The Traveling Wilburys

Reversing the familiar path from band dissolution to solo ventures, the Traveling Wilburys coalesced instead as a supergroup drawn entirely from established headliners. Former Beatle George Harrison assembled the lineup with ex-Electric Light Orchestra leader Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison, thereby bridging three distinct eras of rock. After years of mutual acquaintance, the five convened in 1988 to cut a B-side for Harrison and instead produced an entire album in which they rotated lead vocals. The project neatly circumvented the lofty expectations attached to any member individually, and an enthusiastic audience propelled the record to number three while sending both “Handle With Care” and “End of the Line” onto the charts. Only weeks after release, Orbison succumbed to a heart attack.

The remaining quartet returned in 1990 with a second album oddly titled Vol. 3. Though it failed to replicate the first set’s performance, the release still sold a million copies. Rumors of further Traveling Wilburys material circulated throughout the 1990s, yet none appeared. Harrison and Lynne did collaborate again in 1995, when Lynne produced and reworked two John Lennon demos that the Beatles ultimately placed on their Anthology rarities collection.

Once the Wilburys catalog slipped out of print in the late 1990s, the 2007 arrival of The Traveling Wilburys Collection—a double-disc package bundling both albums plus a bonus DVD—became an event. The set opened at number one in the U.K. and number nine in the U.S., later earning platinum certification in Britain and gold status in America. Concord reissued the collection in 2016.