(Credits: Far Out / The Traveling Wilburys)
Fri 2 January 2026 19:15, UK
The Traveling Wilburys were, by all accounts, a miracle in music history.
There aren’t any other groups across all eras that encompass names as illustrious as those within the Wilburys, and any that come close to capturing the same level of incomprehensible magic barely touched the sides when it came to the actual talent that was on display.
After all, if a group comprising Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty doesn’t prove that some kind of divinity exists, then surely nothing will. What makes their whole story even more endearing is that it seemed to happen entirely casually, or completely by happenstance.
Harrison and Lynne were already linked up during the sessions for Harrison’s Cloud Nine, and legend has it that it was Harrison who first muttered the idea to a disbelieving Lynne, who, in that moment, probably thought it was just a passing thought and nothing else. After all, in music, timing is often a major issue, and forming a supergroup becomes an even bigger challenge when it involves big names.
Soon enough, however, something – be it fate, divine intervention, sheer luck or individual willpower – brought all those names together in the same room, each bringing their own unique quirks to the table. Lynne, especially, was probably their biggest unsung hero, the glue that held everything together and pushed for greatness whenever he noticed something could be improved upon.
And Harrison was anything but a reflection of his earlier label as the quiet one, contributing far more to the group than the idea and name itself and becoming a definitive figure who helped to shape their overall sound. But all of those features weren’t the only reasons why the band was an incomprehensible amalgamation of world-class talent; it was also those who operated on the sidelines, helping to shape the overwhelming embarrassment of riches into something completely timeless.
So, who played horns for The Traveling Wilburys?
Another who came through Harrison’s connections was Jim Horn, the saxophone player who, despite playing on three ex-Beatles’ solo albums, forged a closer working relationship with the Quiet One himself. As far as Horn’s credentials go, he was pretty impressive, having also worked with Billy Joel, Steely Dan, and played flute and saxophone on The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds.
However, Horn wasn’t the only one who bolstered out the band’s sound, with coveted session drummer Jim Keltner also in the mix of impressive personnel. Keltner also did the rounds with the former Beatles’ solo work, as well as collaborated with other esteemed names, from Harry Nilsson, Carly Simon, the Bee Gees, to more recent projects with Phoebe Bridgers and Bob Dylan on the Outlaw Festival tour.
Within such impressive resumes, the Wilburys will always stick out for the glaring miracle it is, a beacon of impossible talent coming together only once, not to prove that it could be done, but to demonstrate that nothing else will ever come close.
As Lynne so modestly put it, “One of the most amazing things ever about the Wilburys was this poles-apart thing of Roy [Orbison] and Bob Dylan. That’s what I thought was wonderful – the best singer and the best lyricist, and they’re both in the same group.”
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