The Traveling Wilburys formed in 1988 after a chance recording session and a meeting of some of the most prominent rock musicians of the previous two decades. The rock group united George Harrison of the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty of Tom Petty and the Heartbreaks, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne, one of the most widely used rock producers of the 1980s.
In the mold of other 80s supergroups, such as country music’s the Highwaymen, the Traveling Wilburys recorded two albums of light-hearted pop songs. These songs featured easy-going lyrical, musical, and vocal performances. They including their first and biggest single “Handle With Care.”
The Beginning of the Traveling Wilburys
The Traveling Wilburys were formed in 1988 when George Harrison met up in Los Angeles with Jeff Lynne to record a B-side single. Lynne, who was in Los Angeles to work separately with both Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, was having dinner with the two when contacted by Harrison.
Before long, the ex-Beatle was in the studio with the producer Lynne to record his song. The only studio available on short notice happened to be owned by Bob Dylan, who met up with Lynne and Harrison for the recording session. Soon before recording, Orbison and Petty were invited over for a jam session, which resulted in the first single, “Handle With Care." All five members of the newly formed group shared lyrical, musical, and vocal duties on the single.
The band, for their first album, included:
Otis Wilbury – Jeff Lynne
Nelson Wilbury – George Harrison
Charlie T. Wilbury Jnr. – Tom Petty
Lefty Wilbury – Roy Orbison
Lucky Wilbury – Bob Dylan
The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1
The more successful of the two albums recorded by the Traveling Wilburys, Vol.1 was recorded and released in 1988 to critical acclaim. A light-hearted adventure featuring lead vocals from all five members, the album’s standouts included “Handle With Care;” “Tweeter and the Monkey Man,” a Bob Dylan-impersonating-Bruce Springsteen parody song; “End of the Line,” featuring strong vocals from leader Roy Orbison; “Heading for the Light,” George Harrison’s main standout; and “Last Night,” Tom Petty’s most involved song on the album.
Death of Roy Orbison and Vol. 3
After the death of Roy Orbison on 6 December 1988, the Traveling Wilburys recorded a single for the Romanian Angel Appeal benefit album, titled “Nobody’s Child.” Though not as critically successful as the previous album, the intentionally misnumbered Vol. 3 would keep the group on the billboard charts for their second album., The second album re-united the remaining four Wilburys for another equal offering of 11 songs, including the singles “She’s My Baby” and “Inside Out.”
Because neither album would include the real names of any of the five musicians involved, the ensuing re-release of the album onto compact disc would be delayed until 2007 as rights to the songs were never fully settled. Though not remastered and fully available until until nearly 20 years after release, the star power and staying power of the five Traveling Wilburys have allowed both Vol. 1 and Vol. 3 to remain staples in the classic rock catalog.
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