# Have there been any rock stars who were monogamous during their entire career? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 29, 2010, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252 "2010-11-29T03:46:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/1 "2010-11-29T03:46:09Z")
I am a pretty firm believer in the idea that human males are not naturally monogamous, and that almost any man who is in a position to have easy sex with many different women without working very hard at it will do so. The best example of this is rock stars: it’s considered basically a given that a man who becomes a successful rock musician will have unprecedented access to sex with however many women he wants. We live in a society where many women offer themselves sexually to men who are rich, famous or both, and rock stars as well as satisfying both of those criteria also often (though not always) have sex appeal to women outside of merely their success. The result is that pretty much any red-blooded heterosexual male rock star who has women throwing themselves at him will take advantage of this situation and sleep with a lot of them. Let’s face it, having sex with a new person is exciting. Possibly the most exciting kind of sex there is. What man wouldn’t want to be able to experience this over and over and over with as many different women as he could? The sexual exploits of rock musicians, whether they’re from the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s or today, are famous and much-celebrated. So have there been any rock stars who, despite the groupies offering themselves after every show, have actually managed to be completely monogamous and faithful to one steady girlfriend or wife over the course of an entire career? Even if someone was married several different times or went through various girlfriends, if he was sexually exclusive with only that one woman during the time they were together, he would qualify. Does anyone know if any rock star has resisted the temptations of the lifestyle and stuck with one partner at a time? ETA: The definition of “rock star” is obviously up for debate. I’ll say in this case it’s someone who is well known enough that the average music fan has heard of him, and well known enough or part of a famous enough band that he wouldn’t have to work very hard at seducing women. ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/2 "2010-11-29T03:51:34Z")
Buddy Holly? uh… Pat Boone? ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/3 "2010-11-29T03:53:52Z")
Donny Osmund. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/4 "2010-11-29T03:54:00Z")
I’ve heard that Paul & Linda McCartney never spent a night apart the entire time they were married. Not sure if it’s true, or if he just snuck some in on the side when she wasn’t around, but it’s a possibility at least. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/5 "2010-11-29T04:01:19Z")
Frank Zappa was married to Gail Zappa from 1967 until his death in 1993, and had four children with her, and there’s no indication he was anything but faithful to her. He more or less eschewed the sex and drugs aspect of the rock and roll lifestyle. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/6 "2010-11-29T04:10:42Z")
Everything you say about rock stars would also apply to professional athletes, and I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of several of them who were monogamous. And sticking to musicians, wasn’t John Lennon more-or-less faithful to Yoko Ono? At least, I’ve never heard otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/7 "2010-11-29T04:12:35Z")
Obviously, we can’t know for sure, but Charlie Watts is reputed to have never slept with the groupies. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/8 "2010-11-29T04:14:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And sticking to musicians, wasn’t John Lennon more-or-less faithful to Yoko Ono? At least, I’ve never heard otherwise. Have you ever heard of John Lennon’s “Lost Weekend” period? He was most certainly NOT monogamous with Yoko Ono. (feel free to insert any “Well, who WOULD be faithful to Yoko Ono?” jokes here… ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/9 "2010-11-29T04:20:47Z")
As an aside, isn’t it krazy that we live in a world where the only way for a man to fulfill his _biologically hard-wired destiny_ is to become either a rock star, a pro athlete, or a multi-millionaire? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/10 "2010-11-29T04:26:07Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > …We live in a society where many women offer themselves sexually to men who are rich, famous or both,… Has there ever been a society where that _wasn’t_ the case? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/11 "2010-11-29T04:27:13Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Have you ever heard of John Lennon’s “Lost Weekend” period? > > He was most certainly NOT monogamous with Yoko Ono. (feel free to insert any “Well, who WOULD be faithful to Yoko Ono?” jokes here… He certainly wasn’t when with Cynthia. See “Norwegian Wood.” As far as the OPs premise, many people are willingly monogamous, and I don’t think it can be discarded on a hunch. Proponents of this theory often point to the animal kingdom, but there are many examples (although much rarer than polygamy) of monogamous species. A lot of the research on this relies on evolutionary psychology BS, so it’s hard to find clear results. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/12 "2010-11-29T04:27:35Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > I’ve heard that Paul & Linda McCartney never spent a night apart the entire time they were married. Not sure if it’s true, or if he just snuck some in on the side when she wasn’t around, but it’s a possibility at least. But in the early career (after the Beatles hit it big), Paul was with Jane Asher, and also entertained groupies. John also was pretty much sleeping around, even though he was married. They both settled down later, though. Zappa also had an affair with Alice Stuart in the early days. Stuart says they were quite compatible emotionally, but were completely incompatible musically (she was more into traditional blues and has had a modest success as a solo artist). Zappa claims he fired her because she couldn’t play “Louie, Louie,” but that appears to be a joke. Loudon Wainwright III doesn’t appear to have any affairs, though his first marriage did break up. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/13 "2010-11-29T05:30:18Z")
Bono started dating Alison Stewart in 1975 and they have been married since 1982. No idea if either have been completely faithful but I never heard otherwise. Unless _The Sweetest Thing_ was about an affair. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/14 "2010-11-29T05:38:15Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Proponents of this theory often point to the animal kingdom, but there are many examples (although much rarer than polygamy) of monogamous species. Geese mate with a single partner for life, but when they have sex they still fantasize about other geese. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/15 "2010-11-29T05:47:34Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > He certainly wasn’t when with Cynthia. See “Norwegian Wood.” Heck, see “Yoko Ono.” ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/16 "2010-11-29T06:20:32Z")
Ringo has been married to Barbara for over 30 years… ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/17 "2010-11-29T06:24:46Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Bono started dating Alison Stewart in 1975 and they have been married since 1982. No idea if either have been completely faithful but I never heard otherwise. Unless _The Sweetest Thing_ was about an affair. No, it was about him [forgetting her birthday](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sweetest_Thing_%28song%29): > [@](#): > > The song was reportedly written by Bono as an apology to his wife Ali Hewson for having to work in the studio on her birthday during The Joshua Tree sessions. At Alison’s request, profits from the single went to her favoured charity, Chernobyl Children’s Project International. And John Lennon had an affair during his marriage to Yoko that was arranged by Yoko herself, believe it or not. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/18 "2010-11-29T06:32:30Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Zappa also had an affair with Alice Stuart in the early days. Stuart says they were quite compatible emotionally, but were completely incompatible musically (she was more into traditional blues and has had a modest success as a solo artist). Zappa claims he fired her because she couldn’t play “Louie, Louie,” but that appears to be a joke. Zappa wasn’t married when he met Alice Stuart, tho. He and Kay Sherman divorced in 1964. He met Alice in 1965. And Frank and Gail were married in 1967. ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/19 "2010-11-29T06:34:17Z")
The three members of Rush were pretty square. Even while on tour with KISS in the mid-70s, they would join the backstage groupie parties and “watch, but not participate” (according to Gene Simmons.) ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/20 "2010-11-29T11:21:48Z")
Jon Bon Jovi married his high school sweetheart and claims he’s never cheated on her. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252.md?page=2)