never met Roy, but that was my dream, to meet Roy Orbison — and to be in a group with him was just ridiculous. I couldn’t possibly believe that. We weren’t close pals, but it was meant to be, because when we did all meet up together, we got on great.

Is it true that some of the group went to one of Roy Orbison’s shows, and right before he got on stage, you asked and he said yes? We went down to a show in Orange Country somewhere — I think it may have been Anaheim — and we actually watched his show first, because we got there a little bit late.

Then afterwards, we were in his dressing room and asked him to join the group, and he yes. There was never any long, big thought about it. Everybody thought it was a good idea. What was the biggest hurdle you faced in getting everyone together? Believe it or not, there wasn’t one. Because we had the studio, we just planned for ten days, to write ten songs for the album.

Which is what we did: getting together around lunchtime, strumming five acoustic guitars. We’d all share chords, ideas for the chord changes, just to get the backing track, and then we’d lay those down. Sometimes we’d double-track those five acoustics, so it’d become ten acoustics.

• It was rather extravagant, but the rest of it was very, very simple.
• We would then have dinner and write the words at the same time we’re having dinner.
• We’d be sitting there at the table, throwing out lines.
• Bob got a lot of the lines, just because he’s such a great writer of lyrics.
• And it was just fascinating, really — the whole thing was done at dinner time.

We’d then go back in the studio and sing them. We’d sort out which parts would suit everybody, and then me and George produced it. It was a marvelous time. When we’d done the ten songs, they were just basic tracks, really — acoustic, bass, a couple of drum beats, and then we took it home to to England to really finish it off.

Tom came over to play, and Roy came over to finish them off — to make them into what you’d call proper records, rather than demos. On Vol.1 it does feel like some of the songs sound like Bob Dylan songs, some sound like George Harrison songs, some like Tom Petty songs, Orbison songs, Jeff Lynne songs.

How did that process happen? Usually the guy who had the most to do with the lyrics would sing most of it. And other people would get choruses or a bridge to sing. We’d do different parts that would suit their voices. It was just a matter of trial and error, really.

• Getting Roy Orbison in the studio, it was just magic to me.
• As well as doing the Wilburys at that time, I was doing three tracks for his own album,
• I was just producing him, and I was knocking these tracks out between the Wilburys sessions.
• If there were a few hours left in the day from the end of a Wilburys session, I’d go back to work on the Roy Orbison songs.

I got the privilege of recording his voice, which to me, has always been the greatest thing ever. Was there any concern at all that egos would get in the way during the sessions? It never did get in the way. I never thought that it would. I mean, we had met up before we all started thinking about doing the work, and a bunch of guys having fun.

Tom came up with loads and loads of words for the songs as well, and Tom really knocked us about, that one. Three of them gone now — I can’t believe it still. It’s one of those things: “No, it can’t be true.” Where do you think that lack of ego came from? I think it just came naturally, because George was a bit of a name on his own.

I think that they were all totally in tune with this idea that George had originally. Everybody saw what everybody did, and I was mainly the producer of it, trying to get it all as good as it could be. They all knew that everything was covered. Nobody thought that they were better than anybody else, really.

I actually made up the name Traveling Wilburys. I don’t think Bob was that keen — he wanted to call it Roy and the Boys. There’s a story out there that George called the mistakes during the recording of Cloud Nine “Wilburys,” because you said, “we’ll bury them in the mix.” That’s totally a fabrication.

Somebody invented that just to make it sound good, but no there was nothing subtle at all about The Wilburys. What you saw what you got. That was it. What was it like to collaborate on producing with George on that album? That partnership must have laid the foundation for the Wilburys.

George wanted to be sure we would get on, because we didn’t know each other, but he liked my ELO records. I’d just been working with Dave Edmunds on a song, and asked Dave to ask me if I’d like to work on his new album. I said “Of course!” So I went around to his house, and there he was, on the boat on the lake.

We had a few beers and a laugh, and after a couple of days of just talking about me producing him, he asked me if I’d like to go on holiday to Australia. I said, “Oh, I’d love to,” and so we did. We went through Hawaii and then to Australia to watch the Grand Prix in Adelaide — that’s where it was in those days — and we became really great friends and had really good fun.

I even co-wrote one of the songs with George — “When We Was Fab” — off Cloud Nine, It was just a wonderful opportunity to use some really good sounds, some nice, ’60s kind of sounds. Was there a desire on some of these guys’ parts to just be someone in a band for a while? I think so. Tom loved not having to be the big front guy.

But he always looked great anyway — he looked like the front guy. Roy Orbison — what a lovely man, one of the nicest guys I’ve ever known, just a real sweetheart. He’d come to the session, and in his car he’d have a bunch of cakes, which he wasn’t supposed to have anyway, because he had a bad heart.

He’d call me Jeffery and say, “I’ve got some really nice cakes in the back, come and have a look.” So he’d invite me down to the back of his car, show me them and say, “You can have first pick.” I thought that was so sweet. What was Dylan like in this sessions? Did anything about him surprise you? Obviously I knew all his work, but what struck me really was how he did it the same way we all do it, but only better words? I don’t know how to explain it, but he’d get right to the point, right to the “What’s this about?”,

We’d have to say, “What’s this about, then?” after we got lines in. Hearing you say that makes me think of “Tweeter and the Monkey Man.” I’m still not 100 percent sure what it’s about. I think it’s about some visions that Bob Dylan had that night. Who knows? Tom helped a lot on that one, too.

It’s all over the dinner table, don’t forget, so we’re just talking and saying sentences, and sometimes they fit perfectly, and sometimes they don’t, so you move them down a bit so it fits in the next verse. There was no premeditated thinking about it. It was not what you’d normally do on an album: You’d keep going over it, time after time after time after time, to edit the song to make it as good as it can be.

But Bob very much the first take is the one, and that’s it — you don’t touch it. The first take is Bob’s favorite, usually. Many people think that song is a hat tip to Bruce Springsteen, given the imagery of New Jersey, a factory and other references. Is that the case, or was it just a coincidence? I think he liked talking about Bruce.

You should ask him about that, really, because I know they sound little bits of “Thunder Road.” We all loved Bruce Springsteen, obviously; you could say it was an homage to Bruce. When you guys are record a song like “End of the Line,” where no one is really sing lead and you’re going back and forth, what’s the atmosphere like? Is it as fun as it sounds on the recording? Oh, absolutely, because we knew we’d got a great tune there, and everybody loved singing it.

Everybody loved to have a part, because it was such a catchy and sentimental song, and when Roy comes in, he just blows my mind. Of course, Roy died just when we finished it and the record was coming out, which was the most sickening thing to me. I was devastated for ages because of that.

Where did the idea of giving yourselves different Wilbury names and saying you’re half brothers come from? Oh, that was George’s idea. Was the idea, “Yes, we’re five huge names, but we’re just part of a band”? Of course everybody knew who it was, but that was the idea — making it more like a real group that’s been together for years.

What is your fondest memory of doing Vol.1 ? I think my fondest memory is Roy Orbison singing on the, When he’s laying it down, and I’m egging him on a little bit as the producer, just going, “Oh yeah, just like that!” He was such a brilliant singer, and a lovely guy.

• I had all the time in the world for Roy.
• My favorite thing of all was being pals with Roy Orbison.
• Were you surprised at the success of the album? Or did the success of Cloud Nine give you a little bit of an idea that the Wilburys album might be successful? The main thing is that thought it would be successful, so they put a lot of faith in it.

And it was very popular. I still do one song onstage on the new tour: “Handle With Care,” just to remind you of the Wilburys and show them a little bit of the Wilburys footage on the screen in the back. The crowds always love that. They love to hear that one.

• You’re in the middle of your ELO tour right.
• How’s that going? It’s been fantastic.
• It’s unbelievable.
• Absolutely outrageous.
• They’re all sold out to the roof, so it’s shocking and fantastic.
• Shocking how? Well, I haven’t been on the road ever since the Wilburys.
• Is it interesting to you that songs that are forty years old are getting such a positive reception? They hold up very well.

I’m shocked. I’ve got a really good band now, and I can finally reproduce on stage what I couldn’t do before with the old group. The new group has 13 including me, and we can finally cover all the string parts, the harmony parts. I get a copy of the show afterwards, just to check how it’s going, so I’m just thrilled with the way it sounds, and the audiences are too.

How old was Roy Orbison when he died

Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as operatic, earning him the nicknames “The Caruso of Rock” and “The Big O”.

Many of Orbison’s songs conveyed vulnerability at a time when most male rock-and-roll performers chose to project machismo, He performed while standing motionless and wearing black clothes to match his dyed black hair and dark sunglasses, Born in Texas, Orbison began singing in a rockabilly and country-and-western band as a teenager.

He was signed by Sam Phillips of Sun Records in 1956, but enjoyed his greatest success with Monument Records, From 1960 to 1966, 22 of Orbison’s singles reached the Billboard Top 40. He wrote or co-wrote almost all of his own Top 10 hits, including ” Only the Lonely ” (1960), ” Running Scared ” (1961), ” Crying ” (1961), ” In Dreams ” (1963), and ” Oh, Pretty Woman ” (1964).

• After the mid-1960s Orbison suffered a number of personal tragedies, and his career faltered.
• He experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s, following the success of several cover versions of his songs.
• In 1988, he co-founded the Traveling Wilburys (a rock supergroup ) with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne,

Orbison died of a heart attack in December 1988 at age 52. One month later, his song ” You Got It ” (1989) was released as a solo single, becoming his first hit to reach both the US and UK Top 10 in nearly 25 years. Orbison’s honors include inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989, and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2014.

Who is the leader of Elo?

Who were the guitarists who played with roy orbison.

Background – The special consisted of a performance of many of Orbison’s hits at the then Ambassador Hotel ‘s Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles, filmed on September 30, 1987, approximately fourteen months before his death. Three songs, ” Blue Bayou “, ” Claudette “, and ” Blue Angel “, were filmed but not included in the original broadcast due to time constraints.

• Other celebrity admirers of Orbison were in the audience, including David Lynch, Billy Idol, Patrick Swayze, Billy Bob Thornton, Sandra Bernhard and Kris Kristofferson,
• The backing band was the TCB Band, which accompanied Elvis Presley from 1969 until his death in 1977: Glen Hardin on piano, James Burton on lead guitar, Jerry Scheff on bass, and Ronnie Tutt on drums.

Male background vocalists, some of whom also joined in on guitar, electric organ and keyboards were Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther and Steven Soles, The female background vocalists were k.d. lang, Jennifer Warnes, and Bonnie Raitt,

During the end credits, several of the band members are shown talking about how Orbison influenced them. The following morning at 7:42am, a violent 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Whittier section of Los Angeles. Several chandeliers in the ballroom had collapsed on the master film and videotape recordings that had captured the performance.

When the wreckage was cleared, no damage had been done. Soon after the release on VHS and LaserDisc, a bootleg CD titled A Black and White Night, Roy Orbison in Concert with the Billion Dollar Band surfaced, and is a rare collectors item nowadays. This CD, which came before any official CD-release of the concert, has the same 15 songs in the same order as the original VHS/LaserDisc release and has catalogue number RO.LA.87, referring to the artist, place and year of the recording.

What did George Harrison think of Roy Orbison?

How George Harrison asked Roy Orbison to join the Traveling Wilburys As The Beatles’ career neared its end, started making solo music, releasing his debut record, Wonderwall Music, in 1968, two years before the Fab Four finally called it quits. Shortly after the split, the musician released All Things Must Pass, arguably one of the best solo Beatles records, sending Harrison down a successful musical path post-break-up.

In 1972, Harrison told Record Mirror, “I wouldn’t really care if no one ever heard of me again. I just want to play and make records and work on musical ideas.” The musician’s dedication to his craft kept him busy for the next few decades, even though some of his albums fared considerably worse than All Things Must Pass.

Still, Harrison wasn’t afraid to experiment with new genres and sounds, finding immense success with his cover of ‘Got My Mind Set on You’ by Rudy Clark in 1987. The track appeared on his album Cloud Nine, produced by, While working together, the pair discussed the idea of creating a song with some of their friends, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison.

The result was ‘Handle With Care’, intending to use it as the B-side for ‘This Is Love’. However, the group soon realised they worked well together and would benefit from creating an entire album. In 1988, Harrison appeared on the radio show Rockline, explaining, “What I’d really like to do next is to do an album with me and some of my mates.

It’s this new group I got : it’s called the Traveling Wilburys, I’d like to do an album with them, and then later, we can all do our own albums again.” The group’s debut album, Traveling Wilburys Vol.1, was released in October 1988, just over a month before Orbison died.

The musician’s stint in the band gave him a final burst of popularity before his death, as, during the 1970s, he had struggled to find the same acclaim he garnered in the 1960s. His final decade saw him collaborate with Emmy Lou Harris (with whom he won a Grammy), Glenn Danzig and Bruce Springsteen. Yet it was his short tenure in The Traveling Wilburys that allowed him to leave one final, indelible mark on popular music.

Orbison and Harrison first met in the early 1960s when the former toured with The Beatles. He was a massive fan of Orbison, as were the other members of The Traveling Wilburys, with Petty once stating in a documentary, “Every time we’d start thinking about it, ‘Wow, Roy Orbison’s in the band!” to Orbison’s son, Roy Jr, Harrison and the rest of the Wilburys wanted the musician to join their band so much that the former Beatle “got down on one knee and asked my dad if he wanted to be in his band.” He added, “That showed such humility.

He didn’t kneel before anyone.” “Roy never really had peers, so it was great for them to get together,” Orbison claimed before adding, “It re-started Roy’s career – and the careers of all of them. They helped each other. It was a beautiful thing.” Sadly, Orbison’s time in The Traveling Wilburys was cut short when he died of a heart attack at just 52.

The band before returning to their solo careers. } } } } } } : How George Harrison asked Roy Orbison to join the Traveling Wilburys

Why did Roy Orbison wear sunglasses?

Why did Roy Orbison wear dark sunglasses? – Roy Orbison with his trademark sunglasses. Picture: Getty It was said that all the Orbison children had poor eyesight growing up. Roy used thick corrective lenses from an early age, and was self-conscious about his appearance. He began dyeing his almost-white hair black when he was still a young boy.

• Why is Stevie Wonder blind? How the iconic soul singer lost his sight
• Gregory Porter facts: Singer’s age, wife, height and why he always wears a hat revealed

Was Eric Clapton ever in the Travelling Wilburys

Eric Clapton is one of the most renowned and iconic figures in the history of rock music. His contributions to the genre, from the early days of the British Invasion to his work with Derek and the Dominos, have earned him critical acclaim and legions of fans.

But what many people don’t know is that Eric Clapton was also a member of the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys. The group, which featured George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, released two albums and had several major hits. So, was Eric Clapton in the Traveling Wilburys? The answer is yes.

The rest of them all were in LA in April 1988 when George was writing and recording (with Leff Lynne as producer) a B-side for the third single from his album “Cloud Nine.” This version differs from Eric’s version due to his absence The rest of them all

Did Ringo Starr play with the Traveling Wilburys?

Ringo was not there at the time. That’s all. Why was Ringo Starr not a part of The Traveling Wilburys? The Traveling Wilburys were Harrison’s band with his friends, he already had a drummer, Jim Keltner, long time sessions drummer who played on all 4 Beatles solo albums.

Who was the oldest member of the Traveling Wilburys?

‘Traveling Wilburys, Vol.1′: Rock’s Super-Supergroup Turns 30 By Some of the most transcendent moments of the last decade in music resulted from high-profile hip-hop collaborations: Nicki Minaj’s verse on Kanye West’s “Monster,” George Clinton and Thundercat’s contributions to Kendrick Lamar’s “Wesley’s Theory,” and the endless rotating cast of features on Travis Scott’s “Astroworld.” These appearances sometimes seemed to give the guest artists even greater focus than in their own work, and they responded with ambition and excellence.

But none match the collaborative spectacular of the Traveling Wilburys for sheer delight. The project emerged from the B-side jam sessions of George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne, which they enjoyed enough to record a full pseudonymous album, “Traveling Wilburys, Vol.1,” which they released 30 years ago earlier this month.

Like George Clinton’s somewhat anachronistic but welcome presence on Lamar’s track, the Wilburys have an intergenerational charm. Orbison, the oldest, was one of the earliest stars of rock and roll as a codified genre. He and Dylan clearly had a strong influence on the Beatles (of which Harrison was, of course, a member).

• And although any description as “Beatlesque” is, Lynne (of Electric Light Orchestra) and Petty bear the Fab Four’s influence about as strongly as any artist since.
• Perhaps because of this dynamic — the elders relaxing among their fans-cum-bandmates, the youngsters on the top of their game to impress their idols — “Vol.1” somehow manages to be more than the sum of its stars’ earth-moving talents.

As Harrison might have recalled from his 21 years earlier, the mask of a fake band encouraged creativity and humor. How else could Dylan, during a streak of commercially unsuccessful and critically panned mid-’80s albums, have written “Dirty World,” whose very funny couplets belie its narrator’s melange of jealousy, hurt, lust, and misogynistic contempt, or the even funnier Springsteen parody “Tweeter and the Monkey Man”? Petty’s “Last Night” and “Margarita” likewise contribute a down-on-their-luck ethos to the myth of the traveling brothers.

Harrison’s songs “Handle with Care,” “Heading for the Light,” and “End of the Line” don’t fit quite as well in the concept, but they’re the best and catchiest tracks on the album, radiating the joy of a man back in a band for the first time in 17 years. Three decades after its release, the record demands a listen less for the novelty of all of its star power on the same tracks — especially after so many and than for the chance to see these figures in this particular mood: chummy, irreverent, relaxed.

Although some members (Dylan and Harrison) take up much more space than others (Orbison), the super-supergroup shares the spotlight enough that their subtly different styles give the best songs a dynamic multi-part structure. “Handle with Care” starts with Harrison’s looping guitar riff and in-the-clouds vocals on the verse, switches to a romantic pop melody for Orbison’s chorus, and turns up the cowbell for Petty and Dylan’s gravelly country-rock verse, all united by Lynne’s gleaming (if dated) production.

On “End of the Line,” an anthem to optimism and individualism, the singers simply trade off the melody, a unity among the aging rockers that gives a special resonance to lines like “Well it’s all right, / Even if you’re old and gray / Well it’s all right, / You still got something to say.” That line serves as a sort of motto for the band: They all did have things to say.

It just took each other to bring it out. —Staff writer Trevor J. Levin can be reached at [email protected] . : ‘Traveling Wilburys, Vol.1′: Rock’s Super-Supergroup Turns 30

Why did the Traveling Wilburys use fake names

Name – The name “Traveling Wilburys” comes from “We’ll bury.” When he was recording his album Cloud Nine, Harrison noticed some errors in the recording and said “Well bury them in the mix.” At first the band was the Trembling Wilburys but they changed it to the Traveling Wilburys.

The musicians used pretend names for the album: George Harrison was “Nelson Wilbury,” Bob Dylan was “Lucky Wilbury,” Roy Orbison was “Lefty Wilbury,” Tom Petty was “Charlie T. Jr.,” and Jeff Lynne was “Otis Wilbury.” This was meant as a joke and not to trick anyone. The Wilburys were five fictional brothers who all had the same father, Charlie T.

Wilbury Sr., but different mothers. Inside the paper around the album, there was also a pretend history of the Wilburys: “The original Wilburys were a stationary people who, realizing that their civilization could not stand still for ever, began to go for short walks – not the ‘traveling’ as we now know it, but certainly as far as the corner and back.”

How many members were in the supergroup the Traveling Wilburys?

The Traveling Wilburys The Traveling Wilburys would have never referred to themselves as a supergroup. Though comprised of some of the biggest names in modern music, the band was much more nonchalant than that. Formed out of friendship, spontaneity (and some would say pure kismet) the Traveling Wilburys were Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison.

• It all began in 1988, when Harrison and co-producer Jeff Lynne were tasked with recording a B-side for the former Beatle’s album, Cloud Nine,
• In need of a place to record on the fly, the two, along with friends Orbison and Petty, were invited over to Dylan’s home studio.
• The resulting track was “Handle With Care,” a collaborative effort which Harrison’s A&R team knew was just too good to use as a B-side.

George later said, “I liked the song and the way that it turned out with all these people on it so much that I just carried it around in my pocket for ages thinking, ‘Well what can I do with this thing?’ And the only thing to do I could think of was do another nine.

Make an album.” As each member of the Wilburys were busy with their own projects, the five musicians found a ten-day time frame in which to write and record an album together. Posing as a band of half-brothers (each with their own Wilbury monikers), the group enlisted Monty Python’s Michael Palin to write a fictional history of the group for the LP’s liner notes.

Traveling Wilburys Vol.1 was released in October of that year to wide critical and commercial acclaim, After hitting No.3 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, the certified double Platinum album earned a GRAMMY ® for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.

• Sadly, Orbison passed away in December of 1988.
• The band reunited for one more album, dedicating it to their late friend, and wryly titling the 1990 LP, Traveling Wilburys Vol.3.
• In 2007, a retrospective box set, The Traveling Wilburys Collection, was released.
• Proving the timeless appeal of the Wilburys’ music, the deluxe title hit Number One in six territories and peaked at Number Nine on the Billboard 200.

At the time, The Traveling Wilburys Collection held the record of the having the highest debut of a box set in the United States, as well as the biggest first week in sales for a box set in the United Kingdom. Though the Wilburys never toured, and were only together for a brief, magical time, the group’s mutual admiration for each other, and genuine joy in the studio, still shine through in these recordings.

Why did the Traveling Wilburys break up?

In fact, the group never officially disbanded. The four men remained good friends and collaborated on and off on smaller projects. While Harrison never ruled out another full-scale Travelling Wilburys project, Bob Dylan became noticeably distant from the group as he focused on his solo commitments.

How much was Roy Orbison worth when he died

What is Roy Orbison’s Net Worth? – Roy Orbison was a singer, songwriter, and musician known for his dark, complex songs and iconic black hair and sunglasses. At the time of his death Roy Orbison had a net worth equal to $20 million dollars, after adjusting for inflation.

What was Roy Orbison’s vocal range?

Fun Facts About Roy Orbison – In 1992, Roy Orbison collaborates with Glenn Danzig on a song “LIFE FADES AWAY” which Danzig and Orbison wrote for the movie, Less Than Zero. Later it releases on Roy’s “KING OF HEARTS” album, 1992. Many people assumed Roy was going blind – nope.

• His trademark dark glasses he began wearing in 1963, just before a British tour with The Beatles.
• It happened by accident: when he misplaced his regular glasses, he wore the dark ones, which later becomes one of his trademarks.
• Music scholars suggest that Orbison has a three-or four-octave range and his powerful, impassioned voice earns him the sobriquet “the Caruso of Rock.” In fact, The Big O and Enrico Caruso were the only 20th century tenors capable of hitting E over high C.

In 1963, he opens for The Beatles, even though he didn’t know who they were, The opening night, he did 14 encores before The Beatles even performed. No pressure for The Beatles gif (1×1) While, trying to cover the vast career of Roy Orbison, it’s rather hard to do but at least it gets the ball rolling on how fantastic he was. So, explore away with this icon and many others while we’re currently dealing with the chaos all around us. Furthermore, it’s important to support your favorite artists during these trying times.

How old was Barbara Orbison when she married Roy Orbison?

Image caption, Barbara Orbison met her husband when she was 17 in 1968 Barbara Orbison, the widow and manager of rock n’ roll pioneer Roy Orbison, has died of pancreatic cancer aged 61. A family spokeswoman said she died at a Los Angeles medical centre on Tuesday – the 23rd anniversary of her husband’s death.

Since the 1980s, Orbison devoted her time to managing her husband’s estate and keeping his legacy alive. In January 2010 she also accepted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on his behalf. With her son, Roy Kelton Orbison Jr, she co-produced a four-CD box set of her husband’s 107 recordings which was released in 2008.

The package marked the first all-inclusive body of Roy Orbison’s work from his earliest recordings to his last live performance. Roy Orbison died of a heart attack in 1988 at the age of 52, in the midst of a comeback with supergroup The Traveling Wilburys.

• Barbara Orbison was also the head of the Nashville, Tennessee-based music publishing company Still Working Music.
• In 2010 it was awarded BMI’s Song of the Year for Taylor Swift’s You Belong With Me.
• Image caption, Orbison accepted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on her husband’s behalf.
• Lisa Swayze, family friend and widow of late actor Patrick Swayze, said her heart went out to the Orbison family.

“Patrick and I always had a warm connection with them both. Now we have lost this wonderful lady,” she said. Barbara met her husband in 1968 when she was 17 years old and Orbison was 32. They married nine months later. The spokeswoman said Orbison will be buried next to her husband at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Why did ELO fall out?

1983–1986: Secret Messages, Balance of Power, disbanding – ELO performing in 1986 (Jeff Lynne and Richard Tandy pictured) Jeff Lynne wanted to follow Time with a double album, but CBS blocked his plan on the grounds that a double vinyl album would be too expensive in the oil crisis and not sell as well as a single record, so as a result, the new album was edited down to a single disc and released as Secret Messages in 1983; many of the out-takes were later released on Afterglow or as B-sides of singles.

• The album was a hit in the UK reaching the top 5, but its release was undermined by a string of bad news that there would be no tour to promote the LP.
• Lynne, discouraged by the dwindling crowds on the Time tour, CBS’s order to cut Secret Messages down to one disc, and his falling out with manager Don Arden, decided to end ELO in late 1983.

Drummer Bevan moved on to play drums for Black Sabbath, and bassist Groucutt, unhappy with no touring income that year, decided to sue Lynne and Jet Records in November 1983, eventually resulting in a settlement for the sum of £300,000 (equivalent to £994,300 in 2018).

• While Secret Messages debuted at number four in the United Kingdom, it subsequently performed poorly in the charts, with a lack of hit singles (though ” Rock ‘n’ Roll Is King ” was a sizeable hit in UK, the US and Australia) and a lukewarm media response.
• That same year, Lynne moved into production work: having already produced two tracks for the Dave Edmunds album Information, he would go on to produce six cuts for his next, Riff Raff in 1984, and one cut on the Everly Brothers reunion album EB 84,

He also composed a track for former ABBA member Agnetha Fältskog ‘s 1985 album Eyes of a Woman, Lynne and Tandy went on to record tracks for the 1984 Electric Dreams soundtrack under Lynne’s name; however, Lynne was contractually obliged to make one more ELO album.

So Lynne, Bevan and Tandy returned to the studio in 1984 and 1985 as a three-piece (with Christian Schneider playing saxophone on some tracks and Lynne again doubling on bass in addition to his usual guitar in the absence of an official bass player) to record Balance of Power, released early in 1986 after some delays.

Though the single ” Calling America ” placed in the Top 30 in the United Kingdom (number 28) and Top 20 in the States, subsequent singles failed to chart. The album lacked actual classical strings, which were replaced once again by synthesizers, played by Tandy and Lynne.

However, despite being a 3-piece, much of the album was made by Lynne alone, with Tandy and Bevan giving their additions later. The band was then rejoined by Kaminski, Clark and Morgan, adding Martin Smith on bass guitar, and proceeded to perform a small number of live ELO performances in 1986, including shows in England and Germany along with US appearances on American Bandstand, Solid Gold, then at Disneyland that summer.

ELO performed at the Heart Beat 86 charity concert organised by Bevan in the band’s hometown of Birmingham on 15 March 1986; a hint of Lynne’s future was seen when George Harrison appeared onstage during the encore, joining in the all-star jam of ” Johnny B.

Is ELO still in existence

Currently, Jeff Lynne is the only founding member still in the group, as Roy Wood left in 1972 and the group disbanded in 1986.

Why is ELO named ELO

I hear the word elo always but what does it mean please if you know tell me Elo is just a rating system to calculate the relative skill level of players in games. The words Elo and Rating can be used interchangeably in chess. Electric Light Orchestra – they were a popular band 50 years ago. The chess world decided to pay tribute to them and adopted elo as a way to measure performance. It is basically the word for the rating system, that came from its inventor Arpad Elo. Read the link @tygxc has given you if you wish to know more. My limited experience with ELO is that for most players it is meaningless. For the elite (anyone above ELO 1000) it is nice. But around the 100-600 mark where most people will spend their life. ELO is just a crap shoot. Win 1 or 2 matches and ELO goes up by a lot, loose a few matches and ELO is halved. Sun is shining in the sky 🌞 elo is a rating system which chess often uses. Arpad Elo is its inventor and where the system name comes from. It should be noted that other rating systems also exist with subtle differences (such as the k-factor variable in determining rating changes for less active accounts) as chess.com technically uses glicko rating system and not elo.

The difference is negligible, so if you say elo chess.com rating, people still understand what you mean to say (even though technically incorrect). Although some math nuances may vary, the concept of any rating system is the same. It is a measure of a player’s estimated chess level based on past performance.

Ratings are an estimate and always will be. It is NOT the same as chess knowledge or chess ability even though higher rated players tend to be more knowledgeable and of greater chess ability on average. It doesn’t “stand for” anything. Elo is not an abbreviation. It’s a person’s name. Arpad Elo. He invented the Elo rating system. When people say “elo” most of the time they simply mean “rating” even if that rating is not technically an elo rating. Elo kind of became a generic term for all types of ratings used in chess. A bit like generic trademarks (Kleenex, Aspirin, etc). BlueScreenRevenge wrote: Elo kind of became a generic term for all types of ratings used in chess. A bit like generic trademarks (Kleenex, Aspirin, etc). That happens a lot, yes. Toilets are sometimes referred-to as “crappers” in English-speaking countries. Thomas Crapper – Wikipedia Misanthrope4U wrote: My limited experience with ELO is that for most players it is meaningless. For the elite (anyone above ELO 1000) it is nice. But around the 100-600 mark where most people will spend their life. ELO is just a crap shoot. Win 1 or 2 matches and ELO goes up by a lot, loose a few matches and ELO is halved.

This is totally false. And you obviously do not know anything about the Elo Ratings System.1. There is a maximum and minimum amount of Elo points you can gain or lose per game. And it does not matter if I win against GM Carlsen, and then I lose to my Cat rated 100 Elo.2. And the amount of gain or loss depends on the other players rating difference.

And If you win, lose, or draw a game. Up to the maximum and minimum rating gain, or loss per game.3. If you are seeing volatility over the maximum and minimum. This is because your rating is provisional, and not yet established. It doesn’t really stand for anything because it was named after Arpad Elo, but if it did it might stand for Estimation of level of Opposition. da_real_unknown_soup wrote: I hear the word elo always but what does it mean please if you know tell me It means rating. Not sure why people call it this, though.

Related Question Answers

Jackson Ward

When new education policy will be implemented in gujarat, norman hughes, rytisygutabazhefa.jpg, connor rogers, which state has the best education in india, which country has the hardest education system, ronald peterson, what are the methods of health education, adam brooks, what is ddo code in education department, ethan bryant, directorate of distance education annamalai university, isaiah diaz, constitutional provisions for education b.ed notes, harold perez, who is the education minister of odisha, anthony watson, define physical education class 11, how many regional institute of education are there under ncert, when will new education policy be implemented, philip james, where does india rank in education system in the world, bernard rivera, what are the causes of lack of education, logan gonzales, why medical education is costly in india, howard stewart, essay on importance of education, miguel rodriguez, what is tournament in physical education class 12, horace lopez, how to introduce yourself as a teacher in a new school, william rodriguez, what is the function of education, xavier richardson, what is the role of education in social change.

Enter your email for registration

The Traveling Wilburys

A brief history of the Traveling Wilburys and their side projects and collaborations.

Friday, May 22, 1992

• Time Takes Time, Ringo Starr, 1992

No comments:

Post a Comment

Wilbury Links

• allmusic.com's Wilburys page
• Bookrags.com's Wilbury page
• thewilburys.com
• travelingwilburys.blogspot.com
• travelingwilburys.com
• wilburys.info

Member Links

• ELO Music (Jeff Lynne)
• George Harrison
• Roy Orbison

Related Links

• Concert for George
• Del Shannon webpage
• ELO (Rockaria)
• ELOclopedie-Jeff Lynne bio
• Face The Music
• Jeff Lynne song database
• Luma78's YouTube Beatle Video page
• Wilburys page on Face the Music
• allmusic.com
• billboard.com
• Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Blog Archive

• ►  February (1)
• ►  October (2)
• ►  June (2)
• ►  April (1)
• ►  November (1)
• ►  October (1)
• ►  September (1)
• ►  July (1)
• ►  February (3)
• ►  March (1)
• ►  June (1)
• ►  May (1)
• ►  March (2)
• ►  December (1)
• ►  June (3)
• ►  August (1)
• ►  January (5)

• On the Cover
• Gear Reviews
• Departments
• Legends Collection
• Carmine Collection
• Merchandise
• Festival 2021

The Greats: Jim Keltner

Jim met Ringo in 1971, during preparations for George Harrison’s Concert For Bangladesh, on which he and Ringo shared drum duties. Keltner later toured with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band, and, along with Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne, was a member of ’80s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys—playing under the pseudonym Buster Sidebury.

Jim has been a huge influence on countless top drummers, who worship his simple but magical performances and casual but precise feel. Keltner is equally famous because of his enthusiasm for unusual sounds: He’s been known to play with kitchen utensils and rattling chains, and his embrace of electronics has widened his sound palette even further.

A studio legend who never stops looking forward, Keltner has been involved with some truly inventive recordings, such as his 2000 collaboration with his close friend, Rolling Stone drummer Charlie Watts. The Charlie Watts/Jim Keltner Project featured the duo exploring multi-percussion, electronics, and unusual orchestrations in the service of a tribute album to jazz drumming heroes. Other highlights of the new century include The Concert For George, which paid tribute to the late Beatle guitarist; Simon & Garfunkel’s Old Friends reunion tour; Jerry Lee Lewis’s 2006 album, Last Man Standing ; and recent releases by Phish bassist Page McConnell, pop chanteuse Celine Dion, soul singer Mavis Staples, and guitarist and long-time Keltner collaborator Ry Cooder.

With no let-up in his schedule in sight, Jim Keltner is that rare music legend who is as vital today as he was when he first made his mark, all those years ago.

Latest Posts

Episode 140: my top 10 most influential albums with mark guiliana.

September 14, 2023

Episode 139: My Top 10 Solo Drum Albums with Glenn Kotche

September 7, 2023

Ep.11 – THE NEW BREED HORIZONS – Gary Chester-inspired drumming concepts with Corey Roberts

October 27, 2022

Ep.10 – The New Breed PUNK’D with Chris “Tomato” Harfenist

New photos – the jimmy chamberlin complex at the el rey theater in la.

April 10, 2024

Gerry Conway of Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull dies

April 1, 2024

THE TRAVELING WILBURYS

The official home of The Traveling Wilburys: George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison.

The Birth of the Traveling Wilburys

Introduction by mo ostin.

The birth of the Traveling Wilburys was a happy accident. Warner Bros. Records’ International Department had asked that George Harrison come up with a B-side for “This Is Love,” a single from his Cloud Nine album. At the time it was customary to couple an A-side with a never-before-heard track, giving the single extra sales value.

This was mid-1988. Cloud Nine was just out. George, along with cowriter Jeff Lynne and their friends Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison, had been hanging out in Dylan’s studio. I suppose George figured that as long as his pals were on hand, why not use them to knock off this flipside?

The Wilbury Timeline

Explore the story of The Traveling Wilburys through our interactive timeline, featuring videos, music, key dates, release dates and much more.

Featured video

End of the line.

End Of The Line – released 1989 © 2007 T. Wilbury Limited

Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1

By David Wild

T his is the best record of its kind ever made. Then again, it’s also the only record of its kind ever made. A low-key masterpiece, Volume One marks the auspicious debut of the Traveling Wilburys – Lucky Wilbury (a.k.a. Bob Dylan ), Nelson Wilbury ( George Harrison ), Lefty Wilbury ( Roy Orbison ), Otis Wilbury ( Jeff Lynne ) and Charlie T. Jr. ( Tom Petty ) – one of the few rock supergroups actually deserving to be called either super or a group.

With tongue placed firmly in cheek, the author of the album’s liner notes (which are credited to Hugh Jampton, E.F. Norti-Bitz Reader in Applied Jacket, Faculty of Sleeve Notes, University of Krakatoa, East of Java, but sound suspiciously like Michael Palin, who is thanked elsewhere in the notes) explains the band’s origins thusly: “The original Wilburys were a stationary people who, realizing that their civilization could not stand still for ever, began to go for short walks – not the ‘traveling’ as we now know it, but certainly as far as the corner and back.”

In reality, this record came out of a dinner conversation in Los Angeles this spring between Petty, Orbison, Lynne and Harrison. (Former ELO leader Lynne, who was behind the boards for Harrison’s comeback album, Cloud Nine, was producing tracks for upcoming albums by both Orbison and Petty.) Harrison mentioned that he needed to record a new song for the B side of a European single and suggested they all pitch in and cut a number together. Harrison also suggested having Bob Dylan join in, and the next day they all wrote and recorded “Handle with Care” (now the album’s first single). When Harrison played the track for Warner Bros., both the company and the group realized it was too good for a throwaway track and decided the Wilburys should keep recording.

And it’s a good thing they did, because for all its off-the-cuff sense of fun, Volume One is an unexpected treat that leaves one hungry for Volume Two. Produced by Harrison and Lynne, the album has a wonderfully warm sound that is both high-tech and rootsy. Recorded at the home studios of Harrison, Dylan and Wilbury family friend Dave Stewart, Volume One has little in common with most recorded “supersessions,” which tend to be less than the sum of their parts; rather, it recalls the inspired mix-and-match musical fellowship found in the best moments of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame jam sessions.

Editor’s picks

The 250 greatest guitarists of all time, the 500 greatest albums of all time, the 50 worst decisions in movie history, every awful thing trump has promised to do in a second term.

Coming on the heels of Cloud Nine, Volume One is further proof of Harrison’s complete return to form. Throughout, Harrison not only sounds great, he also sounds happy, thrilled to be playing once again with a witty, wonderful band – albeit one with a rather unorthodox lineup: five lead-singing rhythm guitarists. (The Wilburys’ fellow travelers on Volume One include Jim Keltner on drums, Jim Horn on saxophone, Ray Cooper on percussion and Ian Wallace on tom-toms.)

But Harrison isn’t the only rock great who seems revived on Volume One. Never one for overdoing things in the studio, Bob Dylan is well matched to the Wilburys’ informal, fast-paced schedule – they wrote and recorded a song a day. And as on his recent stripped-down tour, Dylan sounds extraordinary, singing with the expert phrasing and wit of his best work. (Unsurprisingly, his tracks sound less collaborative than the others.) On “Dirty World” and “Congratulations,” his voice is loose and relaxed, free of the mannered whining that has marred some of his recent recorded work. Best of all is “Tweeter and the Monkey Man,” a convincing little rocker that playfully parodies Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics. Littered with references to stolen cars, mansions on the hill, Jersey lines and a certain Thunder Road, the song comes off as Dylan’s wonderfully bitchy way of asserting who’s really the Boss.

Totally boss is the best way to describe two other Wilbury gems, “Not Alone Any More” and the closing “End of the Line.” The former is a gorgeous pop ballad on which Roy Orbison – assisted by some wonderful backing vocals from Harrison and Lynne – hurts as good as he ever has. It proves that Orbison has lost none of his tremendous vocal prowess, and makes one eager to hear Orbison’s upcoming solo album. “End of the Line” – which features vocal turns by all the Wilburys save Dylan – is a movingly upbeat ride-off-into-the-sunset song for these middle-aged rock & roll cowboys: “Maybe somewhere down the road a ways/You’ll think of me and wonder where I am these days/Maybe down the road when somebody plays/’Purple Haze.'”

Billie Eilish Would Like to Reintroduce Herself

Kristi noem describes executing puppy she 'hated' in new book, kanye west announces 'yeezy porn' amid reports of adult film company, billie eilish, lorde, green day among artists to sign letter in support of ticketing reform act.

Petty acquits himself well on “End of the Line” and “Last Night”; he and Orbison share lead on the latter song, a shuffling tale of good love gone bad. Jeff Lynne shines a little of his own electric light on “Rattled,” a romantic, retro-sounding rockabilly number reminiscent of some of the tracks he produced for Dave Edmunds a few years back.

According to Wilbury legend, all the Traveling Wilburys have different mothers but the same father. Yet none of the Wilburys knows the current whereabouts of Charlie T. Wilbury Sr. Chances are, though, that wherever the big guy is, he’s proud.

How St. Vincent Unlocked Her Realest Album Yet

• By Brian Hiatt

Eric Church's 2024 Stagecoach Performance Was a Helluva Thing to Witness

• Desert Drama
• By Joseph Hudak

Jelly Roll Shines During Stagecoach Performance

• Stagecoach 2024
• By Tomás Mier

Jelly Roll Shares Toby Keith Cover Ahead of Stagecoach Debut

• By Daniel Kreps

Lana Del Rey Joins Paul Cauthen for 'Unchained Melody' Duet at Stagecoach

• By Charisma Madarang

Most Popular

Anne hathaway says 'gross' chemistry test in the 2000s required her to make out with 10 guys: that's the 'worst way to do it' and 'now we know better', louvre considers moving mona lisa to underground chamber to end 'public disappointment', 'the lord of the rings' trilogy returning to theaters, remastered and extended, sources claim hugh jackman’s worrying behavior may have something to do with his breakup, you might also like, newimages xr market welcomes new buyers, new storytelling forms, victoria justice shimmers in sequins at latin american music awards in dazzling cutout dress, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, ‘what’s the matter with helen’ is a quotable midnight movie ritual made for two, varsity, bain keep settling cheer suits as possible sale looms.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

Verify it's you

Please log in.

• Latest News

‘Stuck In The Middle With You’: Stealers Wheel’s Clowns And Jokers

Waiting on a friend: 10 essential rolling stones collaborations, ‘crescent’: john coltrane quartet’s enthralling work, tom petty & the heartbreakers’ 1988 gap year: a huge creative buzz, the great american songbook: top 11 country covers, ‘hot sauce committee part two’: beastie boys’ fiery final album, best fall out boy songs: 20 pop punk classics, karol g and feid win big at latin american music awards, ringo starr offers up ‘gonna need someone’ music video, florence + the machine announce ‘symphony of lungs’ bbc proms performance, def leppard share 40th anniversary edition of ‘pyromania’, billy idol releases 40th anniversary edition of ‘rebel yell’, the warning share music video for ‘qué más quieres’, liana flores signs with verve records, unveils ‘i wish for the rain’, ‘the traveling wilburys vol 1’: the start of a beautiful journey.

With ‘The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1’, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne entered new territory.

Published on

The Traveling Wilburys are one of the few bands to genuinely merit the “rock supergroup” tag , though given the self-assured and humorous nature of the five members, it was probably a label they would have dismissed. The quintet – George Harrison , Bob Dylan , Tom Petty , Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison – were all global stars at the time of recording their first album together , The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1 , the sessions for which were joyous affairs that took place across April and May 1988.

Listen to The Traveling Wilburys Vol.1 on Apple Music and Spotify .

“We would have some coffee and somebody would say, ‘What about this?“ and start on a riff,” recalled guitarist and co-producer Lynne. “Then we’d all join in, and it would turn into something. We’d finish around midnight and just sit for a bit while Roy would tell us fabulous stories about Sun Records or hanging out with Elvis Presley . Then we’d come back the next day to work on another one. That’s why the songs are so good and fresh – because they haven’t been second-guessed and dissected and replaced.”

Multi-instrumentalist Lynne, who had previously been a key member of Electric Light Orchestra, had been working with Harrison as co-producer of his album Cloud Nine , during which time the pair had taken to referring to recording errors with faulty equipment as “Wilburys” (adding the punchline, “We’ll bury “em in the mix”). When the newly formed group were deciding on a name, Harrison suggested The Trembling Wilburys, but Lynne’s variant of “Traveling” went down better with the remaining trio.

The musicians were all assigned names in the new band: Nelson Wilbury (Harrison), Otis Wilbury (Lynne), Lefty Wilbury (Orbison), Charlie T Wilbury, Jr (Petty) and Lucky Wilbury (Dylan), and elaborate backstories were created for the characters. Harrison’s close friend Derek Taylor, former press manager for The Beatles and, later, jazz singer George Melly, even wrote an extensive fictional history of the quintet.

“The only thing I could think of was to make an album”

For The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1 , they persuaded Monty Python’s Michael Palin to write liner notes. Using the pseudonym Hugh Jampton, (EF Norti-Bitz Reader in Applied Jacket, Faculty Of Sleeve Notes, University Of Krakatoa, East of Java), Palin joked: “The original Wilburys were a stationary people who, realising that their civilization could not stand still for ever, began to go for short walks – not the ‘traveling’ as we now know it, but certainly as far as the corner and back.”

Lynne was the common link in the tale of how they really got together. While working with Harrison, he was also co-producing Orbison’s album Mystery Girl , on which Petty sang backing vocals and played acoustic guitar. One night when they were socializing, Harrison suggested that they join him on a track called “Handle With Care.” The song was to be the B-side for the “This Is Love” single he was putting out in Europe, ahead of the release of the Cloud Nine album. They rang Dylan, who agreed to let them record it in his garage studio. On the day it was cut, Dylan, who had been making them a barbecue lunch, decided to join in the musical fun.

As soon as the spontaneous single was laid down, with its catchy melody and knowing undercurrent of world-weariness (“Been stuck in airports, terrorized/Sent to meetings, hypnotized/Overexposed, commercialized”), the musicians knew they had created something special. “I liked the song,” Harrison said, “and the way that it turned out with all these people on it so much that I just carried it around in my pocket for ages thinking, ‘Well what can I do with this thing?’ And the only thing to do I could think of was do another nine. Make an album.”

The executives at Warner Bros loved the single and agreed to a complete record. The five friends, sharing songwriting and singing duties, were an instant and extraordinary superstar collaboration.

“He clearly meant it as praise”

Though The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1 is only 36 minutes long, it is full of terrific moments. “Dirty World,” a mischievous love song, features some great call-and-response vocals and typically classy saxophone work from Jim Horn, whose playing was so widely admired that he had played on albums with artists as diverse as Elvis Presley, Carpenters , Frank Sinatra and Dizzy Gillespie. Other talented session men on the album include percussionist Ray Cooper and Ian Wallace (so dynamic with David Lyndley’s El Rayo-X band), who plays tom-toms on “Handle With Care.”

“Last Night” is a melodic love song, while “Heading For The Light” is a spiritual quest that is vintage Harrison. One of the standout songs is “Tweeter And The Monkey Man,” which started when Dylan – years ahead of social media, obviously – said he wanted to write a song about a man called Tweeter, set in New Jersey. Petty, who joined in writing the song, said Harrison bowed out of lyric duties on a track he thought was “just too American” for him to meaningfully contribute to. “Bob was like, ‘Yeah, we could use references to Bruce Springsteen titles.’ He clearly meant it as praise,” said Petty. The references to Springsteen songs such as “Mansion On The Hill,” “Thunder Road” and “Highway 99” are littered throughout an evocative track.

Tragically, Orbison died of a heart attack just six weeks after the album’s release, on October 17, 1988. But on the sweet ballad “Not Alone Any More,” the 52-year-old showed in his lead vocals that he had lost none of the vocal mastery that had made him a rock’n’roll legend.

The closing track was the vibrant “End Of The Line,” on which the group chirpily sing, “Well it’s all right/Even if you’re old and gray/Well it’s all right/You’ve still got something to say.” With so many magnificent individual albums behind them, and a collective age of 222, these five wonderful Traveling Wilburys proved they had something wonderful to say together.

The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1 can be bought here .

October 17, 2018 at 11:24 am

“…the pair had taken to calling studio equipment “Wilburys”.”

No, it had nothing to do with the equipment. When they had an instrumental or vocal flub, or a variant recording they didn’t like, they would say “we’ll bury it in the mix.” Those unwanted bits because known as “Wilburys,” as in “we’ll bury.”

Terry Hughes

January 21, 2021 at 6:30 am

The group as whole put out some serious music they are and always will be super stars in the music industry it’s a sad a story like there’s was cut off so short

Jason Draper

October 17, 2018 at 4:19 pm

Thanks for the clarification MrG800 – we have corrected that textual Wilbury…

October 17, 2018 at 8:19 pm

The big O’s death and the album release were in 1988 not 1998 as mentioned in the article

November 10, 2021 at 8:32 pm

Thank you Outby10! We’ve corrected that now.

Innocent III

October 18, 2020 at 4:44 pm

Truly amazing how well it all holds up. Can’t play the record without breaking into a smile.

October 19, 2021 at 10:41 pm

The record was made in L.A.(Dylan´s place)not in England

November 10, 2021 at 8:30 pm

Thanks for the eagle eye, Jose! We’ve amended the text now to correct that mistake.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

The Traveling Wilburys

Perhaps the biggest supergroup of all time, a roots combo formed by George Harrison with hired guns Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison.

Read Full Biography

STREAM OR BUY:

Group Members

Related artists, discography, moods and themes.

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes
• Entertainment

The Beatles: All About the Members of the Legendary Band

The Beatles is one of the biggest rock groups in history thanks to hits like “Here Comes the Sun” and “Yesterday”

Nicole Briese is a contributing writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Her work has previously appeared in Us Weekly, Brides and MTV News.

Arguably no group in rock history has had a bigger impact than The Beatles .

Paul McCartney , John Lennon , George Harrison and Ringo Starr , a.k.a. The Fab Four, produced 19 No. 1 albums, scored 20 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the best-selling music artists of all time, per the Recording Industry Association of America .

Founding members McCartney and Lennon met in Liverpool , England, on July 6, 1957. That day, McCartney played with Lennon’s band, The Quarrymen, and they bonded over their love of songwriting.

"I turned round to him right then on first meeting and said, 'Do you want to join the group?' ” Lennon said of his bandmate in The Beatles Anthology . “And he said ‘yes’ the next day as I recall it.”

McCartney brought his school friend, Harrison, into the fold in 1958, according to Far Out Magazine . After The Quarrymen rebranded as The Beatles in 1960, the group went through several more early lineup changes — including the addition of Starr and brief tenures of bass player Stuart Sutcliffe and drummer Pete Best. The Beatles released their debut album, Please Please Me , in 1963.

Proof of the band’s international success came on Feb. 9, 1964, when a record-breaking 73 million viewers tuned in to watch them perform on The Ed Sullivan Show . They went on to release 12 more albums and spawned hit after hit, including “Here Comes the Sun,” “Come Together,” “Let It Be,” “Hey Jude” and “Yesterday.”

The group won seven Grammys and was honored with titles as Members of the Order of the British Empire in 1965. In 2014, The Beatles were recognized with a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy.

Jeff Hochberg/Getty

For all its highs, the band also experienced incredible lows. Manager Brian Epstein died of an accidental drug overdose in 1967 and tensions subsequently boiled over the group’s direction. Starr temporarily left the band in August 1968 and Harrison famously stormed out during Get Back recording sessions . The Fab Four reunited for their famous London rooftop concert on Jan. 30, 1969, before calling it quits for good in 1970.

While McCartney was largely blamed for the group’s demise, he later denied initiating the breakup .

“I am not the person who instigated the split,” he told This Cultural Life in 2021. “John walked into a room one day and said ‘I am leaving the Beatles.’ ” In 2020, Howard Stern asked McCartney why they didn’t continue without Lennon. “We’d been through too much and we were just fed up,” he recalled.

Lennon and McCartney became estranged when McCartney filed a lawsuit to dissolve The Beatles’ business affairs and sued his bandmates over legal rights to their work in 1970.

"If I hadn't done that, it would have all belonged to Allan Klein ," McCartney later told British GQ of their manager, who replaced Epstein in 1969.

All four Beatles released solo albums in 1970 and Lennon and McCartney made peace nearly 10 years later — shortly before Lennon was killed outside his apartment by Mark David Chapman on Dec. 8, 1980.

Starr and Harrison reunited with Yoko Ono and Lennon’s sons, Julian and Sean , in 1988 when The Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. All three living members also collaborated on The Beatles Anthology , which consisted of a TV documentary, a three-volume set of double albums and a book. In 2001, Harrison died of cancer.

Here is everything to know about the members of The Beatles and their legacies.

John Lennon

Mark and Colleen Hayward/Redferns ; New York Times Co./Larry C. Morris/Getty

John Lennon was born on Oct. 9, 1940, to Julia and Alfred Lennon, a seaman who left home when the musician was very young. He was raised in Liverpool by his aunt Mimi.

When he was 16, Lennon formed The Quarrymen, which would eventually morph into The Beatles. While he wrote many of the band’s hits with McCartney, Lennon also wrote several songs on his own, including “Help!,” “It Won’t Be Long,” “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Across the Universe.”

Lennon married fellow Liverpool College of Art student Cynthia Powell on Aug. 23, 1962, and on April 8, 1963, the couple welcomed a son, Julian.

Lennon left Powell for Ono in 1968. In a 2022 appearance on Elton John ’s radio show Rocket Hour , Julian shared that the divorce spurred McCartney to write “Hey Jude,” originally titled “Hey Jules,” to comfort him.

Mondadori/Getty

On March 20, 1969, Lennon married Ono . They hit a rough patch in 1973, and Lennon had a relationship with the couple’s assistant, May Pang , but he reconciled with Ono in early 1975. They welcomed a son, Sean , on Oct. 9 of that year.

Between 1968 and 1980, Lennon released 10 albums, including five with Ono. He even recorded “How Do You Sleep?" a song with angry lyrics aimed at McCartney, in 1971, but the men later made peace .

"I was very glad of how we got along in those last few years,” McCartney wrote in his book The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present . 

Lennon was murdered by an obsessed fan outside of his Manhattan apartment on Dec. 8, 1980. The tragedy deeply affected McCartney. “I couldn't really talk about it,” he told SiriusXM’s The Beatles Channel in 2022. “I couldn’t put it into words.”

The Recording Academy posthumously recognized the songwriter with a lifetime achievement award in 1991; three years later, McCartney inducted him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist.

Paul McCartney, 81

David Redfern/Redferns ; Kevin Winter/Getty

Sir James Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool on June 18, 1942. His father, James McCartney, was also musically inclined, according to Encyclopedia Britannica , and played in a band called Jim Mac’s Jazz Band.

McCartney was introduced to Lennon through a mutual friend. "I'd never met anyone who said he'd written a song,” McCartney wrote in his book Lyrics . “The logical extension was, ‘Well, maybe we could write one together.' ”

Though McCartney initially played guitar, he switched to the bass after Sutcliffe departed the band in 1961. He also split main vocal duties with Lennon and played the piano, drums and guitar. McCartney and Lennon became known for their songwriting partnership, but McCartney took the lead for at least 70 Beatles songs, including “All My Loving,” “Yesterday,” “Blackbird” and “Let It Be."

Following the band’s split, McCartney found himself at a crossroads . “It was a hard act — some might say, an impossible act — to follow,” he wrote on his website in 2023. Soon after the band's split, though, he recorded two chart-topping solo albums: McCartney and Ram . He also formed the group Wings with his first wife, Linda McCartney (née Eastman), whom he married in 1969.

Wings was a commercial success; its 1973 single “Band on the Run” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 but the band split up in 1981. The Beatles, meanwhile, became embroiled in legal drama in 1970 when McCartney sued his three bandmates in order to end his contract with Apple Records. After manager Klein left the record company, The Beatles negotiated between themselves, and the group legally dissolved on Dec. 29, 1974.

Universal Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty

McCartney continued to record and tour solo, and in 1994, he rejoined forces with Harrison and Starr for the group’s Anthology project.

His wife Linda died of breast cancer in 1998. “I think I cried for about a year,” McCartney told the BBC in 2019. The couple shared four children : Heather, Mary, Stella and James. McCartney also shares daughter Beatrice with his second wife, Heather Mills, to whom he was married from 2002 to 2008. In 2011, he married Nancy Shevell.

McCartney is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and the recipient of 18 Grammy Awards. He was honored with a lifetime achievement award as a solo musician in 1990 and as a member of The Beatles in 2014. That same year, he and Starr hit the Grammys stage together in a rare performance of the surviving Beatles.

The performer collaborated with Rihanna and Kanye West on the chart-topping hit “FourFiveSeconds” in 2015. Three years later, he earned his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart in more than 36 years with Egypt Station . He released his 18th solo album, McCartney III , in 2020.

He hit the road for the “Got Back” tour starting in April 2022. A year after the tour started, McCartney appeared on The Rolling Stones' album Hackney Diamonds.

George Harrison

Fox Photos/Getty ; Tom Wargacki/WireImage

George Harrison, born on Feb. 25, 1943, was introduced to music by his father, Harold Hargreaves Harrison. “He used to go away to sea, and he brought back this big windup gramophone and Jimmie Rodgers records,” the musician told Billboard in 1992.

Harrison bought his first guitar at age 13. "It was such a bad guitar, all the frets buzzed, and you couldn't get certain notes out of it,” he told the publication.

Soon after, the rocker met McCartney at school in Liverpool, and McCartney introduced him to The Quarrymen in 1958. His bandmates wrote the majority of the material for the group, but Harrison penned a number of its biggest hits, including ”Here Comes the Sun.” Harrison also wrote, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Something."

On March 6, 1964, he met model Pattie Boyd on the set of A Hard Day’s Night . The couple married less than two years later.

In January 1969, Harrison left The Beatles out of frustration with McCartney and Lennon. “We'd do 14 of their tunes. And then they'd condescend to listen to one of mine,” he explained in a 1989 interview.

Though The Beatles worked things out soon after, the band fell apart within the year after Lennon quit.

After The Beatles’ demise, Harrison released his third solo album, All Things Must Pass , in November 1970. Its hit single, “My Sweet Lord,” made him the first Beatle to have a No. 1 single as a solo artist. He later re-recorded the track in 2000, just months before his death, with his son Dhani on acoustic guitar.

Universal Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty 

Harrison earned his first solo Grammy in 1973 for the live album Concert for Bangladesh , which he organized with Ravi Shankar.

Boyd left Harrison for Eric Clapton in 1974 but remained close to the guitarist throughout his life. That same year, he met his second wife, Olivia Harrison , whom he married in 1978. They had one child, Dhani .

Harrison’s 1987 cover of James Ray’s “Got My Mind Set on You” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 , and in 1988, he co-founded the Traveling Wilburys with Bob Dylan , Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty . The group released two albums.

In 1994, Harrison teamed up with McCartney and Starr to create The Beatles Anthology . McCartney saw Harrison for the last time in November 2001. “I sat with him for a few hours when he was in treatment about 10 days from his death,” McCartney told Uncut in 2008. “We held hands.”

On Nov. 29, 2001, Harrison died of lung cancer at the age of 58. He was posthumously recognized for his solo career by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, and he won a Grammy lifetime achievement award as a member of The Beatles in 2014 and as a solo artist in 2015.

His 2002 memorial, Concert for George , which featured performances by McCartney, Starr, Clapton and members of the Traveling Wilburys, was re-released in theaters for its 20th anniversary on Nov. 29, 2022.

Richard “Ringo Starr” Starkey, 83

CBS/Getty ; Denise Truscello/WireImage

Born Richard Starkey on July 7, 1940, Ringo Starr knew early on that he wanted to be a musician. By the time he was 13 Starr had decided on drums, according to his website .

At 17, he joined the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Band, and two years later, he moved on to Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Starr enjoyed moderate success with the group, telling Modern Drummer in 1981 that it “used to be top of the bill.”

But he was receptive when manager Epstein gave him a call in 1962 to replace drummer Best in The Beatles. “I’d rather starve with a better band, and I felt the Beatles were a better band,” Starr said.

In 1965, the drummer married Maureen Cox, with whom he had three children : Zak, Jason and Lee. The pair divorced in 1975.

Starr remained with The Beatles until August 1968, when he took a brief hiatus. “I left because ... I felt I wasn’t playing great, and I also felt that the other three were really happy and I was an outsider,” he said in Anthology . During that time, he wrote one of his Beatles songwriting credits, “Octopus’s Garden.”

After The Beatles split in 1970, Starr released his first solo album, Sentimental Journey. He became the first member of the group with seven consecutive top 10 singles, including “It Don’t Come Easy” and “Photograph.”

Starr faced a barrage of health issues in 1979 — he underwent intestinal surgery that reportedly nearly killed him. The incident was followed by a house fire in November 1979 and a near-fatal car crash in May 1980.

ullstein bild via Getty

Starr became involved in film with roles in Blindman (1971), Son of Dracula (1973) and Caveman (1981). It was on the set of Caveman where he met his second wife, Barbara Bach . They got married on April 27, 1981. 

The couple dealt with addiction and entered rehab together in 1988. "I didn't tour in the '80s,” he once told PEOPLE. “I got involved in a lot of substances and they became more important than anything else.” 

The next year, he formed a new project, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, which continues to tour.

In 2019, Starr released his 20th studio album, What’s My Name . As of 2022, he and McCartney were one Tony Award away from an EGOT, with Starr having won an Oscar with The Beatles in 1971 for the score of Let It Be , an Emmy in 2022 for the documentary The Beatles: Get Back and nine Grammys.

In February 2023, McCartney reunited with Starr at a birthday party for McCartney's daughter Stella; Starr shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) of the former bandmates dancing together.

Pete Best, 82

Mark and Colleen Hayward/Redferns ; Bill Tompkins/Getty

Pete Best was born Randolph Peter Scanland in India on Nov. 24, 1941 — his family moved to England when he was 4.

He met The Beatles through his mother, Mona Best, who booked The Quarrymen to open the Casbah Coffee Club, a music venue she ran out of their home. The group circulated through a number of drummers prior to Starr, but Best stuck around longer than most and played with them for two years.

The musician made his Beatles debut in Hamburg, Germany. Executive George Martin wanted to sign the band to Parlophone Records, but he wasn’t a fan of Best’s drumming so he was replaced by Starr in 1962.

“When I got back home and I told my mother what happened, behind the sanctuary of the front door, I cried like a baby,” Best told The Irish Times in 2020.

He played in several bands after his dismissal, including Lee Curtis and the All-Stars; Best and some bandmates later broke off and became Pete Best & the All-Stars (later the Pete Best Four and the Pete Best Combo).

Hulton Archive/Getty

In 1963, Best married his wife Kathy, whom he met at a Beatles gig. They welcomed two daughters. Five years after he tied the knot, Best changed careers to focus on his family — according to the Australian Financial Review , he worked at a bakery and later at an employment exchange. Best later returned to music, forming the Pete Best Band with his brother Roag in 1988.

The Beatles 1995 album Anthology 1 included seven of Best’s tracks. “It showed the important role I played,” he told The Irish Times .

In 2002, Best and his brother published The Beatles: The True Beginnings , a book chronicling the Casbah Coffee Club and its kickstarting of The Beatles. In 2018, Best made his acting debut in the play Lennon’s Banjo , in which he acted as himself.

“I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved as a person, of the examples I’ve set to people to get on with your life, to pick yourself up,” he told The Irish Times in 2020. “I’m proud of that.”

Stuart Sutcliffe

Collect/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix/Getty

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 23, 1940, Stuart Sutcliffe was accepted into the Liverpool College of Art when he was 16 years old. He first became friends with Lennon there, according to The New Yorker .

When Sutcliffe sold a painting at a prestigious art exhibition for £90 in 1959, Lennon talked him into putting the proceeds toward a Höfner 333 bass. Sutcliffe became passionate about music and he joined The Quarrymen in 1960.

Sutcliffe, who was also living with Lennon, joined the group for its overseas debut in Hamburg, where the group played more than 100 shows. There, he met and fell in love with artist Astrid Kirchherr so he stayed in the country when his bandmates returned to England. He returned to the United Kingdom in January 1961 but made plans to come back to Kirchherr.

K & K Ulf Kruger OHG/Redferns

Sutcliffe left The Beatles in July 1961 to focus on his art, and he moved to Hamburg to attend art school and be closer to Kirchherr. In Germany, he began to have a host of health problems, including what he reportedly called “a shadow” on his lungs, gastritis and an appendix that required surgery. The New Yorker reported that Sutcliffe also experienced convulsions that left him unable to attend classes.

The musician died of a brain hemorrhage on April 10, 1962, at age 21. “John went into hysterics,” Kirchherr recalled of breaking the news to Lennon. “We couldn’t make out ... whether he was laughing or crying.”

Sutcliffe’s image was included on the album cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as well as Lennon’s Rock ’n’ Roll in 1975.

The late performer is largely remembered for his art. According to his website , the Guggenheim Museum in New York City displayed two of his pieces from May 2019 to January 2020.

Image Unavailable

• Sorry, this item is not available in
• Image not available
• To view this video download Flash Player

Nobody's Child - Romanian Angel Appeal - Various

• Audio CD $12.99 1 Used from $12.99 1 New from $299.00

Customers who bought this item also bought

Product details

• Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.55 x 4.97 x 0.54 inches; 2.83 ounces
• Date First Available ‏ : ‎ August 21, 2005
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000B3KDJE
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Become an Amazon Hub Partner
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

• Search forums
• Alternate History Discussion: After 1900

DBWI: Ringo Starr doesn't join the Traveling Wilburys

• Thread starter aaa
• Start date Oct 13, 2020
• Oct 13, 2020

The Traveling Wilburys are perhaps the most star-studded supergroup in musical history. In 1988, George Harrison, formerly of the Beatles, was in Los Angeles to record some music. One night, Harrison put together some ideas for a song and asked Jeff Lynne, founder and frontman of Electric Light Orchestra, to assist in the recording. He agreed, and the pair invited Roy Orbison, who was dining with them, to join them. As there were no recording studios available on such short notice, they decided to record at a local private studio, which happened to be at Bob Dylan's house. Before going there, however, Harrison had to pick up his guitar, which he had left at the home of Tom Petty. And so, the group was formed. George Harrison's song, Handle With Care , became the band's first record. There was one thing missing, though: a drummer. On a whim, Harrison called up his old bandmate, Ringo Starr, and invited him to join the group for their sessions. Unlike the other ex-Beatles, Starr and Harrison collaborated frequently, with a number of Starr's solo songs being written by Harrison. Starr, who was in London at the time, took the next flight down to Los Angeles, and the Traveling Wilburys were born. Such a powerful collaboration naturally drew a large following. After the death of Roy Orbison at the end of 1988, Starr began to sing more parts on the group's records. Perhaps my favorite concert recording of all time is of the group performing Yellow Submarine in London in the early 90s. So, what would've happened if Starr hadn't accepted the invite, or hadn't received it in the first place? What would the Traveling Wilburys have looked like as a fivesome?  

It was a nice sentiment to his former bandmate that he named himself Rory Willbury, but I guess some would change if he hadn’t accepted it. First, the group would’ve lasted way shorter than it did. I mean, it was him who gave them that speech around the time Roy died that made them continue and still perform to this day. We also wouldn’t have songs like “Weight of the World” or “Vertical Man” that were huge hits for the group. I know this is a hot take, but I think George would’ve died way longer ago than he did. I mean, they were on tour when someone attempted to stab George backstage, but were wrestled off by the other members. If he was hit in any vital areas, or was at home when it happened. It could’ve killed him then instead of him dying from a heart attack in 2009.  

RedBeetle said: It was a nice sentiment to his former bandmate that he named himself Rory Willbury, but I guess some would change if he hadn’t accepted it. First, the group would’ve lasted way shorter than it did. I mean, it was him who gave them that speech around the time Roy died that made them continue and still perform to this day. We also wouldn’t have songs like “Weight of the World” or “Vertical Man” that were huge hits for the group. I know this is a hot take, but I think George would’ve died way longer ago than he did. I mean, they were on tour when someone attempted to stab George backstage, but were wrestled off by the other members. If he was hit in any vital areas, or was at home when it happened. It could’ve killed him then instead of him dying from a heart attack in 2009. Click to expand...

kmmontandon

aaa said: In 1988, George Harrison, formerly of the Beatles, was in Los Angeles to record some music. One night, Harrison put together some ideas for a song and asked Jeff Lynne, founder and frontman of Electric Light Orchestra, to assist in the recording. He agreed, and the pair invited Roy Orbison, who was dining with them, to join them. As there were no recording studios available on such short notice, they decided to record at a local private studio, which happened to be at Bob Dylan's house. Before going there, however, Harrison had to pick up his guitar, which he had left at the home of Tom Petty. Click to expand...

GrandMaster

kmmontandon said: Come on, man, this isn't the ASB forum. Click to expand...

More Than A Feeling

The Willburys would probably had to replace Orbison with a new member. Del Shannon was rumored but he died before he could join. The Willburys may also have broken up in 2009 after George's death instead of replacing him with Dhani seeing that Ringo was the main guy keeping the group together.  

• Beatle people
• George Harrison
• George Harrison songs

Handle With Care

‘Handle With Care’ was the debut single by The Traveling Wilburys, the supergroup formed in 1988 by George Harrison .

The song was originally to have been the b-side of Harrison’s single ‘This Is Love’ . Over dinner in Los Angeles in April 1988, Harrison discussed ideas with Jeff Lynne, the producer of Cloud Nine who was then working on Roy Orbison’s Mystery Girl album.

I’d just made a record called Cloud Nine . In Europe you know they make those 12″ singles and they usually like to have an extra song on the record. So they asked me for an extra song. I didn’t have one already recorded, so I thought the easiest thing to do is just go in the studio the next day and write a song quickly, record it, and mix it, give it to them. So that night I had dinner with Jeff Lynne, who was having dinner with Roy Orbison. We all had dinner together. And I said, well tomorrow I’m going to go and find a studio and go in some place, make up a tune, and make this record. So I said to Jeff, ‘Do you want to come and help?’ And he said ‘Yeah, OK, but the problem is, where are we gonna find a studio and an engineer so quickly?’ So Roy Orbison was there. He said, ‘Oh, well if you do something call me, I’d like to come along and watch.’ So then I thought, well, Bob Dylan had a little studio in his garage, so I called him and said, ‘Do you mind if we come along tomorrow?’ He said no, come along, that’s OK. Tom Petty also, I had to go to his house to pick up my guitar. He said, ‘Oh good, I’ll come. I was wondering what I was going to do tomorrow.’ So the next morning I started to write a song and I thought, ‘Well if Roy Orbison’s going to come, it’s silly to have him sitting there. He’s a better singer than everybody. I’ll write a little part for Roy to sing.’ And Jeff thought that was a bit cheeky. Anyway, we got to Bob’s house and Jeff and I finished the song off, the music to it. We didn’t write the words at that point. And then we wrote the lyrics, and I’ve said that story many times. To try and think of what the song lyrics would be, you need a title or some idea. And I saw a box in the garage of Dylan’s house, it said ‘Handle with care’. So we wrote the lyrics around that, and as I had the part for Roy I thought I might as well get Bob and Tom and Jeff, everybody singing the middle part. So we made the record, we mixed it, I took it to the record company and they said, ‘Oh it’s too good to just give to Europe on an extended play, because it’s not going to sell Cloud Nine records, it’s not on the album. They didn’t want it to be imported to America, and for it to have no value. So I just kept the tape in my pocket, I kept playing it, and I thought, well the only thing I can think of doing is, if we did that one song in one day, what we need is nine days with Bob and Roy, everybody, and we make an album. So that’s what I did. I asked them to: ‘Let’s make an album’.

The release

‘Handle With Care’ was released as a single on 17 October 1988. The 7″ vinyl b-side was another album track, ‘Margarita’. It was the Traveling Wilburys’ most successful single.

There were also 10″ and 12″ vinyl versions, which contained ‘Handle With Care’ (Extended Version), which extended the length from 3:20 to 5:14. It also contained ‘Margarita’.

A CD single was also released in the US, which contained the LP version, ‘Margarita’, and the Extended Version. Outside the US, the CD single contained just the first two tracks.

‘Handle With Care’ was a top 10 hit in Australia, Belgium, Canada, and New Zealand. In the US it peaked at number 21 on the single chart, and in the US it peaked at 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 39 on the Cash Box Top 100.

The video for ‘Handle With Care’ was directed by David Leland in October 1988 at a former brewery new Union Station in Los Angeles.

It was the final video to feature Roy Orbison, who died on 6 December.

Leave a Reply

Happy Birthday Drum Legend Jim Keltner

• Post author By MAGNET Staff
• Post date April 27, 2024

Happy birthday drummer extraordinaire Jim Keltner (John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Brian Wilson, Eric Clapton, Roy Orbison, Bee Gees, Ry Cooder, Richard Thompson, Traveling Wilburys, Joseph Arthur, Lucinda Williams, Conor Oberst, She & Him—to name just a few). Keep calm and love a drummer. Read Sam Phillips in MAGNET on Jim:

Sam Phillips’ Fan Dance: Drummers