10 musicians who turned down classic rock bands
Not every single musician who picks up a guitar is going to be cut out for life in a famous band. There are more than a few acts that fly under the radar and still put out quality material, and there’s no shame in not having the same level of popularity as The Beatles if the music they’re creating is still impressive. It’s one thing to never get that level of success, but it’s a whole different thing to turn down a life of fame and fortune with acts like AC/DC and Metallica.
While each of the acts listed below have become staples in their respective genres of music, some of the musicians around them ended up turning down the opportunity to take it to the next level, opting to either stay with their own outfit or keep things fairly lowkey. They undoubtedly left a ton of money on the table when they turned down the offer, but there’s a lot more that goes into a gigantic act than just the money.
Sometimes a band mentality means giving up control of one’s persona, and some of these acts didn’t want to be known as a replacement member or be brought into a situation where they wouldn’t be able to flex their creative muscles.
Out of all of these legendary outfits though, they ended up being the right choice, either bowing out gracefully or not giving too much thought to the fame and fortune that they may have left on the table. Only these musicians will know why they left these acts, and even if the fans disagree, there’s no way to force them into another group.
10 musicians who turned down classic rock bands
Corey Taylor – Anthrax
Corey Taylor has said many times that he probably wouldn’t be here without thrash metal in his life. After being burnt out on different forms of metal music, the sounds of acts like Metallica and Megadeth helped reignite the anger that he felt and spent him on a path that led to Slipknot later down the line. Now that he was in a legendary group of his own, though, he was going to need to make a few choices as to where his priorities were.
Coming after Anthrax were making their ill-fated lead singer change with Dan Nelson, the new phase of their career originally was slated to have Corey Taylor involved. Though Taylor eventually came down to jam with the rest of the guys for what would become the album Worship Music, both of their record labels seemed to have some other plans, wanting Taylor to resume work on Slipknot’s next album immediately.
It’s not like Taylor didn’t have the chops to be in Anthrax, always being indebted to the more punk rock approach that the New York thrashers had and even joining them onstage a handful of times back in the day to rock the song ‘Bring the Noise’. Then again, Taylor’s dismissal may have been a bit of a blessing in disguise, with Joey Belladonna from the classic era coming back into the fold and giving fans one of the greatest Anthrax projects since the ‘80s. The new Anthrax may kick ass, but it also might be lacking just a tiny amount of thunder.
Jack Irons – Pearl Jam
For most of his career, Jack Irons always seemed to be on the fringes of legendary rock bands. When he was first getting his chops down in What Is This?, he was also becoming fairly well known as the original drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, until Hillel Slovak’s death convinced him to bow out. If he couldn’t play in these legendary acts though, he was still going to be playing musical matchmaker.
Right when the Red Hot Chili Peppers were starting to take off, Irons got his hands on a demo from a friend of his out of Seattle named Stone Gossard, who asked him to pass it along to singers he knew. Knowing the power of a mutual friend named Eddie Vedder, Irons sent Vedder the tape and eventually got him the gig with Pearl Jam. Ever the gentleman, Vedder wanted to repay the favour later down the line, asking Irons if he wanted to try out for the band during the No Code era when they were going through a bit more rough patches.
Although his tribal drumming may have added some nice flavour to every one of his respective songs, Irons still opted to bow out for a while, taking the time to step away to focus on his health and leaving the door open for former Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron to come in behind the kit, where he still resides to this day. Most artists might kick themselves for turning down different bands, but it takes a special kind of musician to turn down two iconic outfits in the span of just a few years.
Buckethead – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Over the course of their career, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have gone through almost a Spinal Tap level of guitar players. Although they may not have envisioned themselves as having a revolving door policy on guitarists, things always seemed to fall through, whether it was Hillel Slovak succumbing to his drug addiction or John Frusciante never really being on the same page with them. After Frusciante’s first departure though, their initial idea for a replacement was probably more technical than they were ready for.
Although it was already a red flag for them to put an audition sign in LA Weekly, one of the few aspiring guitarists who auditioned for the spot included Buckethead, who would go on to become one of the most insane shredders in the business. While he may have been more than qualified for the job, it’s pretty clear that the same guy who recorded something like ‘Jordan’ wasn’t going to fit with the funk-leaning style of The Peppers, leading to them eventually settling on Dave Navarro.
Even though One Hot Minute may not be too many people’s favourite album by the Peppers, there’s still some merit to it as well, having a much more raw feel and getting a bit more aggro in its construction. If the Chili Peppers really wanted to mess with some heads though, they would have actually put Buckethead into the mix and given us the kind of nutty progressive rock album that they always had inside them.
Terry Reid – Led Zeppelin
Throughout rock history, Led Zeppelin might be the first act that could qualify as a supergroup. Even though Jimmy Page may have been the only high-profile star coming off of his time in The Yardbirds, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in any other role, from John Bonham’s animalistic tendencies behind the drums to the iconic frontman look that Robert Plant pioneered. Before ‘The Golden God’ took his seat on the throne, Page actually had his eye on someone completely different for the role.
While there is the old wise tale about Keith Moon turning down the role of Led Zeppelin’s drummer, the real conflict was with the lead singer, with Terry Reid originally being asked to fill the slot behind the mic. It’s easy to see what Page was thinking with this pick as well, with Reid having that exact kind of raspy voice that Plant has, only a bit more focused on the bluesy side rather than the banshee screams of Plant.
Then again, Reid originally didn’t want anything to do with what Zeppelin was doing, answering Page’s offer to join with his rebuttal of wanting Page to play the guitar with broken fingers. Hell, with that kind of response, maybe going with Plant was the best thing for everyone involved. The rock business at the time may have been sleazy, but it looked like Page was dealing with someone in the Mafia school of the music business.
Zakk Wylde – Guns N’ Roses
Zakk Wylde has said time and time again that he owes his career to what Ozzy Osbourne has done for him. Still referring to Ozzy and Sharon as ‘Mom and Dad’, Wylde has always been indebted to ‘The Prince of Darkness’, either popping up for a show with him every now and again or even asking Osbourne to feature on one of his songs for Black Label Society. When Wylde was just coming into his own as a guitar player, there’s a good chance that he could have traded his metal leanings for something more rock and roll.
Around the time that Wylde’s star was rising, he ended up getting a call from Axl Rose, who was trying to reassemble a new version of Guns N’ Roses once everyone else left. Though Wylde still had commitments, he has said that the jam sessions were fairly cool, with Slash still being in the group at the time and getting to play something that was a bit more bluesy with him.
Once it came time for Osbourne to go out on the road, Wylde needed an answer from Rose if he was going to be in the GNR, which never happened. Rose being the way he is, the decision was up in the air for a few weeks before Wylde decided that it would be better to come back to the boss rather than just wait and see what happens with Guns N’ Roses. As time has shown though, it seems like he made the right decision. I mean, imagine agreeing to work with Rose and then having to sit on your hands for years until Chinese Democracy comes out.
Damon Minchella – Oasis
Once the ‘90s started to kick into high gear, no one could really imagine a bigger group than Oasis. As the Morning Glory era started in earnest, the Gallagher brothers had become two of the most in-demand rock stars in the world, being as much about living the rock and roll lifestyle as they were with absolutely hating each other whenever they came off stage. The rest of the group was not doing as hot though, and there was already a strong possibility that Noel would look elsewhere for a new bass player.
After playing a handful of Guigsy’s basslines himself in the studio, Noel had the idea of sacking his bassist when he decided to take a break due to nervous exhaustion. Having already gotten along well with other players in the Britpop field, Noel originally asked Damon Minchella if Ocean Colour Scene if he wanted to join, already getting to know him and having a great rapport when they worked together on the relief album Help!.
While Minchella admitted that the prospect of working in a band that big would have been amazing, he also felt a little bad trying to let go of his original mates, especially after Noel said that he couldn’t be connected to any other group if he decided to join Oasis. Having already spent time trying to get his own act off the ground, Minchella elected to keep Ocean Colour Scene and see it through to the end, making classics like Moseley Shoals before eventually leaving the group after one too many dust-ups with his bandmates. Then again, if Oasis had gotten that new blood in the studio in the 2000s, the next phase of the Brit rockers may have sounded completely different.
Elisabeth Fraser – A Perfect Circle
As the nu-metal world was expanding, Billy Howerdel had a specific idea for what he wanted out of his own outfit. Though A Perfect Circle started off as a passion project for Howerdel when on the road with Tool, the version of the group that he saw in his brain was far more ethereal than what was going on with the Limp Bizkits of the world. This was a smoother delivery, and that required a smoky tone of voice to bring it across.
Although Howerdel would eventually embrace their harsher side on songs like ‘Judith’, Howerdel’s first pick for a singer was Elisabeth Fraser from Cocteau Twins. Having already heard the gothic tinge of her vocals in the ‘80s, he thought that it would have been a perfect fit, only to be shot down when asking for her management. Little did he know the perfect singer was right under his nose.
When tearing through potential names, Howerdel spoke to Tool’s Maynard James Keenan, who had a visceral reaction to Howerdel’s songs. Although A Perfect Circle would stay as an active unit for very long, the deep sounds of melancholy never infringed on Tool’s territory. Keenan may be at the mic in both acts, but no one will mistake ‘Judith’ for ‘Schism’ any day of the week.
David Ellefson – Metallica
There has been more than enough said about Metallica’s attempts to find a bass player after Jason Newsted’s departure. Though the audition may have been much different than their search for a bassist in the ‘80s, the process of finding different people was actually a lot more awkward when watching the Some Kind of Monster documentary, as Pepper Keenan and Geordie White don’t seem like the right fit. While Robert Trujillo fits like a glove in the thrash institution these days, one initial choice was bound to drive another wedge into metal’s greatest feud.
Around the time that Metallica was looking for bassists, Megadeth had already gone through a fairly nasty split, and David Ellefson was actually given a call to see if he’d be interested in joining the group. While jumping into a situation like that would have been great for any bass player at the time, Ellefson also had more than a few hangups, not really feeling comfortable entering the fold fresh off of Megadeth, already knowing of the bad blood that was happening between Dave Mustaine and the rest of the guys for years.
Since Ellefson had firsthand experience working with a former Metallica member, he probably also knew some of the ins and outs of the group and didn’t want to jump head-first into a group that might have even more drama than Mustaine did. Though Ellefson eventually entered the fold in Megadeth again afterwards, he has still been fairly reverent towards Metallica, having nothing but kind words to say about their previous bassists and trying to distance himself from the dirty laundry that Mustaine likes to play with.
Dave Grohl – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
After the dissolution of Nirvana, Dave Grohl didn’t really owe the music world a damn thing anymore. He had already been a part of one of the greatest acts the rock world had ever seen, and getting over the loss of one of his best friends and musical partners would not be easy. Around the time that Grohl was picking up the pieces, though, he also got a call from one of his heroes who was in need of a drummer.
Coming off of the album Wildflowers, Tom Petty originally called up Grohl to see if he wanted to play the drums with him on Saturday Night Live since original drummer Stan Lynch was starting to have some major disagreements with Petty. After agreeing to do the first handful of gigs though, Grohl always seemed to fill a bit more comfortable doing his own thing back home, which eventually turned into the first Foo Fighters record. Even though he had the opportunity to join The Heartbreakers if he wanted to, it was fellow Heartbreaker Benmont Tench who convinced Grohl to stick with his original idea, saying that he really had something unique with the Foo Fighters and thinking he should run with it.
Granted, it took some convincing on Grohl’s part as well, still unsure of his decision as he was calling Petty and telling him that he wasn’t going to be able to play the drums for him anymore. With some of the biggest gigs of all time under his belt and a dozen or so anthems bearing the Foo Fighters’ name, it’s safe to say Grohl made the right call here.
Marc Storace – AC/DC
The idea of AC/DC continuing on without Bon Scott after Highway to Hell felt like a pipe dream. Scott may not have been the most dynamic singer in the world or anything, but his swagger and attitude every time he stepped up to the mic was something seen once every generation, and was bound to leave a hole in their classic sound. They may have found life after death on Back in Black, but Marc Storace was more than happy to just watch from the sidelines.
Already working with his band Krokus, Storace was given a call saying that the Young Brothers were interested in trying him out as a potential replacement for Scott. However, before they could even have a rehearsal, Storace turned them down on the spot, saying that he had much more plans in mind with Krokus. Though it might seem like one of the most boneheaded moves nowadays, it’s easy to remember how unrealistic it sounded to continue with AC/DC without Bon Scott, with Storace thinking that they would fall apart even more if they tried to forge on.
It turns out that the perfect Scott replacement was recommended by Scott in the first place, talking about how he loved this local singer named Brian Johnson from a local act called Geordie that was making waves on the local scene when h hit up the bars. After a few sessions with Johnson, everything fell into place, leading to one hit after another in tribute to their fallen frontman like ‘Hells Bells’ and ‘Back in Black’. Storace might not have made the right call back in the ‘80s, but at the moment, he was also probably the most realistic out of everyone involved.
