Vote up the bands you think are still great despite containing no original members.
When a group of people start a band, they usually set out with a simple mission to play shows and put out some great tunes. While many bands have garnered loads of success, sometimes it's without the folks who originally started the whole thing. Some bands may let a member go in favor of a replacement who brings more passion. Sometimes a musician may leave a band to pursue other endeavors. Other times, one member may be the sole remaining founder with a rotating roster of musicians playing music with them.
In many instances, however, some bands have no original members left. Despite the lack of founding members, many of these bands have found fame with charting albums and packed venues.
Vote up the bands below that still rock the house without any original members.
Unmistakable heavy metal band Judas Priest got their start back in 1969 with vocalist Al Atkins, guitarist John Perry, bassist Bruno Stapenhill, and drummer John Partridge. Months after forming, the band would lose Perry and Partridge before disbanding for a short time in 1970. Later that year, the band Freight (consisting of guitarist Kenneth ‘K.K.’ Downing, bassist Ian Hill and drummer John Ellis) were in search of a singer and recruited Atkins, who rechristened the band as Judas Priest.
Ellis would leave the band soon after. In 1973, Atkins left the band he named, with Rob Halford replacing him as Judas Priest's new vocalist. Notably, Atkins never appeared on a Judas Priest album; as the band didn't get a record deal until after he left.
The Pointer Sisters are one of the most iconic girl groups of all time with a slew of Top 10 hits and Grammys to their name. The group started in 1969 with youngest sisters Bonnie and June Pointer performing as a duo called Pointers Au Pair. In 1970 their older sister Anita joined the group, making them a trio. After doing backing vocals for acts such as Betty Davis and Grace Slick, the trio gained the attention of Atlantic Records.
Under their deal with Atlantic Records, the trio released a handful of singles that didn't make an impact on the charts. The group became a quartet with the addition of their eldest sister Ruth, and they signed a new record deal with Blue Thumb Records. With the release of their 1973 self-titled debut album, the Pointer Sisters saw immense fame from all directions. In 1977, Bonnie and June left the act, but June returned a year later. June left the group for good in 2002 while Anita bowed out in 2015.
Though she was the last sister to join, Ruth still performs as part of the Pointer Sisters. The group remains a family act, but now it's multi-generational, with Ruth performing alongside her daughter Issa, and granddaughter Sadako.
R&B group the Spinners dominated the '70s with several Top 40 hits, including "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love?" and "Then Came You." Forming in 1954 as The Domingos, the group's original lineup included Billy Henderson, Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson, C. P. Spencer, and James Edwards. Over time, Edwards and Spencer left the group and were replaced by George Dixon and Bobby Smith.
Following the release of their debut single, “That's What Girls Are Made For,” the Spinners saw the departure of Dixon. A few years after Dixon's departure, the Spinners found constant success on the Billboard charts. In due time, the original members exited the band as they got older; Henderson left in 2004 and Jackson died in 2008. Fambrough outlived most of the other original members of the Spinners before retiring from the group after 50 years in 2023.
Gwar has seen multiple changes over their nearly 40-year history with one constant for most of it being co-founder/vocalist Dave Brockie. Brockie started the band as a guitarist with bassist Chris Bopst, vocalist Ben Eubanks, drummer Sean Sumner, and guitarists Russ Bahorsky and Steve Douglas. Unfortunately, the original lineup fell apart after a couple live shows with Sumner, Eubanks, Bahorsky, and Douglas leaving the band.
After several member changes along with Brockie taking over as lead vocalist, Gwar found a somewhat stable lineup with Brockie, drummer Brad Roberts, and guitarist Mike Derks from 1989 until Brockie's death in 2014. Following Brockie's death, Mike Bishop (who played bass for GWAR from 1987 to 1993 and 1998 to 1999) took over as lead vocalist.
Psychedelic rock band Gong began in Paris in 1967 as a musical project between romantic partners Daevid Allen (an Australian) and Gilli Smyth (an Englishwoman) While the original lineup consisted of Allen, Smyth, flutist Loren Standlee, and vocalists Ziska Baum; the lineup would change rapidly with the exception of founding members Allen and Smyth. In 2015, Allen passed away, followed by Smyth's death the following year. In a letter written before his passing, Allen suggested the current members of Gong continue the band's massive legacy.
Co-founded by Peter Furler and George Perdikis in 1985, Christian rock band Newsboys have churned out several hits on the Christian charts in their career, including "God's Not Dead (Like a Lion)" and "We Believe." While the original band included Furler, Perdikis, vocalist John James, and bassist Sean Taylor, things changed over time. Perdikis exited the band before the release of Newsboys's 1988 debut album, Taylor bid farewell in 1992 for a new career path, and James departed in 1997 due to problems with addiction.
Furler, who was originally the drummer and co-vocalist, stepped from behind the drumkit to be the sole vocalist and last original member of Newsboys. In 2009, however, Furler stepped away from the role but returned in 2018 before leaving again in 2021. Since 2009, Michael Tait, who is best known as part of DC Talk, has been the vocalist of Newsboys.
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