Which band has fired the most members?
What do the Sugababes and AC/DC have in common? Not a lot, but they do both carry their fair share of fired members. In musical terms, when a band gives one of their members the chop, it can be like opening Pandora’s box into a litany of changing lineups, with none seemingly ever fulfilling the heights of the originals, or regaining the correct elixir of sonic charm.
But the concept of band members can also be a funny thing. For some, the genesis of the group would have never lifted off the ground if it weren’t for its core characters – could you ever imagine the Fab Four being anyone other than John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, for example? But for others, it’s less of a vital element. Take the case of Jethro Tull as evidence – they’ve had a myriad of members over the years, and now only Ian Anderson remains as a constant, but it somehow still works. At the end of the day, it’s the sound that sells records, not so much who’s playing it.
But that’s a sentiment often stretched to a distant degree when it comes to bands who fire their members as often as the wind changes, and ultimately can leave them with a notorious reputation far beyond their sonic position alone. While they may hail from polar opposite genres, eras, and calibres, what the Sugababes and AC/DC share is a repetitive familiarity with that state of affairs, with both bands having seen a pretty staggering number of their former members put out onto gardening leave.
Since their inception in 1973, AC/DC rule the roost, having torn through no less than six members throughout their tenure – but this is not to say that the Sugababes aren’t a match, as they have also sent another six former members in the firing line since they began life in 1998. Of course, it’s difficult to say definitively if any other smaller bands have fired their members at an even faster rate, but at the speed these two have moved at, it does take some beating.
Who were the fired members of AC/DC?
AC/DC’s struggles began at an early point in their tenure, as original drummer Colin Burgess was fired not even a year after the band, after being intoxicated and falling unconscious while on stage. Not much later, in 1975, both replacement drummer Peter Clack and bassist Rob Bailey were also given their final orders – but the latter front didn’t fare well either, as Paul Matters took over bass duties only briefly before also being sent packing over various disagreements with Malcolm and Angus Young.
Things were relatively smoother sailing for a few years thereafter, as Mark Evans took over on bass from 1975 until 1977, when he too got the high jump due to ‘musical differences’. But even as a longstanding member, Phil Rudd still couldn’t evade the threat of being axed from the band, and was unceremoniously fired midway through the recording of the album Flick of a Switch in 1983.
This is also not to mention the litany of former members who parted ways with the band, amicably or less so, but never amounted to a firing. In this sense, AC/DC well and truly take the crown of rock royalty – but equally one with a terrifying notoriety, as set one foot wrong, and your place in the band could be on the rocks.
