A list of the best solo artists who used to front a band. Music groups, much like any other walk of life, tend to have an expiration date. Now, that is the vast majority, not all bands. When a band or rap group eventually breaks up, not too many of its members go on to have solo success. But this list celebrates that small group of musicians who have managed to go out on their own and have a degree of success.
In this case, success means releasing an album and having some attention thrown his or her way. Granted, that means some of the people who used to be in big-time bands maybe shouldn't be on here, but hey, it's your job to downvote these said musicians. That said, icons like Neil Young, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Joan Jett and Ozzy Osbourne are great examples of musicians who had success with an earlier outfit but continued to on to achieve success on their own as well. All of these artists have been critically and commerically lauded for their solo work and sometimes, their solo material is greater than the output they had with their original band. The aforementioned artists are great examples of this.
There are plenty of great solo singers on this list who had varying degrees of success with their first band or group or collective. But, we're trying to measure who had the best solo career, not overall career. That's why the frontmen or frontwomen on this list should be judged primarily on their solo careers.
This is the list of the best solo artists who used to front a band. If you notice someone is missing from the list, feel free to add him or her as you deem fit. Vote or re-rank this list according to the artist's solo career only.
http://www.ranker.com/list/best-solo-artists-who-used-to-front-a-band/ranker-music,
Beyoncé Knowles
Destiny's Child
Eric Clapton
Derek and the Dominos, The Yardbirds, Cream
Gwen Stefani
No Doubt
John Lennon
The Beatles
Lou Reed
The Velvet Underground
Michael Jackson
The Jackson 5
Neil Young
CSNY, Buffalo Springfield
Ozzy Osbourne
Black Sabbath
Paul McCartney
The Beatles
Paul Simon
Simon and Garfunkel