The Traveling Wilburys were a short-lived supergroup created by George Harrison and Jeff Lynne. Initially an informal grouping with Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, they got together to quickly record an additional track as a B-side for Harrison's "When We Was Fab" single at Bob Dylan's Santa Monica, California studio. The song they came up with was "Handle With Care" - which the record company immediately realised was too good to be released as a single "filler".

They enjoyed working together so much that they decided to create an album together. Written by all its members, the song-writing and recording was accomplished by this group of musical geniuses over a ten day period (as Dylan was due to go out on tour). Released in October 1988, under various pseudonyms as half-brothers, supposed sons of Charles Truscott Wilbury, Senior, the album was immediately dubbed as one of the top 100 albums of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. It is generally considered sad that the untimely death of band member Roy Orbison interfered with what might have been to come.

A second album (ironically titled Volume 3) appeared in October 1990, but without Roy Orbison's voice, songwriting and "elder statesmen" influences, the album met with more limited success.

The Traveling Wilburys were:

  • Charlie T. Jnr. (Tom Petty)
  • Lucky Wilbury (Bob Dylan)
  • Nelson Wilbury (George Harrison)
  • Lefty Wilbury (Roy Orbison)
  • Otis Wilbury (Jeff Lynne)

Albums
  • Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 (1988)
  • Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 (1990)

Singles
  • Handle With Care (1988)
  • End Of The Line (1989)
  • Nobody's Child (1990)
  • She's My Baby (1990)
  • Wilbury Twist (1991)

Bootlegs
  • Traveling Wilburys Vol. 2 (1989 demos and extended songs from Vol. 1)
  • Traveling Wilburys Vol. 4 (1990 out-takes from Vol. 3)