George Harrison tended to an ailing Tom Petty whereas recording “I Will not Again Down” collectively
When George Harrison and Tom Petty first met, it was love at first sight. They felt as if they had been friends in their past lives and felt an instant connection. They acted together in The Traveling Wilburys, and George helped Petty with his solo work.
The former Beatle even played nurse to Petty, taking care of him while he was ill during the recording of I Won’t Back Down.
George Harrison and Tom Petty | KMazur/Getty Images
George Harrison and Tom Petty met in 1974
The former Beatle and The Heartbreakers frontman first met in 1974 when Petty was working at Leon Russell’s.
“There were a few nights of sessions with George and Ringo,” Petty said in a Rolling Stone special entitled Remembering George.
Petty continued: “It’s scary meeting the Beatles but George was so nice to me and included me in everything. Then our paths crossed again years later. It was probably ’85 or ’86 when the Heartbreakers were touring England with Bob Dylan. George came to see us in Birmingham one night. Bob was busy with something, so we ended up just talking.
“I reminded him we’d met and there was a weird click. It felt like we’d known each other our entire lives, and in a very personal way. We just hung out a lot. I have a great photo somewhere – it was my birthday and George brought a cupcake to my dressing room.
“In the photo I’m with George and Jeff Lynne, Roger McGuinn, Bob Dylan and Mike Campbell – all my favorite people right there and it was all so cute. I think Ringo was there too. There was a surprise hurricane in London that night and my life never felt the same after that hurricane.”
Petty began to feel that he and George were best friends in their past lives. After the strange hurricane, they happened to meet again. They were in the same restaurant. George called Petty to his table and told him he had just asked Lynne for Petty’s number.
Then George and Petty formed The Traveling Wilburys and became lifelong friends.
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The former Beatle helped record ‘Free Fallin’.
Petty explained that George helped record his song “Free Fallin'” during his speech at the MusiCares Person of the Year Gala in 2017.
He looked out at the crowd and called record executive Mo Ostin and George’s widow Olivia Harrison. Seeing her reminded Petty of the moment George helped him.
“And so much has happened to me that you wouldn’t believe,” Petty said (per Recording Academy Medium). “I’m not going to try to tell you everything, but there’s one thing I’m thinking of right now. I’ve been looking out there – I know so many people here. Mo, Mo and Olivia are out there. I love Mo and I love Liv.
“Me and George Harrison and Jeff Lynne were at Mo Ostin’s house one night – that was before, we were just working on the idea of the Traveling Wilburys – and I had written this song ‘Free Fallin’ and recorded the record and brought my label, MCA. And they refused to record it. And that had never happened to me before. I was like wow what should I do?
“Well, we forgot. And we were at Mo’s house and dinner ended and George said, ‘Let’s get out the guitars and sing a little.’ And we sang and George said, “Let’s do the ‘Free Fallin’ Tom. Play that.’
“So we had kind of a Wilbury arrangement with harmony. And we made it. And Lenny Waronker sits there, he said, ‘That’s a hit.’ With two acoustic guitars, you know? I said, ‘Well, my record company isn’t going to put it out.’ And Mo says, ‘I’m going to f*ck erase it.’
Petty said he learned so much from George and loved making music with him. They jam together wherever they are.
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