(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Thu 11 September 2025 17:45, UK
The Traveling Wilburys were lightning in a bottle. A one-time affair that could only happen under the right circumstances. But even then, it took Jeff Lynne a second to understand the kind of world he was about to walk into.
Lynne had been working with George Harrison on Cloud Nine when the idea first came up. As casual as ever, Harrison floated the notion of the two of them forming a supergroup. It was likely something Lynne laughed off at first, still heavily focused on one project without the distraction of another creeping in. But eventually, he found himself in a room with Harrison, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, and Tom Petty. Talk about illustrious fucking company.
An outsider looking in might have thought Lynne was the wild card. Approaching from a different corner of culture and perspective when it came to tech innovations, Lynne could have become a passive link that didn’t add very much. And yet, he positioned himself as the complete opposite, effectively becoming the glue that held the entire operation together.
Not only that, but he pushed for greatness at every turn, chomping at the bit whenever he believed something could be even better. Even if it meant breaking into the studio alone after hours just to change something they’d recorded, all with the uncertainty of how the others would react. But it always paid off, the others placing trust in him and the rest of their band members at every turn, knowing that what they’d come up with would always be gold.
But Lynne’s story with the Traveling Wilburys arguably started much earlier, when he first met Harrison and started working on Cloud Nine. Lynne had grown fatigued by ELO when he was asked to work on Harrison’s album, almost like some kind of divine intervention in the shape of a former Beatle had known all along that he needed some other sort of creative relief. But then came the surprise at actually meeting Harrison and feeling out of place the moment Lynne walked into his home.
“I was intimidated by George’s house [the 120-room Friar Park in Henley-on-Thames],” Lynne recalled to Louder. “It was like a mansion, a castle and a palace all rolled into one.” He said that when he’d first turned up, his initial thought was, “I don’t know if I can do this.” Anyone who’s ever found themselves planted in the middle of how the other half live will immediately know how he felt in this moment.
But that all swiftly went away when he realised how down-to-earth Harrison actually was. And, as someone with his upbringing and experience in one of the biggest bands in the world, it’s easy to believe he was anything but poncy. “I was that worried it was going to be too posh,” Lynne went on. “But George put me at ease. He said: ‘Look, before we start, just so we can see how we get on, shall we go to Australia to watch the Grand Prix?’ I said: ‘Er, yeah, alright.’ He said: ‘Great. Meet me in Hawaii in two weeks’ time.’”
Thus ensued a positive working relationship that meant collaboration and creativity came easily. And a kinship, too, that led Harrison to eventually suggest the idea of them bringing together a band of brothers to shake up the entire industry. And so, one slight misjudgement turned into pure magic.
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