The Legendary Guitarist Who Didn’t Feel He Belonged in the Traveling Wilburys Supergroup

Traveling Wilburys were a supergroup that highlighted the very best of rock music. Few groups have put together as many big names as this one. One thing that made this group so stellar was the lack of ego. No one was trying to outdo the other members. Everyone knew where they stood. There was even one potential member who was humble enough to bow out when he realized he wasn’t up to the task. Find out which legendary guitarist didn’t feel like he belonged in the Traveling Wilburys, below.

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The Guitarist Who Backed Out of the Traveling Wilburys

Tom Petty had his set group of collaborators. He was loyal to them, even when he started making music with his fellow Traveling Wilburys. He tried to bring a few of his Heartbreakers along for the ride, including Mike Campbell.

According to Campbell, he was tapped to play guitar on a Traveling Wilburys track. Unfortunately, his nerves got the better of him, causing him to give up on his guitar duties.

“Jeff said play something like Eric Clapton,” Campbell once said. “I did my best version of trying to play in that mould, but I knew it wasn’t my best stuff. I felt really bad because Tom was really trying to involve me in the whole thing. I wanted the heat off me. I had the sound up in my guitar, so I just handed it to George and he pulled out a slide… the rest is history. When you hear what George played, it’s a hundred times better than what I played.”

Campbell’s Praise of George Harrison

Despite being intimidated by their playing chops, Campbell recalled the Traveling Wilburys members as markedly easy to relate to. Though they were musical giants, their musical kinship put them on a level playing field.

“Of course it was,” Campbell once said. “For all of them. But he dealt with it pretty well. I think the spirituality side of him helped him get through all that. But by the time I was hanging out with him he was not overly spiritual. He just wanted to be the musician, he wanted to be in the gang. It was the same with all those guys.”

“When you first meet them, like Dylan or Johnny Cash, it’s like: ‘Oh my God, this aura is so intense,” he added. “After a while it’s like just two musicians talking about music.”

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