# What famous musicians have even more famous musician children? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [April 7, 2026, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092 "2026-04-07T13:42:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/101 "2026-04-08T02:14:00Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > June Carter Cash was Johnny Cash’s wife, not husband Lol yes. I meant she’s known by who her husband was. Which is unfair and sexist ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/102 "2026-04-08T03:14:45Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > I still remember the rumors that Shania Twain was a descendant of Mark Twain, which relied on not thinking too hard about how Mark Twain got his name. That’s funny. Similarly, I remember a fan magazine for teens, circa 1980, answering a reader’s question about Olivia Newton-John and Elton John’s relationship. There isn’t one – he’s Reginald Dwight. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/103 "2026-04-08T07:01:09Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Whoa, I never knew this. Thanks. Oh, there are a shitload of musical Bachs of multiple generations, a confusing number of which were named Johann. For example, old Johann Ambrosius had a twin brother Johann Christoph, also a musician. Two other of Bach’s sons were composers including his eldest Wilhelm Friedemann and fifth son Johann Christoph Friedrich. JCF’s son became a composer too - Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst, the last composer in the Bach bloodline. All were competent composers but none as good as JS, JC or CPE. Note that JS Bach had 20 children in all, although many did not survive childhood. This has however given rise to the following joke: Q. Why did Bach have so many children? A. His organ didn’t have any stops. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/104 "2026-04-08T10:49:57Z")
APU: Elton John?! ELTON JOHN: That’s my name!…well, not really. ---
**Author:** ![f.coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@f.coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/f.coli)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/105 "2026-04-08T14:16:12Z")
It may be by only the narrowest of margins, but I think Liza Minelli has surpassed her mother, Judy Garland, if only because of her longer life span. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/106 "2026-04-08T14:25:56Z")
After scrolling through this I’d have to say that the winner is Norah Jones. I would also hazard a guess that she would not have been as successful if her name was Norah Shankar. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/107 "2026-04-08T14:40:50Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Is Wynnona Judd more famous in her own right than her mom Naomi? I know they are probably most famous for performing together, so maybe that doesn’t count. I’d argue that the other sister, actress Ashley Judd, is the most famous of the three. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/108 "2026-04-08T14:42:27Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I’d argue that the other sister, actress Ashley Judd, is the most famous of the three. Indeed, but not as a musician, which is the heart of this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/109 "2026-04-08T14:48:58Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > > [@Alessan](#): > > > > I’d argue that the other sister, actress Ashley Judd, is the most famous of the three. > > Indeed, nut not as a musician, which is the heart of this thread. If we are going to include actors we are going to need a bigger thread. Maya Rudolph uses singing as part of her repertoire but is mostly known for her comedic acting. She’s much more famous than her mother Minnie Ripperton. That might barely count since I’ve seen Maya sing many times but she’s never made a living at being a musician. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/110 "2026-04-08T15:06:09Z")
Is Sean Pertwee more famous than his father Jon? The later was Doctor Who #3, but Sean has been in a bunch of things. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/111 "2026-04-08T15:08:36Z")
Arlo has 3 hits by my count (Alice’s Restaurant, Coming Into Los Angeles, City of New Orleans). But very few songs are as iconic as “This Land is Your Land”. Arlo is still releasing new work, though, so you never know! ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/112 "2026-04-08T15:38:34Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Is Sean Pertwee more famous than his father Jon? 100% not. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/113 "2026-04-08T15:39:06Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > After scrolling through this I’d have to say that the winner is Norah Jones. If one is answering the OP’s question with an eye to “fame in the U.S.,” and “how famous are they _now_,” or at least “how much have I heard of them,” sure. IMO, this seems to be part of what’s driven some other responses, like the ones about June Carter Cash. In this case, Ravi Shankar was quite well-known, not just in his native India, but in the west, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s, when he toured and performed in the west. Norah Jones had a huge splash with her first commercial album in 2002, and her next albums also did well, but I’m not sure she’s the slam-dunk answer to the thread. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/114 "2026-04-08T16:08:27Z")
Sticking to musicians, I’d say that using the fame of both the progenitor and the descendant (so not just “papa was a professional musician”, but weighing the suggestions against how famous is/was the progenitor as a weighting factor), I’d say that currently it would be between **Ravi Shankar/Norah Jones** and **Billie Ray Cyrus/Miley Cyrus** Both pairs have significant amounts of fame of both members, and the child is arguably more famous than the parent was/is. I’d also argue if the parent has transcended fame into “iconic”, the bar is raised for the child to a threshold that is probably not attainable. Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, and even Judy Garland were famous, but are also iconic- they are still a part of the conversation decades after their death, and not just among aficionados. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/115 "2026-04-08T17:02:29Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > > [@N9IWP](#): > > > > Is Sean Pertwee more famous than his father Jon? > > 100% not. About equal, I’d say. Jon Pertwee was already big when he became Doctor Who; he was a big radio star in the UK, and with lots of comedy parts such as 4 _Carry On_ films. He later became Worzel Gummidge for a generation of children. Sean Pertwee has also had a successful career, but without any long-running roles in TV series. Different as chalk and cheese. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/116 "2026-04-08T17:17:48Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Two other of Bach’s sons were composers including his eldest Wilhelm Friedemann and fifth son Johann Christoph Friedrich. JCF’s son became a composer too - Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst, the last composer in the Bach bloodline. All were competent composers but none as good as JS, JC or CPE. > > Note that JS Bach had 20 children in all, although many did not survive childhood. This has however given rise to the following joke: > > Q. Why did Bach have so many children? > A. His organ didn’t have any stops. I knew about his descendants but not his ancestors. An incidental aspect JSB’s staggering genius was the incredible _amount_ of music he composed. The joke I heard, _supposedly_ from an interview with a child, was: Q: How did JSB have time for so many children? A: He practiced on a spinster in the attic. (“spinster” instead of “spinet” - get it? Nudge, wink, say no more.) ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/117 "2026-04-08T17:56:13Z")
Georgia Holt was an American singer-songwriter. She sang and played guitar. “She was best known for being the mother of [Cher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher "Cher").” > **[Georgia Holt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Holt)** > > Georgia Holt (born Jackie Jean Crouch; June 9, 1926 – December 10, 2022) was an American singer-songwriter, model, and occasional bit part actress. She was best known for being the mother of Cher. > Holt was born Jackie Jean Crouch on June 9, 1926, in Kensett, Arkansas, to Lynda Inez (née Gulley; 1913–2009) and Roy Malloy Crouch (1905–1969). Mr. Crouch was a baker at the time. Frequently moving back and forth between her separated parents before settling in Los Angeles, Holt estimated that she a... From the article… “Holt sang on an [Oklahoma City](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City "Oklahoma City") radio station when she was six years old, and by the age of 10, had sung with [Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Wills_and_the_Texas_Playboys "Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys").” You can read more about her musical career in the article. ---
**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:** [April 8, 2026, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/118 "2026-04-08T19:18:17Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > **Ravi Shankar/Norah Jones** and **Billie Ray Cyrus/Miley Cyrus** > > Both pairs have significant amounts of fame of both members, and the child is arguably more famous than the parent was/is. I’m confused a bit about the Cyrus pair. My memory of Billie Ray is that he was a one-hit wonder in the early 90s, who came out of nowhere and quickly faded away. Whereas I’ve been hearing about Miley since she was a child. It seems to me that there’s no question that she is the more famous of the pair - by a long shot. Making her the clear winner of this thread. I admit, though, that since I have always detested country music, my knowledge of Billie Rae is limited. Was there more to him than I remember? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/119 "2026-04-08T19:29:51Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > I’m confused a bit about the Cyrus pair. My memory of Billie Ray is that he was a one-hit wonder in the early 90s, who came out of nowhere and quickly faded away. **Billy** Ray. And, yes, you’re largely right. “Achy Breaky Heart” was his breakthrough hit song, and he never really replicated the success or the fame that that song brought him. He’s had a solid (I guess) career as a recording artist and actor, including on _Hannah Montana_ with Miley. His last two albums failed to chart on the Billboard Country charts, and he hasn’t released an album since 2019. He’s been fundamentally a B-list celebrity for the past 25-ish years, and outside of his core fan base, most people probably now know him only for _Achy Breaky Heart_ and for being Miley’s father. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092/120 "2026-04-08T21:31:42Z")
@Q.Q.Switcheroo beat me to the Scarlattis. Since the OP is allowing nephews: Giovanni Gabrieli is generally considered more well known than his uncle Andrea. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-have-even-more-famous-musician-children/1029092.md?page=7)