Actually, as was pointed out in another CS thread recently, the group that played backup for Linda Ronstadt’s early recordings went on to record on their own. You may have heard of them – most of their music was written by band members Don Henley and Glenn Frey. Something about a bird, I think, IIRC.
We may have a winner in a special catagory, “I wish I was one of them but I’m glad I’m not.” Old man can still rock. OTOH, it’s not like those songs are not in every musician’s DNA by now.
(aside to the kids) Are they? I mean, given a bar from “Maybelline” you can turn on your autopilot and keep up, right?
I have a friend who did this - not fun. Don’t get me wrong - I worship all this Chuck but he doesn’ talk or look at the band, launches into a song that he plays a sort of bad haiku version of and expects you to keep up.
No eye towards quality - just lookin’ to get paid. His right at this point but sigh
I’ll second Crazy Horse, but I’ll note that I’ve seen Neil Young playing with Booker T and the MGs as his backing band. Which was nice.
I don’t know, how hard can it be? The guy only wrote like three different songs and changed the words to them a few times. 
Sure - that’s the premise, but try starting cold in front of a few thousand people where Chuck is doing one of his famous stop n’ start licks leading into a song - but you can’t tell which song because many are in the same key but have different stops and starts…not fun.
This may be actually more of a collaboration, but what about Wilco “backing up” Billy Bragg on the “Mermaid Avenue” CDs?
Linda Ronstadt’s backup band, better known as The Eagles, has got to be on the list somewhere.
Post #21, to be precise.
Not really a band per se, but the prolific Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare come to mind.
Gabriel’s first touring band wasn’t too shabby:
Peter Gabriel: vocals
Robert Fripp (aka “Dusty Roads”): electric guitar
Steve Hunter: rhythm guitar
Larry Fast: synthesizer
Allan Schwartzenberg: drums
Tony Levin: bass
Jim Maelen: percussion
Jozef Chirowski: keyboards
The Brian Setzer Orchestra.
So much for using the “find word” feature instead of reading the thread thoroughly, huh? :smack:
The Dap-Kings are the best thing about Amy Winehouse.
I think the Tower of Power horn section ought to be considered one of the best. Consider this partial list of groups that have hired them as a backing band:
Little Feat
The Monkees
Santana
Al Kooper
Elton John
Linda Lewis
John Lee Hooker
Rod Stewart
Jefferson Starship
Jose Feliciano
Heart, Huey Lewis and the News (toured with them extensively)
Big Brother and the Holding Company
Spyro Gyra
Lyle Lovett
Poison
B. B. King
Phish
Toto
Aerosmith
(And that’s just a small sample. The whole list can be found here:
http://www.towerofpower.com/2007/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62)
The Band.
edited to say I missed on the first readthrough of the thread. But it’s true.