You would think that combining the talents of Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne (ELO), and George Harrison (The Beatles) would produce a supergroup that crushed the charts. But this collection of musical superstars, who called themselves The Traveling Wilburys, never even cracked the Top 40. The Traveling Wilburys managed to score two chart appearances in 1988-89, when "Handle With Care" and "End of The Line" reached #45 and #63, respectively. They came from their debut album, "Vol. 1." Despite a lackluster performance on the chart, the record was critically acclaimed and won a Grammy. Shortly after the record's release, the band endured the sad and untimely passing of Orbison, who died of a heart attack at 52. The Wilburys decided to soldier on as a foursome. In keeping with their quirky nature, their sophomore effort was entitled, "Vol. 3," but it failed to yield any charting singles. That was the end of the line for the band. "She's My Baby" was from "Vol. 3" and should have given The Wilburys a much-needed boost.
Tom Petty had an illustrious career that ended unexpectedly in 2017 after he passed away at the age of 66, likely due to excessive pain medications for a broken hip. The Florida native began his recording career in the 70s with a band called Mudcrutch, which would soon evolve into the Heartbreakers, the group that became nearly synonymous with Tom Petty. Petty and the Heartbreakers first crept onto the chart in 1977 when "Breakdown" peaked at #40, but they significantly raised their profile in 1980 when "Don't Do Me Like That" hit #10. The hits kept coming, and Petty began to rack up a number of classics that were absent from the charts. Petty's biggest hit would be "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," one of several duets he performed with Stevie Nicks. The song went to #3 in 1981. Petty would score plenty of top 40 hits, but didn't see the top 10 again until Jeff Lynne (E.L.O.) teamed up with Petty for his landmark "solo" album without the Heartbreakers, 1989's "Full Moon Fever." "Free Fallin'," the third single from that record," reached #7. Petty got to know Lynne from their supergroup, The Traveling Wilburys, which formed a year earlier. Petty had additional collaborations with his Wilbury friends. Before their formation, Bob Dylan co-wrote "Jammin' Me," which reached #18 in 1987. Another Wilbury friend, George Harrison, provided backing vocals and guitar on Petty's #12 hit from 1989, "I Won't Back Down." "Kings Highway" was a terrific track on his 1991 reunion record with the Heartbreakers, "Into The Great Wide Open" that did not chart.
Texas born singer and songwriter Roy Orbison had a one of a kind voice that allowed him to dominate the charts in the 60s with classics such as "Only The Lonely (Know The Way I Feel)" (#2), "Running Scared" (#1), "Crying" (#2), "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)" (#4), and "Oh, Pretty Woman" (#1). Some of these tunes are in the Grammy and/or R&R Hall of Fame, and his accomplishments made Orbison the 14th most successful chart artist of the 60s and 94th all-time. Orbison was then plagued with a number of tragedies. His wife was killed in an accident in 1966 and he lost his two sons to a fire in 1968. These personal tragedies also took their toll on his musical career as Orbison didn't land a single chart appearance throughout the 70s. In the 80s, Orbison and his mighty voice experienced a strong resurgence. He performed a duet with Emmylou Harris in 1980 called "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again," which was used in the Meat Loaf movie Roadie, that went to #55 and earned a Grammy for Country Vocal Duo. "Oh, Pretty Woman" was back on the charts in 1982 thanks to a popular cover by Van Halen. Orbison made a guest appearance to sing the tune on The Dukes Of Hazzard, next to Catherine Bach no less. In 1987, he performed a stunning duet of his classic hit, "Crying" with k.d. lang that won another Grammy. He was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1987 by Bruce Springsteen. As he teamed up to record his comeback album with Jeff Lynne of ELO (which would become "Mystery Girl"), happy accidents led to the formation of supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, which featured Orbison as "Lefty Wilbury." But tragedy once again caught up with Orbison. In the midst of his comeback, he died of a heart attack late in 1988 at age 52. He did not live to see that he would crack the top 10 one final time as a solo artist in 1989, the first time since 1964, when "You Got It," co-written with his Wilbury Mates Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty, hit #8. "Life Fades Away" never charted, but helped initiate Orbison's late 80s comeback. The song, co-written with metal star Danzig, was on the soundtrack to the 1987 film Less Than Zero. As usual, Orbison ends the haunting song with a jaw-dropping vocal climax.
Legendary songwriter and producer Jeff Lynne has always been busy with his band projects, which include ELO, Traveling Wilburys, and The Move. Nonetheless, he has released a couple of solo songs and albums. His lone chart appearance as a solo artist came in 1984 when "Video!" - a song from the movie Electric Dreams - went to #85. Lynne's first full-length solo record arrived in 1990, called "Armchair Theatre." After a rollicking start, it settles down into a rather sedated mood. But Lynne's talents for melody and harmony continue to shine throughout. In addition to "Life Me Up," be sure to check out "Every Little Thing" and "Blown Away."
George Harrison, the "quiet Beatle," made a rather big noise as a solo performer after the band broke up. Right out of the gate, Harrison scored his first #1 hit with "My Sweet Lord," which spent 4 weeks on top of the chart in 1970. Harrison would top the charts twice more: in 1973 with "Give Me Love" and in 1987 with his cover of "Got My Mind Set On You," originally done by James Ray. The album that spawned his "comeback" hit in 1987 was "Cloud 9." Produced by Jeff Lynne (ELO), it was a prelude to the sound of their 1988 supergroup, The Traveling Wilburys. "Cloud 9" gave Harrison one last top 40 hit with a nostalgic look back on his time in the Beatles with "When We Was Fab" (#23). "Cloud 9" boasts many other great cuts, like "Devil's Radio," which really sounds like the mold in which Traveling Wilburys was cast. Sadly, the music world lost this music legend in 2001 when Harrison succumbed to cancer at the age of 58.
I'm willing to bet many of you never heard of Adrian Belew, but I bet you've heard him perform in some capacity. Discovered by Frank Zappa, Belew was an accomplished singer and guitarist as a sideman for the likes of Talking Heads, David Bowie, and Paul Simon. He was also a member of the prog rock band King Crimson. Belew's only chart appearance as a solo act was for the song, "Oh Daddy", which made it to #58 in 1989. In 1990, he released his 5th album, "Young Lions", which is filled with a mix of melodic and experimental rock. There is a duet with David Bowie ("Pretty Pink Rose"), a cover of the Traveling Wilburys song, "Not Alone Anymore", and even a broadcast from an evangelist called Prophet Omega. Among the more accessible cuts is this snappy little number, "Looking For A U.F.O." Not just a great commentary on world affairs, the song also features a pretty obvious nod to the Talking Heads.
