Artists Who Retired With Dignity

This guy looks pretty pleased with himself. And why shouldn't he be? He's got plenty of scratch, and he hasn't had to look at Mick Jagger's chicken-flap arms since 1993.

While not completely retired (this Rolling Stones co-founder has his own low-profile outfit , The Rhythm Kings), leaving the Stones behind, for good, took some 'nads, especially when they offered him guaranteed millions to join them on their last world tour.

Make no mistake, John Deacon has some serious cash. You may not know who he is, but you have heard his distinctive bass lines and songs repeatedly for decades.

Despite their monarchistic name, Queen was one of the most democratic bands of all time. Everyone got to write songs and each member had major hits with the band. Deacon wrote "You're My Best Friend" and, of course, the slinky and eternal "Another One Bites The Dust", not to mention the oft-sampled bass line for "Under Pressure", Queen's collaboration with David Bowie.

Queen was making a massive comeback when front man, Freddie Mercury died. They released one record of leftovers and played a credible live show with George Michael stepping in for Freddie.

That really should have been it. A fine career for an amazingly original band. But when guitarist, Brian May, and drummer, Roger Taylor, decided to tour with Bad Company and Free vocalist, Paul Rodgers, and to call the venture "Queen", John Deacon would have no part of it. Good on him, I say. It didn't exactly suck, but it sure as hell wasn't Queen.

The legendary Christine Perfect was a big part of Fleetwood Mac's 70's FM heyday, with songs like
"Say You Love Me", Over My Head", "You Make Loving Fun", and, of course, the Clinton political manifesto, "Don't Stop".

In the mid-nineties, Christine tried to retire for the first time, but her loyalty to FM;s original, and permanent, rhythm-section, Mick Fleetwood, & ex-husband, John McVie (Fleetwood Mac, get it?), dragged her back. In 1998, she retired for good, and has stuck to it, even as the Macsters soldier on, selling out arenas all over the world.