# Which band member was the luckiest, least talented , least substantial member ever?d, **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [May 12, 2023, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933 "2023-05-12T11:35:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/101 "2023-05-15T01:55:03Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > Donna Jean Godchaux From her wikipedia entry: “In 1994, Donna Jean was inducted into the [Rock and Roll Hall of Fame](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame) as a member of the Grateful Dead” ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/102 "2023-05-15T02:02:17Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > Donna Jean Godchaux Yeah, this is probably the Thread Winner. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/103 "2023-05-15T02:09:29Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > The worse player in any given pro sport is still a phenomenal athlete, they just pale by comparison. I’m not sure that analogy works for music. It’s plainly true that the worst hockey player in the NHL will humiliate the players in, say, a high school squad. However, there are professional musicians who ARE mediocre and would be bested by tens of thousands of amateurs - especially musicians who are in bands solely because of their looks, like The Fifth Guy In Backstreet Boys or someone like that, or someone who’s a star for being pretty but really isn’t much of a singer, like Jennifer Lopez. There are 50,000 bassists right now better than Sid Vicious was. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/104 "2023-05-15T02:39:14Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > Donna Jean Godchaux was officially a member of the Grateful Dead, but literally all she did was dance around on stage with an unmiked tambourine and very occasionally contribute some backup vocals. If you’re only vaguely familiar with the band, you probably never knew she existed. She sang lead vocal on two tracks on _Shakedown Street._ Yes, Jerry is also singing on _France_ but they’re both singing the same lyrics (I think Donna’s vocal might be slightly louder in the mix.) _Shakedown Street_ might not be the best Dead studio effort but it’s still an iconic album. Now that I’m done stanning Donna, OK, yes, she probably IS the thread winner. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/105 "2023-05-15T07:47:03Z")
Well, she screams really loud at one point in most performances of _Playing in the Band_. Doesn’t that count for something? No, never mind, it doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/106 "2023-05-15T07:52:58Z")
About 5 years ago I attended a talk by Donna Jean. She was pretty entertaining and told some interesting and amusing stories about her time with the Dead. Doesn’t change the fact that she contributed very little while she was with them though. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/107 "2023-05-15T09:19:09Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Same goes for Jeff Beck. I’d have to say the same is true for Frank Zappa. Great guitarist, but he couldn’t sing. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/108 "2023-05-15T13:16:31Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Ever heard his natural tenor? Not only does he speak like a regular man, he’s capable of singing like one, too. Right, on an album of rock standard covers they did, he sounds like a normal capable singer. Why he adopted his peculiar screech for most of the Rush songs I will never understand? ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/109 "2023-05-15T13:39:02Z")
> [@slicedalone](#): > > “In 1994, Donna Jean was inducted into the [Rock and Roll Hall of Fame](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame) as a member of the Grateful Dead” The Dead insisted that everyone who had been part of the band be inducted with them, including their main lyricist Robert Hunter. Jann Wenner went along with it. They’ve tightened this down since, and now they really only let bands induct their most core members. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/110 "2023-05-15T14:04:18Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > IMNSHO, ANY member of the Beastie Boys. Whatnow? ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/111 "2023-05-15T14:09:28Z")
Its probably time to whip the sheet off [the demolition job that Australian national living treasure Jon Safran did on Joey Fatone of NSYNC](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6RIf16kVh0). Its cruel but apt. APT! ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/112 "2023-05-15T14:14:55Z")
I’ve read some sources that claim Ringo Starr was a mediocre drummer who was lucky enough to land in a genius band and become famous forever, but I’ve read other sources that vehemently deny that. I don’t know who to believe. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/113 "2023-05-15T14:15:40Z")
Believe your ears and eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/114 "2023-05-15T15:56:20Z")
Not for nothing, but every time a thread like this pops up, Ringo is mentioned, usually first by someone threatening to go on a kill spree if his talent is denigrated. That says something. Personally I’m on the side of … Good Drummer/Lucky Boy. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/115 "2023-05-15T16:13:51Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Personally I’m on the side of … Good Drummer/Lucky Boy Yeah, that’s it. Of course he was lucky to got hired by a band of three genius songwriters and exceptional singers (which of course wasn’t already really obvious in 1962), but the boys wanted him badly because he was the freaking _best_ drummer in Liverpool. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/116 "2023-05-15T20:41:05Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > the boys wanted him badly because he was the freaking _best_ drummer in Liverpool. It’s long ago: but who else could have been a better drummer for the Beatles? Imagine: Keith Moon? John Bonham? Bruford? Just wouldn’t have worked. Of course there’s also Brian Downey (Thin Lizzie) and Ian Paice (Purple)… they were (still are, I hope?) amazingly good rock drummers. But they don’t seem have the versatility to work in different styles that Ringo has? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/117 "2023-05-15T21:07:02Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > It’s long ago: but who else could have been a better drummer for the Beatles? Chris Curtis of the Searchers. Then the Beatles would have eventually had _four_ consistent lead vocalists and songwriters. Being one of the few Liverpool musicians with a lifetime ban from the Cavern would have been a problem, though. ---
**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:** [May 15, 2023, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/118 "2023-05-15T21:07:52Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > Right, on an album of rock standard covers they did, he sounds like a normal capable singer. Why he adopted his peculiar screech for most of the Rush songs I will never understand? If that “Anagram for Mondo” song is representative of his normal singing voice, then he chose wisely going with his well-known Rush singing voice. To me, it just sounds so boring and indistinct. The voice he’s known for – love it or hate it – is much more interesting and powerful to my ears. I’m not much of a Rush fan, though, so I don’t know what Rush fans think. > [@Jasmine](#): > > I’ve read some sources that claim Ringo Starr was a mediocre drummer who was lucky enough to land in a genius band and become famous forever, but I’ve read other sources that vehemently deny that. I don’t know who to believe. Read upthread for a good bit of discussion about it. I’ll save you the trouble, though: whoever thinks he was mediocre and lucky has cotton in their ears, and I would not trust their musical opinion on anything. (And I’m not exaggerating the second part. If you [general you] don’t think Ringo has talent, I do not trust your opinion of music. We’re probably looking for very different things in our music.) ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/119 "2023-05-16T02:33:42Z")
Any member of Dire Straits not named Mark Knopfler? (Especially Guitar George. He knows all the chords, but it’s strictly rhythm, he doesn’t want to make it cry or sing…) Actually, the other members might be perfectly good musicians; but Knopfler is such a frickin’ virtuoso on guitar and vocals, that he sets the bar impossibly high. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/120 "2023-05-16T02:38:22Z")
Most of Megadeth that isn’t Dave Mustaine or Dave Ellefson?? Megadeth has had such a cycle of people in it, only Dave Mustaine has been in it for more than the past few years now. Just about everyone else that was in Megadeth just passed through to play their instruments adequately. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933.md?page=7)