A Supergroup is a band or group that is made up of members from other groups.  An Alias is an artist who records under an alternate name.  A Spin-off group is a member of a group who starts his own group.  Some examples:

Asia was a supergroup:  The original line-up was John Wetton (King Crimson), Steve Howe (Yes), Carl Palmer (ELP) and Geoff Downes (The Buggles)
Chris Gaines was an alias:  Country superstar Garth Brooks recorded one album under the name Chris Gaines to explore a rock and roll style
Night Ranger was a spin-off group:  The band was formed by Jack Blades and Brad Gillis, two former members of the late 70s rock band Rubicon

One of my favourites from the 80s is Loverboy.  They were a supergroup.  Guitarist Paul Dean and Drummer Matt Frenette were members of the late 70s rock band Streetheart and Mike Reno was the lead singer for the band Moxy

Paul Dean left Streetheart after their first album.  Frenette left after the 2nd album, and on that 2nd Streetheart album was a fantastic cover of The Rolling Stones 'Under My Thumb' that became a BIG hit in Canada and is more well known here than the Stones version ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEn7TfjxZRw

The all time Supergroup for me is the Traveling Wilburys, which featured Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jim Keltner. Their first album was Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, written by all the members, was recorded over a ten-day period in May 1988.  The two hit singles "Handle with Care" and "End of the Line" were from this album. More success came from their second album in 1990, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3, which featured two more hit singles "She's My Baby" and "Wilbury Twist".

Roy Orbison's death on December 6, 1988, brought the end of the original lineup. In tribute to Orbison, during the music video for "End of the Line", when Orbison sings, his guitar is shown rocking in a chair as the rest of the group play, followed by a brief shot focusing on a framed picture of him.

CSNY were one of the first supergroups. That's where Buffalo Springfield, The Birds and The Hollies came together...

The all time Supergroup for me is the Traveling Wilburys, which featured Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jim Keltner. Their first album was Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, written by all the members, was recorded over a ten-day period in May 1988.  The two hit singles "Handle with Care" and "End of the Line" were from this album. More success came from their second album in 1990, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3, which featured two more hit singles "She's My Baby" and "Wilbury Twist".

Roy Orbison's death on December 6, 1988, brought the end of the original lineup. In tribute to Orbison, during the music video for "End of the Line", when Orbison sings, his guitar is shown rocking in a chair as the rest of the group play, followed by a brief shot focusing on a framed picture of him.



They were indeed a good group.  I was just browsing their wikipedia page, and it only lists 4 singles, when infact they had 6 (10 if you include Tom Petty's 'Full Moon Fever' LP, which many believe to be the 2nd Wilbury's album)

Travelling Wilburys
1988 - Handle With Care
1989 - End of the Line
1990 - Nobody's Child
1990 - She's My Baby
1991 - The Wilbury Twist
1991 - Inside Out

Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever
1989 - Free Fallin'
1989 - I Won't Back Down
1989 - Runnin' Down A Dream
1990 - A Face in the Crowd