# What all bands have had members go onto be successful solo artists **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622 "2004-07-30T18:25:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/1 "2004-07-30T18:25:51Z")
I have found out by reading bios that alot of musicians started out as members of other bands i’ve listened to but didn’t know had the same member. So is there a list anywhere of all the famous singers and what famous band they started at? Offhand i can think of The Beatles - All except ringo had solo success The police - sting Genesis - phil collins Take That - Robbie Williams Nsync - Justin Timberlake NWA - Eazy E, Ice Cube & Dr Dre I’m sure there are hundreds more. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/2 "2004-07-30T18:39:18Z")
Rod Stewart- Small Faces Peter Gabriel- Genesis Stevie Nicks- Fleetwood Mac Christine McVie- Fleetwood Mac Michael Jackson- The Jackson Five And FTR, Ringo Starr does quite well for himself. I think he’s definetly improved with age. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/3 "2004-07-30T18:40:48Z")
Ringo has had some pretty decent success of his own. He gets no respect, but he ain’t broke. 😉 Also from Genesis - Peter Gabriel Menudo ‘gave us’ Ricky Martin. The fuckers. ---
**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 30, 2004, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/4 "2004-07-30T18:47:11Z")
Annie Lennox – The Eurythmics ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/5 "2004-07-30T18:48:38Z")
Black Sabbath- Ozzy Osbourne Eagles- Don Henley, Joe Walsh Led Zeppelin- Robert Plant I don’t know if you would call it long-term success, but Mike Rutherford of Genesis went on to form Mike + The Mechanics. Lindsay Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac also had a fair solo run. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/6 "2004-07-30T18:48:51Z")
Natalie Merchant - 10,000 Maniacs Debbie Harry - Blondie Joan Jett - The Runaways Belinda Carslile - The Go-Gos Susanna Hoffs - The Bangles Annie Lennox - The Eurythmics ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/7 "2004-07-30T19:00:22Z")
Pink Floyd - Roger Waters The Guess Who - Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman, Domenic Troiano Max Webster - Kim Mitchell Tranquility Base - Ian Thomas Van Halen - Sammy Hagar (before and after) As I think of more, I’ll check in later. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/8 "2004-07-30T19:09:38Z")
Destiny’s Child - Beyonce D12 - Eminem (I think he started with them, but I could be wrong) Was 2Pac originally a member of Digital Underground? Gwen Stefani of No Doubt has a solo album in the works, which will be the last step of official induction in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/9 "2004-07-30T19:13:56Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > Was 2Pac originally a member of Digital Underground? I think he was a backup singer or backup dancer, not really a main member ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/10 "2004-07-30T19:17:27Z")
Also from Genesis, Steve Hackett has had a solo career and was also part of GTR. I think we can include the Yardbirds with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Paige ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/11 "2004-07-30T19:17:37Z")
Stray Cats - Brian Setzer The Crickets - Buddy Holly Yardbirds, Cream - Eric Clapton ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/12 "2004-07-30T19:19:08Z")
(Oh yes, and for the record, **Ringo Starr** has multiple top 40 hits as a solo artist.) ---
**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 30, 2004, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/13 "2004-07-30T19:21:10Z")
Boz Scaggs – Steve Miller Band Steve Winwood – Spencer Davis Group & Traffic Pete Townsend (& to a lesser degree, John Entwistle and Roger Daltry) – The Who Eric Clapton – John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, & Derek and the Dominoes Robin Trower – Procul Harum Paul Simon – Simon and Garfunkle Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield – Paul Butterfield’s Blues Band Al Kooper – The Blues Project & Blood Sweat and Tears Leon Russell – Gary Lewis and the Playboys & Mad Dogs and Englishmen Alice Cooper – Alice Cooper (which was the band’s name before he went solo) Joe Pesci – Joey Dee & the Starlighters ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/14 "2004-07-30T19:28:17Z")
I forgot that David A. Stewart of the Eurythmics has had a fairly successful solo career doing scores for movies like The Ref and with tunes like Lily Was Here that he did with Candy Dulfur. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/15 "2004-07-30T19:31:35Z")
Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits has quite the second career writing movie soundtracks. I still have trouble keeping track of what he’s done. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/16 "2004-07-30T19:34:39Z")
Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo has followed the same path. That goes double (much more famously) for Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo. ---
**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 30, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/17 "2004-07-30T19:47:47Z")
Britney Spears–The Mickey Mouse Club ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/18 "2004-07-30T19:49:57Z")
Perhaps a bit more obscure, but still popular among some people: Robin Hitchcock - The Soft Boys Tanya Donnelly - The Breeders/Throwing Muses Eliot Smith - Heatmiser Paul McCartney - Wings 😉 Melanie C and Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls had a couple hits after they broke up. Tricky - Massive Attack Morrissey - The Smiths KRS-One - Boogie Down Productions ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/19 "2004-07-30T19:54:27Z")
Ricky Martin - Menudo ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622/20 "2004-07-30T19:54:38Z")
The Smiths begat Morrissey The Misfits begat Danzig Ben Folds Five begat Ben Folds Til Tuesday begat Amie Mann Generation X begat Billy Idol Black Flag begat Henry Rollins The Boomtown Rats begat Bob Geldof Social Distortion begat Mike Ness House of Pain begat Everlast The Stooges begat Iggy Pop James Brown (with his band) begat Maceo Parker and many others The Vandals begat Josh Freese The Commodores begat Lionel Ritchie Velvet Underground begat Lou Reed Soft Cell begat Mark Almond The Pogues begat Shane McGowan Talking Heads begat David Byrne Y Kant Tori Reed begat Tori Amos [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-all-bands-have-had-members-go-onto-be-successful-solo-artists/257622.md?page=2)