Some musicians are, objectively, far too good to be held down to the bands they are in, or bands in general. That’s certainly how I feel about the following three ultra-talented musicians, each of whom came to fame as members of famous rock bands but could have easily killed it as solo artists or the frontmen/women of their own groups. Let’s take a look; you might just agree with me here.
Mick Mars
Few would scoff at the legacy of a glam metal band like Mötley Crüe. They scored a whopping 22 Top 40 hits on the mainstream rock charts and nearly as many pop hits. But Mick Mars, who served as the band’s guitarist off and on from 1981 through 2023, always seemed a bit underrated to me compared to the rest of the band. Each member, particularly in the early days, brought an important piece of hard rock goodness to the table. But Mars’ bluesy guitar skills made the band, especially in catchy tracks like “Live Wire” or “Kickstart My Heart”.
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Eric Carr
Few people are more critical of KISS and all the band’s iterations quite like KISS fans themselves. But I’m the last person who would pretend that the theatrical hard rock outfit isn’t one of the biggest bands of the 1970s and 1980s. One member of the group stands out to me and always has. And I was always surprised that Eric Carr remained in KISS for as long as he did. In fact, he remained as the band’s drummer from 1980 to 1991, right up until he tragically died from cancer. He was an absolute beast behind the kit. Peter Criss was nothing to sneeze at, of course, but Carr took songs like “Creatures Of The Night” and “War Machine” to new heights.
Janis Joplin
When I was a kid and just starting to dive into music history, I was shocked to learn that Janis Joplin wasn’t a solo artist for most of her career. She was a core member of the psychedelic rock band Big Brother And The Holding Company from 1966 to 1968. And while the band was excellent and a core piece of 60s counterculture music, Joplin is more than deserving of a list of musicians who were too good for their bands. No one could hold a candle to her vocals.
(Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images)