Fairport Convention: Cool, yes, well-known, I’m not so sure. Of course Richard is not exactly a Top 10 hitmaker either. My vote goes to Richard as better known.
Here’s a pretty good one:
Kenny Rogers was much bigger than The First Edition, even though they did have a handful of hits (“Ruby Don’t Take Your Love To Down”, etc).
Ok, maybe I’m being nitpicky here, but the OP challenge was to name solo artists who have become more famous than their group of origin. And there’s no way that Dave Grohl is more famous than Nirvana. Yes, maybe he’s come into his own or now has more time in the spotlight than he did before, but that wasn’t the question. [/nitpick mode]
I suggest that Lauryn Hill is more famous than The Fugees. At least from a middle-class white perspective (mine) I had vaguely heard of The Fugees, but when Lauryn Hill released The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill all of the sudden she was everywhere.
Robert Palmer and Vinegar Joe
and, I suppose, Elkie Brooks and Vinegar Joe
Robbie Williams / Take That
nitroglycerine forgot possibly the most famous member of the Magic Band to go onto greater things: Captain Beefheart.
Although she only had one big solo hit, Maria McKee is far better known for “Show Me Heaven” than for her work with early-80s outfit Lone Justice (she’s still performing as a solo artist though).
Alison Moyet vs. Yazoo, probably.
Juliana Hatfield vs. The Blake Babies.
David McAlmont vs. Thieves.
Neneh Cherry vs. Rip Rig and Panic.
? I didn’t even mention the Magic Band. That was Beefhearts group. He was an associate of Frank’s in the early years, but IIRC he didn’t really show up on a Zappa album until Bongo Fury, and that was more of a collaboration. The good captian was already well known by then.
Jon
Peter Frampton was the first one who came to mind. I had to google to remember the name of his first band, Humble Pie.
Bob Geldorf became much, much more famous than the rest of the “Boomtown Rats,” though not for singing.
Benny & Bjorn of ABBA should be in this thread for their musical theatre work. In five years, they will be. Remember, I said it first.
Robyn Hitchcock/The Soft Boys
Jonathan Richman/The Modern Lovers
Mike Watt/Firehose
Adrian Belew/the mid-70’s Zappa lineup that was his first gig
Mitch Easter [as a producer]/Let’s Active
Paul Carrack [Squeeze]/Roxy Music
Phil Manzanera/Roxy Music
Lisa Stansfield/Blue Zone
debatable:
Ryan Adams/Whiskeytown
Bob Mould/Husker Du
Juliana Hatfield/The Lemonheads
both Kristen Hersh and Tonya Donelly, from Throwing Muses
Jason Falkner/Jellyfish
Mark Mothersbaugh [for film scoring]/Devo
David Lowery/Camper Van Beethoven, then Cracker
Mark Lanegan/The Screaming Trees
both Peter Murphy [solo] and Daniel Ash [Love & Rockets]/Bauhaus
Lisa Gerrard [film scores]/Dead Can Dance
Alex Chilton/Big Star
Paul Westerberg/The Replacements
worth watching:
Steve Malkmus/Pavement; The Silver Jews
Damon Albarn [solo work and film scoring]/Blur