Originally by Ranker MusicList RulesOnly musicians who were the lead singers of other bands. Rank them on their solo careers.
Music groups, no matter how successful they may become, tend to have an expiration date. When a rock band or rap group eventually breaks up, not too many of its members go on to have solo success. This list, however, celebrates that small group of musicians who have managed to break out as a solo artist and reach the top on their own. From Sting to Stevie Nicks, every musician on this list are solo artists who used to front a band.
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 on to achieve success on their own as well. All of these artists have been critically and commercially lauded for their solo work and sometimes, their solo material is greater and more popular 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.1
1,166926Genesis
2
1,658954Simon and Garfunkel3
999857Fleetwood Mac4
1,4541,298The Jackson 55
1,2641,132The Beatles6
817701The Commodores7
922777The Police8
682582The Faces, Jeff Beck Group9
1,045959Derek and the Dominos, The Yardbirds, Cream10
610496Genesis11
844771Wham!12
1,1651,107The Beatles13
696630CSNY, Buffalo Springfield14
983829Black Sabbath15
33024116
496465The Eagles17
628580The Supremes18
1,0911,12219
485478Generation X20
685626The Beatles, Traveling Wilburies21
72178022
688576'N Sync23
23510924
219146The Fugees25
802866Destiny's Child
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25