# Solo recording artists who are more famous than their original band. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 8, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985 "2003-07-08T13:08:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [July 8, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/21 "2003-07-08T16:50:05Z")
Steve Winwood was bigger than the Spencer Davis Group and perhaps more successful overall than Traffic. Phil Collins was certainly more successful as a solo act than Genesis. Kenny Rodgers did better as solo than he did with the First Edition (though the group was later billed as “Kenny Rodgers and the First Edition,” his name wasn’t originally part of the group name). Janis Joplin was probably bigger after she left Big Brother and the Holding Company. Boz Scaggs was more successful after he left the Steve Miller Band than the SMB was at the time he left them. Later, Steve Miller eclipsed him. John Denver did better after he left the Chad Mitchell Trio. Rod Stewart was much more successful as a solo artist than with the Jeff Beck Group or the Faces. Not a recording artist, but Joe Pesci became much more famous after he left Joey Dee and the Starlighters. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/22 "2003-07-08T17:18:50Z")
Lenny Kravitz and Maggie’s Dream. Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. Wait, that’s been said… Frank Zappa and the original Mothers of Invention. Busta Rhymes and Leaders of the New School. ---
**Author:** ![Vevila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@Vevila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vevila)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/23 "2003-07-08T17:40:01Z")
Aw, I’ll throw this in even though he went in a totally different direction musically: Danny Elfman/Oingo Boingo. ---
**Author:** ![Peg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Peg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peg)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/24 "2003-07-08T17:53:07Z")
Don’t really know if this qualifies, but Robbie Williams seems to be bigger than Take That, though I’m in the US and missed all the Take That hoopla. In fact, until recently, I didn’t even know what Robbie Williams sounded like. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/25 "2003-07-08T18:18:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Moe \* > \*\*I haven’t seen **Michael Jackson/Jackson 5** mentioned yet. \*\* Urr? **RickJay** sez: Michael Jackson is just a little bit bigger than the Jackson 5 (which was not specifically named after Michael.) How about Britney Spears? She’s got a bit more fame than the Mouseketeers… ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/26 "2003-07-08T18:50:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ethilrist \* > \*\*Urr? > **RickJay** sez: Michael Jackson is just a little bit bigger than the Jackson 5 (which was not specifically named after Michael.) > > \*\* :o I read the thread, really I did. I sware. ::sigh:: ---
**Author:** ![Reverend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Reverend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reverend)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/27 "2003-07-08T18:55:09Z")
Norman Cook / Housemartins KRS-One / Boogie Down Productions ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/28 "2003-07-08T19:07:06Z")
Most of the good ones have been done. A few others: 1. Bobby Brown has probably been a bit more famous and successful than the New Edition. 2. Natalie Merchant is probably a bit more famous and successful than 10,000 Maniacs. 3. Janis Joplin went on to become MUCH more famous than Big Brother & the Holding Company. 4. Vince Gill has been much more successful as a solo country singer than Pure Prairie League ever was. 5. I don’t know if this counts, but Cher has sold a lot more records than Sonny & Cher did. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/29 "2003-07-08T19:32:36Z")
Sammy Hagar / Montrose (somebody told me he was also in Van Halen, but that’s impossible, as VH ceased to exist in 1985) Cyndi Lauper / Blue Angel Joan Jett, Lita Ford / The Runaways Dave Grohl attained more time in the spotlight as the leader of the Foo Fighters than as the drummer for Nirvana, where he was overshadowed by Cobain. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/30 "2003-07-08T19:35:54Z")
At the risk of getting flamed Post-Beatles, Paul McCartney formed Wings then went solo. I remember a second-hand story where, in the '80s, someone overheard some young’un exclaim, “Paul McCartney was in a band before Wings?!” [sub]Sorry to bring this up. Carry on.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![moejuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@moejuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejuck)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/31 "2003-07-08T19:38:26Z")
No way Robert Plant is bigger than Zeppelin. Johnny Cash was in the Tennessee Three before he went solo. I will also nominate Bootsy Collins, who started with the P-Funk All Stars. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/32 "2003-07-08T19:39:47Z")
You could say Bob Marley is more famous than the Wailers, although it’s something of a piffling distinction (the band was originally just The Wailers, then became Bob Marley and The Wailers after Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, nee Livingston, left; and still tour as The Wailers). Come to think of it, Stephen Stills was part of Buffalo Springfield as well, and he’s probably better known than that band as well. And as I went to look up info on the band at the All Music Guide, they displayed the following bit of trivia: “All four members of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were previously in notable '60s rock bands: the Byrds (Crosby), the Hollies (Nash), and Buffalo Springfield (Stills and Young).” ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/33 "2003-07-08T19:46:54Z")
Bing Crosby is far better known than The Rhythm Boys. ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/34 "2003-07-08T20:14:29Z")
Frank Sinatra ended up far better known than the Tommy Dorsey band. Billie Holiday is better known than Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra. Sam Cooke ended up far better known than the Soul Stirrers. Wilson Pickett ended up bigger than the Falcons. Diana Ross ended up far more famous than the Supremes. Lou Reed ended up better known than the Velvet Underground (as per nitro). Both Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno have ended up slightly more famous than Roxy Music. I’d say Richard Thompson is better known than Fairport Convention, but I don’t know how big Fairport Convention was Back in the Day. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/35 "2003-07-08T20:36:30Z")
Ted Nugent is more famous than the Amboy Dukes. Billy Joel is more famous than Atilla Bryan Adams is more famous than Sweeney Todd George Clinton is probably more famous than Parliament Chris Isaak is more famous than Silvertone Kenny Loggins is more famous than Gator Creek Teddy Pendergrass is probably more famous than Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes ---
**Author:** ![bryanmaguire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bryanmaguire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmaguire)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/36 "2003-07-08T20:49:23Z")
Paul Young/The Q Tips ---
**Author:** ![International\_Playboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/48db29/32.png) [@International\_Playboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/International_Playboy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/37 "2003-07-09T01:18:35Z")
Curtis Mayfield/The Impressions And about the Gloria Esteban example in the OP, I think the first video they released was just billed as “Miami Sound Machine.” They didn’t become “Gloria Esteban and Miami Sound Machine” until two or three songs later. The Gloria Esteban billing changes have always reminded me of an old Mad Magazine bit about the rise and fall of a star. ---
**Author:** ![MisterThyristor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@MisterThyristor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MisterThyristor)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/38 "2003-07-09T01:33:42Z")
Lionel Richie/The Commodores ---
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/39 "2003-07-09T03:13:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pravnik \* > \*\* > > Frank Zappa and the original Mothers of Invention. > \*\* That doesn’t count. The Mothers was always Franks baby, and from early on, the band members were officially his “employees”, enabling them to get unemployment benifits, among other reasons. There were a lot of people who played in his bands over the years, who went on to bigger if not better things. Off the top of my head…Dale and Terri Bozzio went on to form Missing Persons, Steve Via was all over the place in the 80s, Ansley Dunbar got rich in Journey, Ike Willis has a pretty good solo career. There was Wild Man Fischer, Flo and Eddie (who were already famous), Jean Luc Ponty, and probably a bunch of people that I’m forgetting. Hey, and even Sting played with him once 🙂 Jon ---
**Author:** ![lurker\_anonymous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@lurker\_anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurker_anonymous)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985/40 "2003-07-09T03:42:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MisterThyristor \* > \*\*Lionel Richie/The Commodores \*\* Hey!!! That was MY post… so how about Paul Weller, just as successful as The Jam? Big Audio Dynomite, just as successful ( but not as artistic as)as The Clash? Lou Reed vs. The Velvet Underground? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solo-recording-artists-who-are-more-famous-than-their-original-band/186985.md?page=3)