The musical group by the name “The Travelling Wilburys” gained fame in the 1980s, and as made by artists who had gained fame among their fans as solo artists. Important to note is that one George Harrison, a famous musical star of all times had played a major role in the formation of the group, ‘The Travelling Willburys.” When considering the success of an artist from the perspective of the impact they make in the society, their fame and the influence they have had on their fans and the society, it is true to mention George Harrison as a successful musician. Even though the Travelling Wilburys had a great impact on the success of its members, of which George Harrison was one among them, George Harrison’s success as an artist began before the formation of the Traveling Wilburys. Even as they joined with friends to form the Travelling Willburys, Harrison had made tremendous steps in the arena of success through “The Beatles.” In lieu of the mentioned background, this paper discusses the Travelling Wilburys’ background. In relation, the paper will discuss George Harrison as a successful musician, whose succeeded as a solo artist, and not necessarily due to the formation of the Wilburys.

Background to the Travelling Willburys

While describing the origins of the ‘Travelling Wilburys,’ MO Ostin says of it that; the starting of the group as ‘happy accident” (The Travelling Wilburys, n.d, Para 1). In the year 1998, George Harrison was to record a B-Side for “This is Love,” from his very single album, as had been requested by Warner Bros Records International. George Harrison’s album, Cloud Nine has just been released, and they had developed a tendency of hanging out together with his co-writer Jeff Lynne, especially in Dalyn’s studio. The other friends were Tom Petty and Roy Orbison. After George had played his single, the other friends were happy with it and were ready to join hands to come up with an album, an idea that George Harrison embraced with both hands. MO Ostin describes him as a man of high instincts, and that he (George) had sensed the determination and the giftedness that the friends carried with them.  Upon coming together, the five agreed to call their group “The Travelling Wilburys,” a name that was agreed unanimously by all of them. MO Ostin, while describing the formation of the group, argues that; it was George who facilitated the positive environment of the group, making it an ego-free environment. The success of the group came from the openness that the five members exercised since they viewed one another as a friend, and they did everything together, including song-writing, recording, singing, partying and all. Their cooperation enabled them to make sales worldwide to the tune of five million in a short time.

The Travelling Wilburys are celebrated as a group that made a tremendous success, despite its nature of having been made by solo artists. Looking at its composition, the Travelling Wilburys can be said to be a group that was made up of three generations of musicians. In his introduction to the group, Thomson (2013) says of them that; they came together to share their lead vocals, a step that lifted them to heights no one had expected of them as individuals. Indeed, their two singles: “Handle With Care” and “End of the Lie” was sold to millions of fans across the globe in the first and second album. When one member, Roy Orbison died of a heart attack a few months later, the group released volume three, which, although it did not make as much progress as the first two, it was also sold to millions of fans.

The fall of the Travelling Wilburys is in some way skeptical. Although the group started with so much psyche, it did not go very far as a group. Perhaps, critics argue that, even though the group had the name ‘travelling,’ the members did very little of ‘travelling.’ A number of factors are attributed to the fall of the group. First, one of the members, Roy Orbison died of a heart attack at a very young age of the group. By the time of Roy’s death, the group had only recorded two albums. The members felt that Roy could not be replaced. When they produced their third album, this time without Roy, it did not perform as good as the previous two. A second factor is that the group members had were going through a transition in their lives, with a majority of them getting married and getting children. This move was significant in the breaking of the group since the members concentrated on partying at the expense of the group’s activities.

George Harrison and his Success.

George Harrison was one of the members of the Travelling Wilbury and one of the most successful members of the group. Indeed, the formation of the group owes a lot from the humility, understanding and high instincts of George Harrison. George was born in Liverpool to one Louise and Harold Harrison at around 1943 (Greene, 2010, P. 1). His birth and the challenges that he passed through life, having been born in the times of the second world war speak volumes about his courage in life. Indeed, Green describes as a son who grew to become the man his father, Harrison, had foreseen in the day before. His success in the music industry can only be attributed to his humility and the ability to move along with the other people.

The formation and development of the Travelling Wilburys can be directly attributed to the success of George Harrison. Indeed, the many pieces of writings that describe the history of the Travelling Wilbury agree that the group arose out of the request to George Harrison to record his single, “This is Love’s,’ B-side. In his description of the origin of the group, MO Ostin explains that George had seen the potential in his friends, thus; he had all the interest to involve them in his recording, a call that led  to the formation of the Traveling Wilbury. It is apparent that the Wilburys group derived its wonderful collaboration from the humility of George Harrison, thus it is true to say that his success was not entirely about his joining the group, though his collaboration with the other four was a big step for his success (Leng, 2003).

The success of George Harrison can be traced back from his early days as a musician. He played many roles in the music industry, even when he was labeled the lead guitarist in the “Beatles.” Many know him as a Popstar, producer, songwriter, and, as well, a recording artist. A background to the Beatles reveals that George Harrison sang the lead voices. For him, it was a big step since he was not brought up in a well-up family. His mother was a housewife, and the father, Harrison was just a school-bus driver. George’s talent was also very instrumental in his success as an individual. Before he joined the Beatles, one of the proprietors, Lennon, had a negative attitude towards Harrison joining the group. However, Lennon was impressed by Harrison’s talent and voice, a step that saw Lennox support Harrison all through in the Beatles.

George Harrison’s composure was noticeable even in his behavior. In the beginning of his music career with the Beatles, he was even labeled the ‘Quiet Beatle’ since he was very composed and loyal. By then, the Beatles was a Lennon-McCarthy affair. Later, Harrison developed an interest in composing his own songs, and it was then that he came up with ‘Don’t Bother Me,’ a composition that made it to the second album by the Beatles (Leng, 2003). This was a turning point of Harrison’s success in music. Indeed, since the recording of this piece, he featured predominantly in the Beatles most famous songs, including “Something” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” In truth, the success of the Beatles had a lot to do with the efforts of Harrison. It was he that introduced a variety of musical instruments into the group. These included Eastern instruments, which the other musical groups in the West adopted after seeing the success of the Beatles. Additionally, George Harrison taught himself the Indian music and incorporated it in the group’s songs. Through his efforts, the group was able to move from singles easily.

George Harrison’s success as a solo artist can be traced to the period immediately after the collapse of the Beatles. When the group ended, George Harrison brought together some experts and came up with a studio. He was able to record all the songs that had not made it to the Beatles’ list (Harrison, 2007). He also had time to give back to the society through his music career. For example, with his passion for the East, Harrison participated in a concert in the New York’s Madison Square in a bid to raise funds for the assistance of the Bangladesh’s refugees. The concert was referred to as the ‘Concert for Bangladesh. This was a historical landmark in Harrison’s history as it led to the raising of money to the tune of $15 million for UNICEF, and had a great impact that benefited programmes like the Farm Aid and Live Aid.

In his economic progression, Harrison went up to start a film production company though he sold it in1994. He, however, was struggling with family issues as his wife of eight years had left him for another man. After re-marrying, he started singing again. Coming to the years of 1987 and 1988, he teamed up with new friends to form the super-group,’ ‘The Travelling Wilburys.’ As stated out earlier in this essay, George Harrison was the most influential individual in the group, and perhaps the main force behind the group’s formation (Greene, 2010). The Travelling Wilbury made tremendous success and enabled the individual members to grow to heights no one would have expected of them single-handedly. They made huge sales worldwide and grew in fame. The group had a lot of unity but was affected by the death of one of their members, Roy Orbison. It did not last for long.

George Harrison’s story line shows that, although he joined major music groups, he succeeded well as a solo artist. However, the contribution of the groups to his success cannot be under-estimated. Indeed, the Beatles led to his familiarization with commercial music and elevated him internationally. The Travelling Wilbury, on the other hand, enabled him to make huge sales together with the other members of the group. His life just after the collapse of the Beatles is suggestive of the success he made as a solo artist. It was not easy for George to start a film production company as an individual.

Conclusion

In sum, George Harrison was the most successful artist among the members of the Travelling Wilbury. Of all the members, George Harrison has a rich history of success. Even before joining the Beatles, George Harrison had made fortunes as a solo artist, just after the collapse of the Beatles. Success in this context has been determined by the impact that George made to the society, both at hi time and to date. During his times, George had a tremendous influence on the growth of the Beatles. Indeed, the other stakeholders tried their best to have Harrison hang up with them even when he felt the pressure to part. He influenced his other friends to start a group, The Traveling Wilburys. As an individual, he assisted the less fortunate in the society. A good example is the Concert of the Bangladesh, which was meant to raise money for UNICEF. The money went towards supporting the refugees of Bangladesh. Although he experienced family challenges to the level of being left by his wife, he remarried and raised a successful family. As of today, George Harrison’s songs are celebrated the world over. Harrison’s legacy in the music industry cannot be over-emphasized. Indeed, he was a true hero.

References

Greene, M.J., 2010. Here comes the sun: The spiritual and musical journey of George Harrison. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Harrison, G., 2007. I, Me, Mine. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Leng, S., 2003.While my guitar gently weeps: The music of George Harrison. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corporation.

The Travelling Wilburys.,n.d.Introduction by MO Ostin. Retrieved online from http://www.travelingwilburys.com/history.html

Thomson, G., 2013. George Harrison: Behind the locked door. London: Music Sales Group.

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