10 bands who continued after their lead singer died
There is no replacing a great musician, regardless of what they do. Be they a bass player, drummer or guitarist, when someone is truly remarkable, they cannot be replaced. They come with a specific talent, which can be replicated but not embodied completely. In the same way a painting can be reproduced, the eagle-eyed will spot differences, and nothing will ever live up to the original. Arguably, the hardest person to replace in a band is the singer.
A guitar solo can be learnt and copied; the new member won’t be able to play it as well or improvise in the same way, but the fundamentals are still there. A vocal tone is different; this is something utterly unique to the individual. A vocal cord may as well be the same as a fingerprint in that sense, as it is the thing that separates all singers and gives them a unique appeal.
As such, when the lead singer of a band passes away, they leave a hole in the outfit that can never fully be filled. In the same way a circular block can go through a square hole, there are ways to paper over the cracks, but the band is never the same again.
While a lot of bands might lose their singer and decide to call it a day, others don’t believe in letting tragedy get in the way of the thing they love, and most singers probably wouldn’t want the music they’ve worked so hard on never to be heard again just because they’ve passed. Consequently, many bands have carried on performing and making music, even when that non-fungible fingerprint has been wiped from everything.
Some are much more successful than others, but here are ten who gave resurgence a good go.
10 bands who carried on after their singer died:
AC/DC
AC/DC were a perfect storm of rock music. If you need evidence that fate exists, use the fact that these four met each other as proof. The heavy riffs and head-banging drum beats, paired with the face-melting solos of Angus Young and screaming vocals of Bon Scott was always going to be a recipe for success. And it was. That is until lead singer Bon Scott sadly passed away due to acute alcohol poisoning.
The band knew they wanted to keep performing and making music, but also knew what a unique talent they had with Scott, so in looking for a replacement, they decided to go for something totally different instead of a carbon copy. Brian Johnson offered the band a much rawer sound thanks to his gravelly vocal tone, and it meant the band explored their sound a bit more, leading to the classic album Back In Black.
Thin Lizzy
One of the biggest rock bands to ever come out of Ireland is Thin Lizzy, and a lot of their success comes down to the charisma and talent of their bass player and lead vocalist, Phil Lynott. Unfortunately, due to years of substance abuse, Lynott passed away in 1986 from septicaemia, leaving a massive hole in what made Thin Lizzy so unique and exciting to watch.
The band didn’t play for some time but eventually reformed a decade later to perform some tribute gigs in honour of Lynott’s life and career. The shows were well attended but received mixed reviews, as many fans disagreed with the band performing without Lynott. In 2012, Thin Lizzy reformed with Ricky Warwick on vocals before forming a new band with the same lineup named Black Star Riders.
Queen
Freddy Mercury’s death was one that truly shook the musical world. He is still considered one of the best frontmen ever to pick up a microphone and has a legacy that will be passed down for generations. When you have been such a huge influence, it will always be near impossible for a band to replace you, but Queen has made an attempt and continues to play shows worldwide.
They started with Paul Rodgers from the bands Free and Bad Company, who joined in 2004 and played with them for five years. The two even recorded another album together called The Cosmos Rocks. When he left, reality TV star Adam Lambert took over vocal duties and still tours with the band to this day.
INXS
Michael Hutchence passed away in 1977, meaning INXS decided to stop performing or try to find a new singer. They opted for the latter, but how they attempted to find Hutchence’s replacement was met with mixed reviews as it was seen as insensitive to the late singer.
They hosted Rock Star: INXS, a reality TV show where singers had to audition and compete to be the new singer for the band. It’s a lousy way to find a lead singer, as chemistry with the band and an ability to work together is just as important as vocal ability. Unsurprisingly, they had a turbulent relationship with the show winner, J.D. Fortune, who spent five years with INXS before being replaced by Ciaran Gribbin.
Sublime
When Bradley Knowle died of an overdose in 1996, fans of Sublime were shaken and devastated that they wouldn’t be able to see one of their favourite bands perform again. The surviving members kept making music under a new name, The Long Beach Dub All Stars, before trying to resurrect the old band.
Roam Ramirez took up vocal duties for the new iteration of Sublime. He was pretty good and stayed faithful to the original sound, but there were legal ramifications to their reforming and making music under the name Sublime. As such, the band had to rebrand as Sublime with Roam, but the newer iteration has struggled to connect as much with fans.
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots had already split with lead singer Scott Weiland before he passed away in 2015, but his death was still a massive blow to the musical world as he had done a significant amount with Stone Temple Pilots since joining. At the time of his death, the band were touring with Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington.
Bennington also sadly passed away in 2017, two years after he decided to leave Stone Temple Pilots. Afterwards, the band started performing with Jeff Gutt, and the two are still doing albums together.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
In what is arguably one of the most famous and devastating rock tragedies of all time, a plane containing rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd crashed after running out of fuel, killing lead singer Robert Van Zant, along with Steve Gaines, Allen Collins and backing singer Cassie Gaines. “I remember most of it,” recalls the band’s guitarist Gary Rossington, “the rapid descent, the screaming, my friends in pain like something out of Vietnam. Waking up with the plane door on top of me.”
Naturally, such a tragic event set the band back for some time, and Lynyrd Skynyrd went on hiatus for a decade. It wasn’t until after this period that the band got back together, with Robert Van Zant’s brother, Johnny, now hitting up vocals. “We are so blessed to have all these chances,” said Rossington, “we had a second chance to do this, and we continued. What else is life about than to live it.”
Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead arguably have one of the most dedicated fanbases in the world. This means that when lead singer Jerry Garcia passed away, fans were devastated but also very keen on supporting the band through the difficult period and continuing to attend gigs. Garcia was obsessed with the music he and his band made, so, understandably, he would want the Grateful Dead to continue performing.
The band have never found a constant singer, but given a lot of their live show is built around improvisation, several different singers have performed for them and built their sound around whoever they are playing with. They have also performed under various names depending on who they’re playing with, including The Other Ones and The Dead Further.
Alice in Chains
In 2002, Alice in Chains was in a bit of a lull and also struggling with chemical dependency. This was the same year that lead singer Layne Staley was found dead in 2002. The band took a break before returning to the stage using various guest singers.
Eventually, William DuVall took over full-time vocals in 2006. Since then, the band have managed to continue having a relatively successful career as they continue releasing music and performing.
Joy Division
Joy Division’s career only lasted four years before lead singer Ian Curtis sadly took his own life; however, they left a significant mark on the musical world and still have a sound that inspires new musicians today. When Curtis passed away, the band wanted to continue making music but did so under a new name and in a slightly different direction.
They reformed as New Order and have since gone on to have an incredibly successful career. Their music is much more dance-infused than Joy Divisions was, but songwriting elements have been carried over. New Order is now considered just as influential as they continue performing and making music today.
