These are the Bands With the Most Lineup Changes
Most rock and metal bands are legendary, but they also faced lineup changes during their careers. But, no matter those changes, they are still iconic. Even when there is only one original member, popular bands will always sell millions of event tickets for their tours and even more album copies.
The performers you will find on this list managed to keep their public image on point during difficult times. That’s why we love them even more now.
Destiny’s Child
Officially they were active as a band until 2006, but we all know Destiny’s Child gathered together for many occasions later.
They started as a quartet with Beyonce, Kelly, LaTavia, and LeToya as the original lineup. Later, LaTavia and Letoya left due to internal conflict and were replaced with Michelle and Farrah.
Soon after that, Farrah left Beyonce, Kelly, and Michelle behind. Still, they managed to maintain their popularity, but eventually, they focused on their solo careers.
Sugababes (Mutya Keisha Siobhan)
Sugababes started with Mutya, Keisha, and Siobhan. When the band peaked their popularity, Siobhan left and was later replaced with Heidi.
Things went crazy when Mutya left the group, being replaced by Amelle, and soon after that, Keisha was replaced with Jade. So, for a few years, there was no original member in the band, even though they were using the same name.
The original members gathered together as Mutya Keisha Siobhan, but soon they regained the rights to the name Sugababes.
The lineup was spinning around, but everything got back as they were at the beginning.
Deep Purple
We all love “Soldier of Fortune” and “Smoke on the Water,” thinking that nothing can go wrong in a band that popular. But, they had many lead vocals during the years.
They had eight official lineups, still keeping the recognizable name of the group.
Deep Purple had many changes in the lead position, starting with Rod Evans, then Ian Gillan, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, and Joe Lynn Turner.
When Coverdale left, that resulted in creating another rock band with many member changes too. Can you guess which band that was?
Whitesnake
Coverdale left Deep Purple to form a well-known band named Whitesnake. And the most interesting part is that he is the band’s constant, with many members changing over the four-decade existence.
According to some sources, more than 40 musicians played in Whitesnake, including Steve Vai, Cozzy Powell, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice.
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath is known as Ozzy Osbourne’s band. Today they are relatively stable when it comes to the lineup, but it wasn’t like that back in the 80s and 90s. At some point, Ozzy Osbourne was replaced by Dio for a few years.
Some artists we already mentioned were also members of Black Sabbath, including Ian Gillan and Glenn Hughes as vocals. We can say that only Tony Iommi has been a constant through the years.
More than 20 people went through Black Sabbath as band members, and even more seasonal players were included on different occasions.
Many popular bands had significant changes in their lineups. Sometimes, it resulted in better performance and increased popularity. But for some bands, replacing the original members resulted in losing popularity.
Which one is your favorite band? Are they consistent, or went through lineup changes? Feel free to share your thoughts with us.