# Successful musicians who have drastically (or not so drastically) changed their style? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 13, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392 "2009-11-13T01:41:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/21 "2009-11-13T20:08:58Z")
I hear Chris Gaines used to sing country. ---
**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 13, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/22 "2009-11-13T20:10:24Z")
Neil Young can do any style of music. Frank Zappa first wrote weird doo-wop songs and eventually became the greatest guitar player in the world, rocking like no other. Then he settled down (sort of) to composing orchestral pieces and jazz songs that humans couldn’t play. Slayer started out nearly 30 years ago as a proto-thrash metal band, and now they are, um, well, still THE proto-thrash metal band. SLAYERRRRRRRR! ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/23 "2009-11-13T20:13:54Z")
Miles Davis was in the center of many new jazz styles, from cool through fusion. Until the last year of his life he never (publicly) looked back. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/24 "2009-11-13T20:16:46Z")
U2 started out as a primarily Christian rock band. ---
**Author:** ![Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speak_to_me_Maddie)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/25 "2009-11-13T20:32:10Z")
**Mark Mothersbaugh** of the new wave? band Devo also has a successful career as a jazz/classical composer, particularly for film and televison. There is a lot of crossover in his work but the uninitiated would be hard pressed to guess that _Whip It_ and _Mothersbaugh’s Canon_ were written by the same person. He is one of my favorite composers. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/26 "2009-11-13T20:36:20Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Slayer started out nearly 30 years ago as a proto-thrash metal band, and now they are, um, well, still THE proto-thrash metal band. SLAYERRRRRRRR! \m/ friggin’ right \m/ They owe me a show. They had to reschedule because of Tom’s back surgery. I haven’t heard the new stuff so it gives me more time to get caught up. ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/27 "2009-11-13T21:17:16Z")
Springsteen went from the poster boy for gut bucket traditional story-based rock and roll to drum machines to wretchedly self indulgent Woody Guthrie inspired pap. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/28 "2009-11-13T21:51:47Z")
In Loggins and Messina Kenny Loggins played folk, easy listening, and some country rock. When he went solo he played mostly rock. Then, in the 90’s, he kind of went new-agy. ---
**Author:** ![Livardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/43a26b/32.png) [@Livardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Livardo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/29 "2009-11-13T22:33:58Z")
Seems like a lot of artists have changed their styles. I don’t know why I thought this would be a rare occurrence. I guess if a talented artist decides they want to do something different more than likely they’ll continue to be successful. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/30 "2009-11-14T04:30:24Z")
Olivia Newton-John was a champ at this. She started out singing bubblegum with the group Toomarrow, then switched to Folk Music, “If Not For You” (Bob Dylan Remake), and “Banks Of The Ohio.” Then she moved to Country Music then she popularized the second most annoying trend in female music (after screeching) that breathless style of singing, most notably on her number one hit “Have You Never Been Mellow.” Then she switched to A/C then back to mainstream pop after Grease and she ushered in the mini-Australian invasion of the early 80s. Sheena Easton moved from mainstream pop “Morning Train (Nine To Five)” to R&B with her #2 smash hit “The Lover In Me.” Two of her last two MCA Ds “The Lover In Me” and “What Comes Naturally” were almost all R&B. Juice Newton was another one that was all over the map. From fairly hard rock in the beginnig to mainstream pop to ballads then back to country. Indeed I remember a review in Rolling Stone of Juice’s album “Dirty Looks” where it said the singer was gifted and but the album was so far all over the map it was impossible to classify what type of music she did. As for the OP who brings up Mariah Carey she has a great voice and needs to be told SCREECHING ISN’T SINGING 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/31 "2009-11-14T04:46:11Z")
David Bowie! He can do anything! My favourite albums of his are 25 years apart. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/32 "2009-11-14T05:02:17Z")
Genesis??!? Gensis commercialized sell-out pop band become has!. But in the process they did expand their fan base from a cult of eager music loving heads filling auditoriums to pop fans filling stadiums. I think most of the original heads gave up on them; at least I did. ---
**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 14, 2009, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/33 "2009-11-14T05:12:07Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Frank Zappa first wrote weird doo-wop songs and eventually became the greatest guitar player in the world, rocking like no other. Then he settled down (sort of) to composing orchestral pieces and jazz songs that humans couldn’t play. [Peaches en Regalia…](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQiSlG_ziVA)at 1:07 it goes straight from a pompous jazz-fusion symphony to the theme song of some mid-1970s cop show. Love it! ---
**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 14, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/34 "2009-11-14T05:14:53Z")
And Ricky Gervais went from [Seona Dancing](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXhSqmfRTfY) to [“Freelove Freeway”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JitDWQI9qc)! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/35 "2009-11-14T05:27:37Z")
Ritchie Blackmore: from hard blues-rock guitar god and general bad boy to renaissance troubador. (with an assist from the lovely Candice Night) ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/36 "2009-11-14T06:25:24Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Linda Ronstadt. From folk to rock to Broadway to Standards to Mexican Folk to adult contemporary. And country, both early in her solo career, and with Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton, among many others that she’s recorded with, and now back to folk again with Ann Savoy. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/37 "2009-11-14T09:30:52Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Frank Zappa first wrote weird doo-wop songs No, not really. I assume you’re referring to _Cruising With Ruben & The Jets_, which was a parody of the genre. The four albums he released prior to that one were definitely not doo-wop. ---
**Author:** ![Fourth\_Wall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Fourth\_Wall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fourth_Wall)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/38 "2009-11-16T10:40:02Z")
Todd Rundgren changes his style with every album. King Crimson, to a lesser degree. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/39 "2009-11-16T17:30:43Z")
Danny Elfman - from Oingo Boingo frontman to the upper tier of film-scoring. ---
**Author:** ![Livardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/43a26b/32.png) [@Livardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Livardo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392/40 "2009-11-16T18:27:39Z")
Has a rap artist made the jump to something radically different? I imagine there’s been cases where they’ve jumped to R&B. I know Kid Rock started with the rap/rock thing but he’s actually sang in some of them! Same goes for the Limp Bizkit dude. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-musicians-who-have-drastically-or-not-so-drastically-changed-their-style/517392.md?page=3)