The Traveling Wilburys Were an Accident

The best supergroup in rock history started because George Harrison needed a B-side.

In 1988 Harrison owed his label an extra track. He booked a day in Bob Dylan's garage studio, called Jeff Lynne, who happened to be producing Roy Orbison at the time, and borrowed a guitar he'd left at Tom Petty's house. Petty came along with the guitar. By the end of the afternoon the five of them had written and recorded "Handle with Care," and the label took one listen and said: this is far too good to be a B-side.

So they made a whole album. Then another. Embracing the joke, each member adopted a Wilbury alias and the five of them presented themselves to the world as long-lost musical brothers — Nelson, Otis, Lefty, Charlie T. Jr. and Lucky — which fooled precisely no one and delighted everyone.

There is something in that story that we recognize. A few people get in a room with no particular plan, the thing they make together turns out better than what any of them went in for, and then they can't stop. That's roughly how this chorus started too, minus the Grammy.

We sang the Wilburys in May 2025: "Handle with Care," "End of the Line," "Runnin' Down a Dream," "Wilbury Twist" for the kids, and "You Got It" to close. The songs are simple and generous and built for a crowd, which is exactly what you'd expect from music made by five friends with nothing to prove.