There are a lot of musical supergroups to have existed over the years. Though, the most popular has been and as of now, will seemingly always be the Traveling Wilburys. Founded by George Harrison and consisting of Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Jim Keltner, and Roy Orbison, the Traveling Wilburys are undeniably the model every supergroup after them has followed.
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However, the Wilburys nearly existed without one of their most integral members, Roy Orbison. At the time of the inception, Orbison was not the hot commodity he had been known as. Even though he had collaborated with Bruce Springsteen and Emmy Lou Harris in the ’70s, his projects with them didn’t live up to his former self. Though, his short stint with the Traveling Wilburys provided him just that, and it is all thanks to George Harrison’s dashing proposal.
George Harrison Proposes to Roy Orbison
As stated previously, Roy Orbison’s career in the ’70s did not match his career in the ’60s. That being so, the man existed on a musical island. Ostriszed both musically and socially, Orbison was seemingly looking for his next big thing. Matter of fact, Orbison’s son, Roy Jr. once stated, “Roy never really had peers, so it was great for them to get together.” “It re-started Roy’s career – and the careers of all of them. They helped each other. It was a beautiful thing,” added Roy Jr. per Shropshire Star.
The idea for Orbison being in the band was originally thought of by Harrison and Lynne after they collaborated on Harrison’s 1987 album, Cloud Nine. Following the fun they had on that album, Harrison and Lynne made it their mission to start the Traveling Wilburys, and that is when Harrison approached Orbison in a rather vulnerable manner.
According to Roy. Jr, when George Harrison asked Orbison to be in the band, Harrison “got down on one knee and asked [Roy Orbison] if he wanted to be in his band.” Regarding the quite literal proposal, Roy Jr. added, “That showed such humility. He didn’t kneel before anyone.”
Tragically, Roy Orbison’s career with the group didn’t last too long, as he sadly passed away from a heart attack shortly after he joined the band at 52-years-old. The Traveling Wilburys debut album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, released just roughly a month before Orbison’s passing in 1988. However, Orbison found the final big break he was looking for.
Photo by RB/Redferns
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