3 Hall of Fame Rockers From the 1970s Whose First Bands Never Got off the Ground

The 1970s offered fans incredible classic rock music. But not every artist who succeeded in the era did so right out of the gate. Sometimes it took a few tries to know what worked best in front of an audience. That’s just what we wanted to dive into below. We wanted to highlight three artists from back in the day who didn’t rise to fame in their first group. Indeed, these are three Hall of Fame rockers from the 1970s whose first bands never got off the ground.

David Bowie

Today, most classic rock fans can name half a dozen songs by David Bowie. The artist enjoyed a number of hits and even more phases in his career. But before Bowie became a household name, he was just getting going in the UK in the early 1960s. Indeed, Bowie was 15 years old when he started his first group, the Konrads. After that group dissolved, Bowie found himself in another project, the King Bees. After that, though, he decided to go solo and signed his very first personal management contract. The rest, as they say, is history.

Neil Young

The Canadian-born songwriter Neil Young is one of the most well-known musical figures today. With his falsetto voice and acoustic guitar, Young rose to fame and fortune in the 1970s and remains one of the most famous rockers of the era. But Young didn’t get his start as a soloist. It was when he was in junior high that he started his first band, the Jades. After that group soon dissolved, Young started his first real band in 1963, the Squires. The surf rock group played around Canada for a few years. When the group disbanded in 1965, though, Young decided to pursue a solo career. He was soon hobnobbing with the likes of Joni Mitchell.

Stevie Nicks

Stevie Nicks is continuously one of the most interesting figures in rock. A former standout solo artist in the 1980s, Nicks rose to fame and popularity thanks to the classic rock outfit Fleetwood Mac a decade prior. But it was years before she joined that project when Nicks sang in her very first group. Indeed, while a student at Arcadia High School in California, Nicks linked up with her first band, the Changing Times. The folk-rock outfit was known locally for harmonies. Also in high school, though, Nicks met her future beau and collaborator Lindsey Buckingham. The two would go on to be involved in one of the most tumultuous relationships in rock history. From there, rock legacies ensued.

Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns

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