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The Traveling Wilburys

Biography and Memoir

,

The Traveling Wilburys

The Biography, Revised EditionNick Thomas

Listen with Michael Caine™ and 800 other voices

The Traveling Wilburys

Length5h 33m

About this audiobook

This is the fully revised Second Edition of the Traveling Wilburys story. This updated biography features a number of surprises, including details of the planned third album and the identity of the notable guitarist who turned down an invitation to join the original lineup of the group. The Traveling Wilburys were formed in 1988 when five rock legends joined forces for an informal recording session inside a cluttered garage in Los Angeles. The five seasoned musicians - Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison - had gathered to write and record what was intended as a throwaway B-side track. After Harrison submitted the completed song to his record company, he was told that it was too good to be hidden away on the flip side of a European single. Instead, he was instructed to regroup with his fellow musicians and to record an entire album of songs. But for the newly formed supergroup, there was no roadmap, no detailed plan, no record company involvement and no expectation of success. Nicknamed the Billion Dollar Quintet, the five musical legends could all speak of their own individual achievements, their own musical triumphs, as well as their own extended periods of fan indifference. Some of the members had already establishment close knit relationships, while others barely knew each other. This book chronicles how the Traveling Wilburys were formed, what went into the making of their two hit albums and why they never toured. The book also examines how the careers and personal lives of these five men overlapped as well as how they influenced one another. Lastly, this book looks at the group's musical legacy.

Hidden Identity

Audiobook details

GenreBiography and Memoir, History

Length5 hrs 33 mins

Narrated bySelect Your Own

FormateBook with Audio

Publish dateDec 6, 2025

LanguageEnglish

Table of contents

1BOB DYLAN & TOM PETTY

10PETTY: SONGS FROM THE GARAGE

2DYLAN & THE HEARTBREAKERS

11ROY ORBISON: IN DREAMS

3THE CLOSE OF THE DYLAN / PETTY TOUR

12THE RETURN OF THE WILBURYS

4CROSSING PATHS: GEORGE, TOM & ROY

13RECORDING THE SECOND ALBUM

5THE BEATLES SPAWN ELO

14ALL THINGS MUST PASS

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6TOM PETTY & JEFF LYNNE

15AFTER THE WILBURYS

7ROY ORBISON MAKES A COMEBACK

16EPILOGUE

8GEORGE HARRISON NEEDS A B-SIDE

17BIBLIOGRAPHY

9VOLUME ONE

18NOTES

About the author

Nick Thomas

View all by Nick Thomas

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