While many notable bands go through several lineup changes throughout their careers, this list of artists who left right before their bands became famous only lists members who quit or were fired from a band shortly before the band achieved mainstream commercial success.
Artists who were only meant to be temporary stand-ins in their bands should not be included in this list. The bands the listed artists left must be notable, can be from any genre of music, and include vocal groups whose members do not play instruments. Because these artists left before their former bands' mainstream breakthrough, they should not be considered part of their former bands' "classic" lineups.
Of these "nearly-men", [1] drummer Pete Best, who was fired from the Beatles in 1962, [2] just a year before "Beatlemania" started, has been cited as the best-known archetype. [3] [4] [5] [6] Best has since become "famous for not being famous". [7]
Jason Everman left two bands that went on to become famous: he was fired from Nirvana in 1989 and Soundgarden in 1990. According to The New York Times , Everman "wasn't just Pete Best ... He was Pete Best twice." [8]
Some of these artists eventually went on to find mainstream success in another band or as a soloist. For example, Metallica's original lead guitarist, Dave Mustaine, formed his own thrash metal band Megadeth in 1983 after he was fired from his former band. While Metallica went on to achieve massive commercial success, Mustaine's Megadeth also enjoyed commercial success, [9] [10] selling 50 million records worldwide. [11]
Artists are listed alphabetically by their surname, followed by the band they left, their former role in the band, the year they left, and the year their former band achieved mainstream success. Additional comments on the way the artist left (fired or quit) and their replacement, if any, may be added at the end. All entries are referenced with reliable sources.
Artist | Band the artist left | Role | Year the artist left | Year of band's commercial breakthrough | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
George Baldi | Boyz II Men | Vocalist | 1988 | 1991 | Quit | |
Syd Barrett | Pink Floyd | Guitarist, vocalist | 1968 | 1973 | Fired and replaced by David Gilmour | [12] |
Tina Barrett | Mis-Teeq (then known as Face2Face) | Vocalist | 1998 | 2001 | Left to join S Club 7 who also gained success, scoring 11 top 10 singles. | [13] [14] |
Ole Beich | Guns N' Roses | Bassist | 1985 | 1988 | Either quit [15] or was fired. [16] Replaced by Duff McKagan. | [15] [16] |
Pete Best | The Beatles | Drummer | 1962 | 1963 | Fired and replaced by Ringo Starr | [2] : 2 [5] |
Josh Brainard | Slipknot | Guitarist | 1998 | 1999 | Replaced by Jim Root. Recorded for some tracks of Slipknot but left the band before the album's release. | [17] |
Elbridge Bryant | The Temptations | Vocalist | 1963 | 1964 | Fired and replaced by David Ruffin | [18] : 12 |
Tanya Candler | Kittie | Bassist | 1999 | 2000 | Played on debut album Spit and appeared on the cover of its original release, but quit Kittie two months before its release. She was replaced by Talena Atfield, who appears on the cover of all reissues of the album since 2000. | |
Maddy Chan | Steps | Vocalist | 1997 | 1997 | Quit and replaced by Claire Richards and Faye Tozer | [19] [20] |
Chad Channing | Nirvana | Drummer | 1990 | 1991 | Quit and replaced by Dave Grohl | [9] [3] |
Tony Chapman | The Rolling Stones | Drummer | 1962 | 1963 | Quit and replaced by Charlie Watts | [2] : 4 [5] |
Simon Colley | Duran Duran | Bassist | 1979 | 1981 | Quit and replaced by John Taylor, who was already a member of the band, switching from guitar to bass guitar. | |
Anders Colsefni | Slipknot | Vocalist, percussionist | 1997 | 1999 | Replaced as vocalist by Corey Taylor and switched to percussion, then left the band and was replaced by Greg Welts. | [21] |
Jason Cropper | Weezer | Guitarist | 1993 | 1994 | Fired and replaced by Brian Bell | [22] |
Alan Curtis | Duran Duran | Guitarist | 1980 | 1981 | Quit and replaced by Andy Taylor | |
John Curulewski | Styx | Guitarist | 1975 | 1975 | Left and replaced by Tommy Shaw | |
Támar Davis | Destiny's Child (then known as Girl's Tyme) | Vocalist | 1993 | 1997 | Fired and replaced by LeToya Luckett | [23] [24] [25] |
Bob Debank | Coast to Coast | Guitarist | 1979 | 1980 | Quit | |
Stephen Duffy | Duran Duran | Vocalist/bassist/ drummer | 1979 | 1981 | Quit and replaced by Andy Wickett | [3] [5] |
Jason Everman | Nirvana | Guitarist | 1989 | 1991 | Fired | [8] |
Soundgarden | Bassist | 1990 | 1992 | Fired and replaced by Ben Shepherd | ||
Frank Farrell | Supertramp | Bassist | 1970 | 1972 | Left and replaced by Dougie Thompson | |
Jason Galasso | NSYNC | Vocalist | 1995 | 1997 | Quit and replaced by Lance Bass | [26] |
Pete Garner | The Stone Roses | Bassist | 1987 | 1989 | Quit and replaced by Mani | [5] |
Michael Garrett | Westlife | Vocalist | 1998 | 1999 | Fired and replaced by Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden | [27] |
Terry Glaze | Pantera | Vocalist | 1986 | 1990 | Quit and replaced by Phil Anselmo | |
Peter Griesar | Dave Matthews Band | Keyboardist | 1993 | 1994 | Quit | [28] |
Mike Grose | Queen | Bassist | 1970 | 1974 | Quit, replaced by Barry Mitchell, then Doug Bogie, then John Deacon | [29] |
Tracii Guns | Guns N' Roses | Guitarist | 1985 | 1988 | Quit and replaced by Slash | [5] [18] : 5 |
Dale Hibbert | The Smiths | Bassist | 1982 | 1983 | Fired and replaced by Andy Rourke | [30] [31] |
Kim Hill | Black Eyed Peas | Vocalist | 2000 | 2003 | Quit and later replaced by Fergie | |
Doug Hopkins | Gin Blossoms | Guitarist | 1992 | 1993 | Fired and replaced by Scott Johnson | [2] : 2 [32] |
Crystal Jones | TLC | Vocalist | 1991 | 1992 | Fired and replaced by Rozonda Thomas | [33] |
Jeff Jones | Rush | Vocalist, bassist | 1968 | 1974 | Left and replaced by Geddy Lee | |
Graham Keighron | Westlife | Vocalist | 1998 | 1999 | Fired and replaced by Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden | [27] |
John Kiffmeyer | Green Day | Drummer | 1990 | 1994 | Replaced while at college by Tré Cool | |
Stella Kim | Girls' Generation | Vocalist | 2007 | 2007 | Quit | [34] |
Abigail Kis | Spice Girls (then known as Touch) | Vocalist | 1994 | 1996 | Quit and replaced by Emma Bunton | [35] |
Bob Klose | Pink Floyd | Guitarist | 1965 | 1967 | Quit | [36] |
Derrick Lacey | Westlife | Vocalist | 1998 | 1999 | Fired and replaced by Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden | [27] |
James Lilja | The Offspring | Drummer | 1987 | 1994 | Quit and replaced by Ron Welty | |
Jonathan Lippmann | 98 Degrees | Vocalist | 1996 | 1998 | Quit and replaced by Drew Lachey | [37] [38] |
Bob Livingson | Santana | Drummer | 1968 | 1969 | Quit and replaced by Michael Shrieve | [39] |
Robin Lynn Macy | Dixie Chicks | Guitarist | 1992 | 1995 | Quit | [40] |
Barbara Martin | The Supremes | Vocalist | 1962 | 1964 | Quit | [41] : 2 |
Ron McGovney | Metallica | Bassist | 1982 | 1986 | Quit and replaced by Cliff Burton | [42] |
Zena McNally | Mis-Teeq | Vocalist | 2001 | 2001 | Quit | |
Alan Mills | Coast to Coast | Vocalist | 1980 | 1980 | Quit and replaced by Sandy Fontaine | |
Lianne Morgan | Spice Girls (then known as Touch) | Vocalist | 1994 | 1996 | Quit and replaced by Melanie C | [43] |
Dave Mustaine | Metallica | Guitarist | 1983 | 1986 | Fired and replaced by Kirk Hammett | [5] [18] : 4 |
Marc Nelson | Boyz II Men | Vocalist | 1989 | 1991 | Quit | [18] : 13 |
Derek O'Brien | Steps | Vocalist | 1997 | 1997 | Quit and replaced by Lee Latchford-Evans | [19] [20] |
Henry Padovani | The Police | Guitarist | 1977 | 1979 | Fired and replaced by Andy Summers | [44] [45] |
So-yeon Park | Girls' Generation | Vocalist | 2007 | 2007 | Quit | [46] |
Matt Pelissier | My Chemical Romance | Drummer | 2004 | 2004 | Fired and replaced by Bob Bryar | |
Anthony Phillips | Genesis | Guitarist | 1970 | 1972 | Quit and replaced by Steve Hackett | [2] : 6 |
Justin Quinn | Another Level | Vocalist | 1997 | 1998 | Left and became a solo UK garage singer known as JJ, appearing on two top 10 hits by DJ Luck & MC Neat in 2000. | [47] |
Niall Quinn | The Cranberries | Vocalist | 1990 | 1993 | Quit and replaced by Dolores O'Riordan | [45] |
Heidi Range | Atomic Kitten | Vocalist | 1999 | 1999 | Quit and replaced by Natasha Hamilton, Range would later find success with Sugababes. | [48] |
Scott Raynor | Blink-182 | Drummer | 1998 | 1999 | Fired and replaced by Travis Barker | [49] [12] |
Richie Rock | Boyzone | Vocalist | 1994 | 1994 | Fired and replaced by Mikey Graham | [50] [51] |
John Rutsey | Rush | Drummer | 1974 | 1974 | Left and replaced by Neil Peart | [52] |
Chris Salih | Twenty One Pilots | Drummer | 2011 | 2015 | Quit and replaced by Josh Dun | [53] |
Doug Sandom | The Who | Drummer | 1964 | 1965 | Fired and replaced by Keith Moon | [54] |
Kate Schellenbach | Beastie Boys | Drummer | 1984 | 1986 | [55] | |
Jon Shoats | Boyz II Men | Vocalist | 1988 | 1991 | Quit | |
Eric Stefani | No Doubt | Keyboardist | 1994 | 1995 | Quit | [2] : 7 [44] |
Michelle Stephenson | Spice Girls | Vocalist | 1994 | 1996 | Quit and replaced by Abigail Kis, prior to Emma Bunton | [35] [56] [57] |
Mitch Stevens | Steps | Vocalist | 1997 | 1997 | Quit and replaced by Claire Richards and Faye Tozer | [19] [20] |
Ian Stewart | The Rolling Stones | Keyboardist | 1963 | 1963 | Fired, but retained as studio and touring member | [45] |
Scott Sundquist | Soundgarden | Drummer | 1985 | 1992 | Quit to spend time with his family and replaced by Matt Cameron | |
Stuart Sutcliffe | The Beatles | Bassist, vocalist | 1961 | 1963 | Quit to pursue a career as a painter | |
Nikki Taylor | Destiny's Child (then known as Girl's Tyme) | Vocalist | 1993 | 1997 | Fired and replaced by LeToya Luckett | [23] [24] [25] |
Nina Taylor | Destiny's Child (then known as Girl's Tyme) | Vocalist | 1993 | 1997 | Fired and replaced by LeToya Luckett | [23] [24] [25] |
Jeff Thomas | Duran Duran | Vocalist | 1980 | 1981 | Quit and replaced by Simon Le Bon | |
Nick Thomas | Twenty One Pilots | Bassist | 2011 | 2015 | Quit | [58] |
Mark Wahlberg | New Kids on the Block | Vocalist | 1985 | 1988 | Quit and replaced by Joey McIntyre | [59] |
Marguerite Walker | Boyz II Men | Vocalist | 1988 | 1991 | Quit | |
Mark Walton | Boyzone | Vocalist | 1994 | 1994 | Quit | [50] [51] |
Greg "Cuddles" Welts | Slipknot | Percussionist | 1998 | 1999 | Replaced by Chris Fehn | |
Andy Wickett | Duran Duran | Vocalist | 1980 | 1981 | Quit and replaced by Jeff Thomas, prior to Simon Le Bon | [60] |
Hye-rim Woo | Miss A | Vocalist | 2010 | 2010 | Left and joined Wonder Girls instead | [61] [62] |
Hiro Yamamoto | Soundgarden | Bassist | 1989 | 1992 | Quit and replaced by Jason Everman | [63] |
Annette Zilinskas | The Bangles | Bassist | 1983 | 1986 | Quit and replaced by Michael Steele; Zilinskas later rejoined the band in 2018. |
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along with Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer, responsible for the genre's development and popularization. Their music features complex arrangements and fast rhythm sections, dual lead guitars, and lyrical themes of war, politics, religion, death, and personal relationships.
The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ; Melanie C ; Emma Bunton ; Geri Halliwell ; and Victoria Beckham. They have sold over 100 million records worldwide, making them the best-selling girl group of all time. With their "girl power" mantra, the Spice Girls redefined the girl-group concept by targeting a young female fanbase. They led the teen pop resurgence of the 1990s, were a major part of the Cool Britannia era, and became popular culture icons of the decade.
Anthrax is an American thrash metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 by rhythm guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker. The group is considered one of the leaders of the thrash metal scene from the 1980s and is part of the "Big Four" of the genre, along with Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer. They were also one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast. The band's current lineup consists of Scott Ian, drummer Charlie Benante, bassist Frank Bello, vocalist Joey Belladonna and lead guitarist Jonathan Donais. Anthrax's lineup has changed numerous times over their career, leaving Ian as the only constant member of the band. Ian and Benante are the only two members to appear on all of Anthrax's albums, while Bello has been a member of Anthrax since 1984, replacing Lilker.
Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on June 12, 1985, by Combat Records. At the beginning of 1985, the band was given $8,000 by Combat to record and produce its debut album. The band was forced to fire their original producer and produce the album by themselves, after spending half of the album's budget on drugs, alcohol, and food. Despite the poor production, the album was a well-received effort that obtained strong reviews in various music publications. Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! played an essential role in establishing thrash metal as an authentic subgenre of heavy metal music. It explores themes of death, occultism, and violence.
Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? is the second studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on September 25, 1986, through Capitol Records. The project was originally handled by Combat Records, resulting in the original mix of the album being co-produced by Randy Burns. Capitol Records then bought the rights to the album and hired another producer named Paul Lani to mix it himself. The recording of the album was difficult for the band, because of the ongoing drug issues the members had at the time. Drummer Gar Samuelson and guitarist Chris Poland were fired shortly after the album's promotional tour for drug abuse, making Peace Sells Samuelson's last Megadeth album. Poland reappeared as a session musician on Megadeth's 2004 album The System Has Failed. The title track, noted for its politically conscious lyrics, was released as the album's second single and was the band's first music video. The album's cover art, featuring the band's mascot Vic Rattlehead in front of a desolated United Nations Headquarters, was created by Ed Repka.
Rust in Peace is the fourth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on September 24, 1990, by Capitol Records. It was the first Megadeth album to feature guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza. The songs "Hangar 18" and "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" were released as singles. A remixed and remastered version of the album featuring four bonus tracks was released in 2004.
Cryptic Writings is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Megadeth. Released on June 17, 1997, through Capitol Records, it was the band's last studio album to feature drummer Nick Menza. His departure would mark the end of the band's longest lasting lineup to date, having recorded four studio albums. Megadeth decided to produce the record with Dann Huff in Nashville, Tennessee, because they were not satisfied with their previous producer Max Norman. The album features twelve tracks with accessible song structures, specifically aimed for radio airplay. The lyrics were also altered, in order to make the music more inclusive for wider audience. These changes were met with mixed opinions from music critics, who noted the band moving away from their thrash metal roots.
David Scott Mustaine is an American musician. He is best known as the co-founder, frontman, primary songwriter and sole consistent member of the thrash metal band Megadeth and for his time as the lead guitarist of Metallica. Mustaine has released sixteen studio albums with Megadeth, sold over 38 million records worldwide, with six albums platinum-certified, and won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2017 at the 59th Grammy Awards, for the title track of their fifteenth studio album, Dystopia.
UFO were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the new wave of British heavy metal. The band's final lineup consisted of vocalist Phil Mogg, lead guitarist Vinnie Moore, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Neil Carter, bass guitarist Rob De Luca, and drummer Andy Parker. They had gone through several line-up changes, leaving Mogg as the only constant member, and had disbanded three times. The band's classic line-up comprised Mogg, Parker, bassist Pete Way, keyboardist Paul Raymond and former Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker. In May 2018, Mogg announced that he would retire from UFO after one last tour as a member of the band in 2019; however, their farewell tour was set to conclude in 2022 before it was cancelled, due to Mogg's health issues. Mogg confirmed UFO's third disbandment in April 2024.
Michael Schenker is a German guitarist. He played in the rock band UFO and leads the Michael Schenker Group (MSG). He was an early member of the hard rock band Scorpions, a band co-founded by his elder brother Rudolf Schenker. In the mid-1970s, Schenker joined UFO, playing lead and rhythm guitar. He left the band in 1978 to briefly rejoin Scorpions for the recording of Lovedrive, and then to form MSG. He has rejoined UFO three times, producing an album each time. Schenker continues to perform and record. He has been called "a legendary figure in the history of metal guitar."
"Peace Sells" is a song by American thrash metal band Megadeth from their 1986 album Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?, written by Dave Mustaine. The song was released as the band's second ever single in November 1986. "Peace Sells" was the group's breakthrough hit, and is regarded as one of the best songs in the history of heavy metal. Since 1985, the song has since been a constant at Megadeth concerts. According to David Ellefson, it became quickly apparent when playing the song live prior to recording the album that "Peace Sells" would be a hit. In 2006, VH1 ranked "Peace Sells" at number 11 on their list of the "40 Greatest Metal Songs" of all time. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked the song number nineteen on their list on the 100 greatest heavy metal songs.
Flotsam and Jetsam is an American thrash metal band that was formed in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1981. Before settling on its current name in 1984, the band had existed under three different names, Paradox, Dredlox and Dogz. Their current lineup includes vocalist Eric "A.K" Knutson, guitarists Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley, bassist Bill Bodily, and drummer Ken Mary. Flotsam and Jetsam went through several lineup changes over the years, leaving Knutson as the only constant member. They are also notable for featuring a then-unknown Jason Newsted, who was Flotsam and Jetsam's bassist from 1981 to 1986, when he left the band shortly after the release of their debut album to join Metallica.
Diamond Head are an English heavy metal band formed in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in 1976. They were part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement and are acknowledged by bands such as Metallica and Megadeth as a significant early influence.
Testament is an American thrash metal band from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1983 under the name Legacy, the band's current lineup comprises rhythm guitarist Eric Peterson, lead vocalist Chuck Billy, lead guitarist Alex Skolnick, bassist Steve Di Giorgio and drummer Chris Dovas. Testament has experienced many lineup changes over the years, with Peterson being the only remaining original member, though they have since reunited with Skolnick, who had been out of the band from 1992 to 2005. Billy has been a member of Testament since 1986, when he replaced original frontman Steve "Zetro" Souza, who had left to replace Paul Baloff in Exodus. Peterson and Billy are the only members to appear on all of Testament's studio albums. The band has released thirteen studio albums, four live albums, five compilation albums, thirteen singles and three DVDs. They are estimated to have sold over 1.4 million albums in the United States since the beginning of the SoundScan era, and over 14 million copies worldwide as of 2016.
Pedro Henrique "Kiko" Loureiro is a Brazilian guitarist. He has been a member of several heavy metal bands, including Angra and Megadeth.
Ole Beich was a Danish musician best known as the bass guitarist for the original lineups of L.A. Guns and Guns N' Roses.
American thrash metal band Megadeth has released sixteen studio albums, six live albums, seven compilation albums, one EP, fifty-nine singles, ten video albums, and fifty music videos. After he was fired from Metallica in 1983, guitarist and vocalist Dave Mustaine formed Megadeth along with bassist Dave Ellefson, guitarist Greg Handevidt, and drummer Richard Girod. After some initial lineup changes during 1984, Megadeth's lineup was cemented, consisting of guitarist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson, guitarist Chris Poland, and drummer Gar Samuelson. The band toured and gained a following, signing with the independent label Combat Records in late 1984. Megadeth's debut album Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! (1985), sold very well for an independent release, and the group attracted the attention of major record labels. By the end of the year, the group signed with Capitol Records. Megadeth's first major-label album, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?, was released in 1986.
Dirk Verbeuren is a Belgian musician and the current drummer of American thrash metal band Megadeth, amongst other projects. He previously was a member of the Swedish melodic death metal band Soilwork.
The Orgasmatron Tour was a concert tour by heavy metal band Motörhead in support of their album, Orgasmatron. It would be the final tour with Pete Gill, as he would be fired in 1987 and replaced with Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor for the remainder of the tour.
After that second practice, another rehearsal was set for a tentative "in a few days." Ole neglected to tell anyone of his newest girlfriend, so when the next practice got scheduled, there was no way to get ahold of him. After three days of no one hearing from him, and rehearsal scheduled for the following evening, Izzy said, "If Ole doesn't want to be in the band, there's a guy who lives across the street from me who'll do the show."
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