Editing Traveling Wilburys (section)

==History==

===Background===
{{quote box|align=left|quote= None of this would've happened without him. It was George's band – it was always George's band and it was a dream he had for a long time.<ref>{{harvnb|Smax|2007}}, event occurs between 22:49 and 22:57.</ref>|source= – [[Tom Petty]]|width=25%|style=padding:8px;}}

[[George Harrison]] first mentioned the Traveling Wilburys publicly during a radio interview with [[Bob Coburn]] on the show ''[[Rockline]]'' in February 1988.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|2015|p=112}}{{sfn|Rotondo|2014|p=147}} When asked how he planned to follow up the success of his ''[[Cloud Nine (George Harrison album)|Cloud Nine]]'' album, Harrison replied: "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 [in mind]: 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."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21vC71l2bNI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/21vC71l2bNI |archive-date=30 October 2021 |title=First mention of The Traveling Wilburys |author=Barked Once |date=10 September 2012 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Harrison also stated his intention to form such a band in March 1988, in response to a suggestion from television show host [[Michael Aspel]] that he should "get a bunch of oldies together".{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=419}}}} According to [[Jeff Lynne]], who co-produced ''Cloud Nine'', Harrison introduced the idea of the two of them starting a band together around two months into the sessions for his album,<ref name="Lynne/Mojo" /> which began in early January 1987.{{sfn|Madinger|Easter|2000|p=469}} When discussing who the other members might be, Harrison chose [[Bob Dylan]] and Lynne opted for [[Roy Orbison]].<ref name="Lynne/Mojo">{{cite web |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/22257/jeff-lynne-bob-dylan-traveling-wilburys/ |title=Jeff Lynne: 'Bob Dylan Wanted To Call Us Roy & The Boys' |work=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |date=4 November 2015 |access-date=6 November 2017}}</ref>{{sfn|Zanes|2007|p=158}} The term "Wilbury" also originated during the ''Cloud Nine'' sessions. Referring to recording errors created by faulty equipment, Harrison jokingly remarked to Lynne, "''We'll bury'' 'em in the mix."{{sfn|Van der Kiste|2015|p=112}}<ref name="ostin">{{cite AV media notes |title=The Traveling Wilburys Collection |others=Traveling Wilburys |year=2007 |url=http://www.travelingwilburys.com/history |chapter=The History of the Traveling Wilburys: Introduction |first=Mo |last=Ostin |author-link=Mo Ostin |pages=2–3 |type=CD booklet |publisher=Wilbury Records}}</ref> Thereafter, they used the term for any small error in performance. Harrison first suggested "the Trembling Wilburys" as the group's name; at Lynne's suggestion, they amended it to "Traveling Wilburys".{{sfn|Van der Kiste|2015|p=112}}{{refn|group=nb|When promoting the Wilburys in October 1988, Harrison joked that the inspiration for the band's formation and their name came originally from [[Charles III of the United Kingdom|Prince Charles]], who was impressed with Harrison and Lynne's performance at the [[The Prince's Trust|Prince's Trust]] Concert in June 1987.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=You've Seen 'em Before, but Now Meet These Wild Wilburys |author1=Young, Jacob |author2=Gold, Todd |magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=31 October 1988 |url=https://people.com/archive/youve-seen-em-before-but-now-meet-these-wild-wilburys-vol-30-no-18/ |access-date=18 July 2018}}</ref>}}

During his ''Rockline'' interview, Harrison voiced his support for Dylan,{{sfn|Heylin|2011|p=625}} at a time when Dylan was experiencing an artistic and commercial low point in his career.{{sfn|Sounes|2001|pp=384–85}} Harrison and Lynne became friends with [[Tom Petty]] in October 1987, when Petty and his band, [[Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers]], [[Temples in Flames Tour|toured Europe]] as Dylan's backing group on the [[Temples in Flames Tour]].{{sfn|Zanes|2007|pp=158, 164}}{{sfn|Rotondo|2014|pp=142–43}} The friendship continued in Los Angeles later that year.{{sfn|Zanes|2007|p=157}} There, Harrison struck up a musical rapport with Petty based on their shared love of 1950s [[Rock and roll|rock 'n' roll]],{{sfn|Rotondo|2014|pp=143–44}} and Lynne began collaborating with Petty on what became Petty's debut solo album, ''[[Full Moon Fever]]'', and writing songs with Orbison, Lynne's longtime musical hero,{{sfn|Van der Kiste|2015|pp=116, 119–20}} for Orbison's comeback album, ''[[Mystery Girl]]''.{{sfn|Amburn|1990|pp=213, 218}}{{sfn|Romanowski|George-Warren|1995|p=730}} According to Petty, Harrison's dream for the Wilburys was to handpick the participants and create "the perfect little band", but the criteria for inclusion were governed most by "who you could hang out with".{{sfn|Harrison|2011|p=355}} The five musicians also bonded over a shared appreciation of the English comedy troupe [[Monty Python]].<ref name="GenesisBook" /> Harrison, who had worked with the members of Monty Python on various productions by his company [[HandMade Films]] since the late 1970s, particularly appreciated Orbison's gift for impersonation and his ability to recite entire sketches by the troupe.{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=418}}{{sfn|Van der Kiste|2015|p=116}}<gallery style="text-align:center">
File:Jefflynne hydepark (cropped).jpg|Otis Wilbury (Lynne)
File:Roy Orbison at Nigra in 1984 - PICT0026.jpg|Lefty Wilbury (Orbison)
File:Tom Petty (8191710373).jpg|Charlie T. Wilbury Jr. (Petty)
File:Bob Dylan - Azkena Rock Festival 2010 2.jpg|Lucky Wilbury (Dylan)
</gallery>

===1988–1991===

===="Handle with Care" and band formation====
The band came together in April 1988,{{sfn|Madinger|Easter|2000|p=475}} when Harrison was in Los Angeles to oversee the filming of his HandMade production ''[[Checking Out (1989 film)|Checking Out]]''.{{sfn|Badman|2001|pp=406–07}} At that time, [[Warner Bros. Records]] asked Harrison for a new song to serve as the B-side for the European release of his third single from ''Cloud Nine'', "[[This Is Love (George Harrison song)|This Is Love]]".{{sfn|Madinger|Easter|2000|pp=470, 475}} During a meal with Lynne and Orbison, Harrison asked Lynne to help him record the track and invited Orbison to attend the session,{{sfn|Amburn|1990|p=218}} which he then arranged to take place at Dylan's garage studio in [[Malibu, California|Malibu]]{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=419}} since no professional studios were available at such short notice.{{sfn|Heylin|2011|p=625}} Petty's involvement came about when Harrison went to retrieve his guitar from Petty's house and invited him to attend also.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|2015|pp=112–13}}

Working on a song that Harrison had recently started writing, the ensemble completed the track, which they titled "[[Handle with Care (song)|Handle with Care]]" after a label on a box in Dylan's garage.{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=419}} When Harrison presented the recording to [[Mo Ostin]] and [[Lenny Waronker]] of Warner Bros., the executives insisted that the song was too good to be used as a B-side.{{sfn|Rotondo|2014|p=148}}<ref>{{cite news |first=Andy |last=Gill |title=The Traveling Wilburys |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=19 June 2007}}</ref> In Petty's recollection, Harrison and Lynne then decided to realise their idea of forming a Wilburys band, and first invited him to join before phoning Dylan, who also agreed to join.<ref name="Zimmer/BAM" /> That night, Harrison, Lynne and Petty drove to [[Anaheim, California|Anaheim]] to see Orbison perform at the Celebrity Theatre and recruited him for the group shortly before he went on stage. In Petty's description, Orbison performed an "unbelievable show", during which "we'd punch each other and go, 'He's in our band, too.' ... We were all so excited."<ref name="Zimmer/BAM">{{cite magazine |first=Dave |last=Zimmer |title=Tom Petty: Once in a Full Moon |magazine=[[BAM (magazine)|BAM]] |date=5 May 1989}} Available at [https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/tom-petty-once-in-a-full-moon Rock's Backpages] (subscription required).</ref>

====Debut album====
{{quote box|quote= From my point of view, I just tried to preserve our relationship. I worked so hard to make sure that all the guys who were in that band, and consequently on record and film, that their friendship wasn't abused. Just to preserve our friendship – that was the underlying contribution, I think, that I was trying to do.<ref>{{harvnb|Smax|2007}}, event occurs between 22:57 and 23:21.</ref>|source= – [[George Harrison]]|width=25%|align=right|style=padding:8px;}}
The band members decided to create a full album together, ''[[Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1]]''. Video footage of the creative process was later edited by Harrison into a promotional film for Warner Bros. staff, titled ''Whatever Wilbury Wilbury''.{{sfn|Madinger|Easter|2000|p=475}}{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=408}} The album was recorded primarily over a ten-day period in May 1988,{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=421}} to allow for Dylan's limited availability as he prepared for the start of what became known as his [[Never Ending Tour 1988|Never Ending Tour]]{{sfn|Heylin|2011|p=626}}<ref>{{harvnb|Smax|2007}}, event occurs between 2:40 and 3:00.</ref> and for Orbison's tour schedule.{{sfn|Huntley|2006|p=220}} These sessions were held in the house of [[Eurythmics]] member [[Dave Stewart (Eurythmics)|Dave Stewart]], in Los Angeles.{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=420}}

The five band members sat in a circle playing acoustic guitars in Stewart's kitchen;<ref>{{harvnb|Smax|2007}}, event occurs between 3:40 and 4:08.</ref> once each song's basic track had been written and recorded there (with accompaniment from a [[drum machine]]),<ref name="Hurwitz/Mix">{{cite web |url=https://www.mixonline.com/recording/classic-tracks-traveling-wilburys-handle-care-365910 |first=Matt |last=Hurwitz |title=Classic Tracks: The Traveling Wilbury's 'Handle With Care' |work=[[Mix (magazine)|Mix]] |date=1 November 2007 |access-date=23 September 2018}}</ref> the group recorded their vocals in another room, usually after dinner each night.{{sfn|Zanes|2007|p=164}}{{sfn|Zollo|2005|p=122}} Petty recalled that, as a friend but also an avowed fan of Dylan's, Harrison felt the need to clear the air on the first day by saying to him: "We know that you're Bob Dylan and everything, but we're going to just treat you and talk to you like we would anybody else." Dylan replied: "Well, great. Believe it or not, I'm in awe of you guys, and it's the same for me."{{sfn|The Editors of ''Rolling Stone''|2002|p=224}} While most of the songs had a primary composer,{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=422}} all of the band members were creative equals.{{sfn|Heylin|2011|p=626}}{{sfn|Rotondo|2014|p=150}} Petty later described Harrison as the Wilburys' "leader and manager",{{sfn|Zollo|2005|p=124}} and credited him with being a bandleader and producer that had a natural instinct for bringing out the best in people and keeping a recording session productive.{{sfn|Rotondo|2014|p=150}}{{refn|group=nb|In music journalist Neil Staunton's description, "Harrison is acknowledged as the de facto chief Wilbury",<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/the-traveling-wilburys-collection |title=Traveling Wilburys – The Traveling Wilburys Collection |last=Staunton |first=Terry |magazine=[[Record Collector]] |date=July 2007 |access-date=9 November 2017}}</ref> while Lynne biographer [[John Van der Kiste]] describes the Wilburys as "in effect George's group".{{sfn|Van der Kiste|2015|p=114}} In a 2009 interview for ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'', in response to [[Mat Snow]]'s question "In a band of bandleaders, who was the alpha Wilbury?",<ref name="Snow/Mojo">{{cite magazine |first=Mat |last=Snow |title=Tom Petty |magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |date=October 2009}} Available at [https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/tom-petty-3 Rock's Backpages] (subscription required).</ref> Petty said: "Definitely George. It was his idea, his vision … Yeah, he'd only ever been in one band <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[the Beatles]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>. But he was the best bandleader I ever saw. He was really good at organising things, at knowing who was best at what, delegating what to do. He had a great passion for a band."{{sfn|Rotondo|2014|p=150}} Petty also recalled a subsequent discussion with Dylan when the pair were marvelling at the impact the Wilburys made and Dylan said: "Well, George is really smart. He was in the Beatles, you know."{{sfn|Zanes|2007|p=164}}}} As the group's producers, Harrison and Lynne directed the sessions, with Harrison often auditioning each member to decide who should sing a particular lead vocal part.{{sfn|Zollo|2005|pp=123, 124}}<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Michael |last=Simmons |title=Cry for a Shadow |magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |date=November 2011 |page=85}}</ref> The two producers then flew back to England; Lynne recalls that, throughout the flight, he and Harrison enthused about how to turn the sparse, acoustic-based tracks into completed recordings.<ref>{{harvnb|Smax|2007}}, event occurs between 18:24 and 19:05.</ref> Overdubs and further recording took place at Harrison's studio, [[FPSHOT]],<ref name="Zimmer/BAM" /> with "Sideburys" [[Jim Keltner]] (drums), [[Jim Horn]] (saxophones) and [[Ray Cooper]] (percussion).{{sfn|Madinger|Easter|2000|p=475}} Harrison described the band's sound as "[[skiffle]] for the 1990s".{{sfn|Huntley|2006|p=221}}

The album was released on 18 October 1988.{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=414}} Distributed by Warner Bros., it appeared on the new Wilbury record label rather than on Harrison's [[Dark Horse Records|Dark Horse]] label, in the interests of maintaining the group identity.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|2015|p=114}} Over the months following the end of recording in the summer, contractual issues had been successfully negotiated between Warner and the record companies representing Dylan, Petty, Lynne and Orbison. As was the case in 1971 when [[EMI]] prepared Harrison's multi-artist [[The Concert for Bangladesh (album)|live album]] from the [[The Concert for Bangladesh|Concert for Bangladesh]] for release, Dylan's label, [[Columbia Records|Columbia]], presented the main stumbling block.{{sfn|Madinger|Easter|2000|p=475}}{{refn|group=nb|One of the record company executives reluctantly agreed, conceding that he did not want to be the person blocking the Wilburys venture and "standing in the way of history being made".{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=421}}}} In the album credits, the "Wilburys" joke was extended further, with the band members listed under various pseudonyms and pretending to be half-brothers – sons of a fictional Charles Truscott Wilbury Sr.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgeharrison.com/sites/default/files/Wilburys_Stream.html |title=Wilburys Streaming Event Honors Father's Day |publisher=georgeharrison.com |access-date=13 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729185601/http://www.georgeharrison.com/sites/default/files/Wilburys_Stream.html |archive-date=29 July 2013}}</ref>{{sfn|Van der Kiste|2015|p=115}} During promotion for the album, Orbison played along with the mock history, saying: "Some people say Daddy was a cad and a bounder, but I remember him as a Baptist minister."{{sfn|Amburn|1990|p=221}}{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=421}}

''Vol. 1'' was a critical and commercial success, and revitalised the careers of Dylan, Orbison and Petty.<ref name="Erlewine/AM" /> As Harrison had intended, the album defied contemporary musical trends such as [[Hip hop music|hip hop]], [[acid house]] and synthesised pop; author [[Alan Clayson]] likens its release to "a Viking longship docking in a hovercraft terminal".{{sfn|Clayson|2003|pp=421–22}}{{refn|group=nb|According to Harrison's neighbour and fellow musician [[Joe Brown (singer)|Joe Brown]], he identified the Wilburys as a [[skiffle]] band. Brown added: "That track 'Rattled', that's a real skiffle thrash-up; it sounds like a [[Washboard (musical instrument)|washboard]], but it's Jim Keltner playing all the grilles on the fridge in George's kitchen."{{sfn|Humphries|2012|p=261}}}} The album produced two successful singles and went on to achieve triple-platinum certification for sales in the United States. It was nominated for several awards and won the 1990 [[Grammy Award]] for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. Liner notes on the album cover were written by Monty Python's [[Michael Palin]] under a pseudonym.{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=421}} Palin's essay was based on an idea by [[Derek Taylor]],{{sfn|Van der Kiste|2015|p=115}} who wrote an extensive fictional history of the Wilburys family that otherwise went unused.{{sfn|Zollo|2005|p=124}} Harrison planned a feature film about the band, to be produced by HandMade and directed by [[David Leland]], but contractual problems ended the project.{{sfn|The Editors of ''Rolling Stone''|2002|p=207}}

====Orbison's death, "Nobody's Child" and ''Vol. 3''====
Roy Orbison died of a heart attack on 6 December 1988.{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=416}} In tribute to him, the music video for the band's second single, "[[End of the Line (Traveling Wilburys song)|End of the Line]]", shows a black-and-white framed photo of Orbison, and his guitar is shown, rocking in a chair, whenever his vocals are heard.{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=423}} Lynne recalled that Orbison's death in the wake of ''Vol. 1''{{'}}s success was "the most sickening thing to me". He added: "I was devastated for ages ... Me and Roy had had plans to do much more together, and his voice was in really good shape. It was just so sad for that to happen."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8480749/jeff-lynne-traveling-wilburys-vol-1-30th-anniversary-elo-album-tom-petty |first=Joel |last=Keller |title=Jeff Lynne Looks Back on Traveling Wilburys & the 30th Anniversary of 'Vol. 1': 'It Was a Marvelous Time' |magazine=Billboard |access-date=19 October 2018}}</ref> Although there was speculation in the press that [[Del Shannon]] or [[Roger McGuinn]] might join the Wilburys, the remaining members never considered replacing Orbison.{{sfn|Zollo|2005|p=124}}{{sfn|Van der Kiste|2015|p=124}}{{refn|group=nb|[[Carl Perkins]], [[Robbie Robertson]] and [[Gene Pitney]] were among the other musicians rumoured to be the new fifth Wilbury.{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=423}}}} Lynne later said: "We'd become this unit, we were all good pals … We always knew we were going to do another one, and now it's just the four of us."{{sfn|Van der Kiste|2015|p=124}}

Harrison was the most active in promoting the Wilburys, carrying out interviews well into 1989.{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=421}} He said he was "wait[ing] for all the other Wilburys to finish being solo artists" so that they could renew the collaboration.{{sfn|Huntley|2006|p=224}} By contrast, according to author [[Clinton Heylin]], Dylan appeared to give the band little attention as he focused on re-establishing himself as a live performer before recording his 1989 album ''[[Oh Mercy]]''.{{sfn|Heylin|2011|pp=627–28}}{{refn|group=nb|When commenting on Dylan's absence from promoting ''Vol. 1'', Harrison said: "He has no qualms about taking 20% of the royalties but he doesn't do [the] interviews."{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=415}}}}

In March 1990, Harrison, Lynne, Petty and Dylan reunited to work on a second Wilburys album, which they intentionally misnumbered ''[[Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3]]''.{{sfn|Madinger|Easter|2000|p=478}} It was preceded by a non-album single, a cover of "[[Nobody's Child (Hank Snow song)|Nobody's Child]]",{{sfn|Van der Kiste|2015|p=115}} which the band recorded for [[Olivia Harrison]]'s [[Romanian Angel Appeal]] charity project.{{sfn|Madinger|Easter|2000|p=478}}{{sfn|Clayson|2003|p=424}} The duration of the main album sessions was again dictated by Dylan's touring schedule and limited availability. Having asked Dylan to record a lead vocal for all the songs before his departure, Harrison was then loath to replace many of the parts, resulting in a greater prominence for Dylan as a lead singer.{{sfn|Madinger|Easter|2000|p=478}} Although he ceded his own role as a lead vocalist to Dylan and to Petty,{{sfn|Huntley|2006|pp=229, 230}} Harrison took over more of the production and contributed more prominently as a lead guitarist than before.{{sfn|Leng|2006|pp=267, 268}} Petty described the album as "a little more rough and ready, a bit more raucous" than ''Vol. 1'',{{sfn|Zanes|2007|p=161}} while Dylan said the new songs were more developed as compositions relative to the "scraped up from jam tapes" approach to the band's debut.{{sfn|Madinger|Easter|2000|p=478}}

''Vol. 3'' was released on 29 October 1990.{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=453}} It was dedicated to Orbison, as "Lefty Wilbury", the pseudonym that Orbison had used in 1988 in honour of his hero [[Lefty Frizzell]].{{sfn|Clayson|1989|pp=206–07}} The album met with less success than the previous one. According to Mo Ostin, the choice of album title came about through "George being George";<ref name="ostin" /> apparently Harrison was making a wry reference to the appearance of a bootleg that served as a sort of ''Volume 2''.<ref>[http://www.jpgr.co.uk/wx384.html Traveling Wilburys Volume 3], 2002</ref> The album's liner notes were written by [[Eric Idle]], another Python member, who again adopted a pseudonym. For the band's final single, "[[Wilbury Twist]]", they filmed a video in which Idle, [[John Candy]] and other comedic actors attempt to master the song's eponymous dance style. The clip was filmed in Los Angeles and completed on 28 February 1991.{{sfn|Madinger|Easter|2000|p=480}}{{refn|group=nb|For its inclusion in the 2007 box set ''[[The Traveling Wilburys Collection]]'', the video was re-edited to favour footage of the group miming to the song, with only minimal footage of the guest actors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdmg.com/travelingwilburys.shtml |first=Colin |last=Jacobson |title=The Traveling Wilburys Collection (2007) |publisher=DVD Movie Guide |date=21 June 2007 |access-date=12 November 2017}}</ref>}}

===After the Wilburys===
According to Jim Keltner, the decision on the group's future after ''Vol. 3'' lay with Harrison. Keltner said that from his conversations with Lynne, Petty and Dylan, they were all keen to reunite, whereas Harrison wavered in his enthusiasm.{{sfn|Huntley|2006|p=231}} 

After his 1991 tour of Japan – his first series of concerts since 1974 – Harrison spoke of a possible Traveling Wilburys tour:
{{blockquote|That would be something I'd like to experience. I've always played around in my own mind what a Wilburys tour could be. Would each person do a solo set and then do Wilburys at the end, or would we all go right on from beginning to end and make everything Wilburys? It's an intriguing thought. We could have a great band up there and the four of us could play acoustic if we wanted to. We could all sing "[[Blowin' in the Wind]]" and Bob could sing "[[Something (Beatles song)|Something]]". Or we could just sing our individual songs and make them Wilbury tunes, as if we'd recorded them that way. Whatever it was, we could do it.}}

The Wilburys tour never came about. Petty said about the Wilburys touring:
{{blockquote|I think it would work, if we wanted to do it. I don't think we ever considered it, really. There were a lot of nights when the conversation would roll around to that. But I don't think anybody ever took it seriously. I think it would ruin it in a way. Then you're obligated to be responsible and it's not in the character of that group. It would make it very formal and that would be the wrong spirit.}}