# 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:** 9
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/161 "2023-05-17T12:12:24Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > However, I can’t think of any (other) examples of bands whose names fit the “[Person] and the [Band]” pattern where the Person is not the main vocalist, unless you count Hootie and the Blowfish. The Dave Clark Five. ---
**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 17, 2023, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/162 "2023-05-17T12:22:16Z")
Doesn’t fit the “[Person} and the [Band]” pattern. Otherwise, we have Santana, Van Halen, Alan Parsons Project, etc. How about: Mike and the Mechanics? Mike Rutherford was the bassist. Completely obscure, but in Hungary, one of the most famous alternative bands is Kispál és a Borz (“Little Paul and the Badgers”) Kispál is the lead guitarist; Lovasi András is the main singer. ---
**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 17, 2023, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/163 "2023-05-17T12:46:56Z")
In college I sat in with a band called Bruce and the Crew Cuts. Bruce was the drummer, Dave was the lead guitarist/vocalist/songwriter/leader of the band. ---
**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 17, 2023, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/164 "2023-05-17T13:03:52Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Doesn’t fit the “[Person} and the [Band]” pattern. Manfred Mann Earth Band, Paul Revere and the Raiders… ---
**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 17, 2023, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/165 "2023-05-17T13:07:09Z")
Paul Revere and the Raiders is a good one. The other doesn’t fit the pattern. (Manfred Mann’s Earth Band.) ---
**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 17, 2023, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/166 "2023-05-17T13:09:38Z")
Yeah. Checked after I posted. The Iteration before Earth Band just called Manfred Mann pretty much does without the “and the”. ---
**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 17, 2023, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/167 "2023-05-17T13:10:49Z")
On the other hand, TIL Paul Revere was the name of an actual musician in the band, not just a fanciful band name. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/168 "2023-05-17T13:58:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > How about: Mike and the Mechanics? Mike Rutherford was the bassist. There was a blues band called [Little Charlie and the Nightcats.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Charlie_%26_the_Nightcats) Little Charlie was Charles Baty, who played guitar and was very quiet/shy. The lead singer was Rick Estrin, who dressed very showy and was the front-man. I saw them in concert many times. People always assumed Rick was “Little Charlie” and I always got a kick out of explaining that the guy over on the side of the stage with the guitar was Charley. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/169 "2023-05-17T14:00:20Z")
You are too young to remember _Where The Action Is_, _Happening '68_ and _It’s Happening_. Paul Revere and the Raiders were the house band on all three shows back in the late 60s. ---
**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 17, 2023, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/170 "2023-05-17T14:12:26Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Paul Revere and the Raiders were the house band on all three shows back in the late 60s. The Raiders would be remembered as the greatest garage band of the 1960s if Dick Clark hadn’t ground down all the edges for those TV shows. ---
**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 17, 2023, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/171 "2023-05-17T14:12:43Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Mike Rutherford was the bassist. The hell is wrong with me? Guitarist! ---
**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:** [May 17, 2023, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/172 "2023-05-17T14:13:30Z")
Yeah, well… he shoulda stuck with the bass. ---
**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 17, 2023, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/173 "2023-05-17T14:14:32Z")
Actually, looking it up, he was both in that band. No idea which he played live. I guess he is both bass and guitar in Genesis, too. I never really followed them that closely. I thought he was primarily a guitar player, but it looks like he’s primarily a bassist, as I somehow accidentally assumed in my first post. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/174 "2023-05-17T14:18:42Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > if our criteria is the musician who could most easily have been replaced, or musician furthest from the talent level of his bandmates. Listen to _The Ballad of John and Yoko_ and you’ll notice the song sounds flat. Not flat as in the opposite of sharp but flat meaning there is something missing. It’s Paul drumming and not Ringo and compared to other Beatles’ songs it’s just moving the drumsticks up and down. ---
**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:** [May 17, 2023, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/175 "2023-05-17T14:21:59Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Actually, looking it up, he was both in that band. No idea which he played live. I guess he is both bass and guitar in Genesis, too. He did start out as Genesis’ bassist, and took over guitar when Steve Hackett left. Rutherford was never very good at guitar. Daryl Steurmer (a guitarist) played bass on stage. When it came time for a complicated guitar part from the Hackett days, Rutherford and Steurmer would switch instruments. ---
**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 17, 2023, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/176 "2023-05-17T14:28:11Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > He did start out as Genesis’ bassist, and took over guitar when Steve Hackett left. That makes sense, as the only Genesis album I ever owned was “We Can’t Dance.”, so well post-Gabriel and Hackett days. That said, I have listened through “Lamb” and “Trick of the Tail” a few times through, so I am familiar with some of their earlier stuff. Prog was never something I liked, but some Genesis and King Crimson worked for me. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/177 "2023-05-17T14:33:33Z")
Then you’d be crazy since because of Eddie, Alex is actually one of the most overshadowed drummers in history. The weakest link in Van Halen was really Roth, he could barely sing and his lyrics were unintelligible amd wacky at best. He made up for it with his ego, bravado, and a damn good Jim “Dandy” Mangrum impression.In fact, they turned him down several times before finally allowing him to join the band partly so they didn’t have to rent his PA system anymore. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/178 "2023-05-17T18:03:07Z")
Lee Loughnane of Chicago… I’ve listened to over 100 concerts from the Terry Kath era, and the dude flubbed so many notes, while the other 7 (or 8 with Laudir) are always in top-notch form. And the song he wrote was laughed at, until Peter Cetera fixed it up, added melody, changed lyrics, and sang it. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/179 "2023-05-17T18:05:07Z")
about Van Halen, Eddie did play and record the bass for a song he just wrote for MA to learn. That constant thumping was (as Eddie admitted) to know what chord they were in the song, since he said he tends to get lost. Tons of interviews from the early days to the end on YouTube. I’ll add one thing about Michael Anthony. He didn’t look like a rock star, so yeah, I’d consider him lucky, but he’s a good guy. Yeah, he didn’t write anything, but seemed to acknowledge what others brought to the band, and didn’t mind taking a pay cut. And yes, the background vocals without him sounded like a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933/180 "2023-05-17T18:35:37Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > Lee Loughnane of Chicago… I’ve listened to over 100 concerts from the Terry Kath era, and the dude flubbed so many notes, while the other 7 (or 8 with Laudir) are always in top-notch form. By his own admission he was blitzed on cocaine throughout that period and also by his own admission you can’t easily maintain proper embouchure blitzed on cocaine. A lot easier to play guitar when speeding than it is to blow through clenched teeth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933.md?page=10)