3 Rockers From the 1970s Who Ended up Joining Famous Bands

Who you surround yourself with matters. Sometimes as an artist you can get the best out of yourself when you’re solo, out on your own. Other times, though, you need a group of running mates—you need a band.

Here below, we wanted to highlight three times famous rockers shifted from solo projects to group ones. Indeed, these are three rockers from the 1970s who ended up joining famous bands.

Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton is one of the greatest guitar players ever. It doesn’t matter the publication—whatever one does, the rankings always have the six-string player ranked among the best of all time. But despite all that talent, Clapton jumped around a lot in the 1960s and 1970s, going from band to band to solo project to band. Coming up, he played in a number of local bands, then he joined The Yardbirds in 1963 and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers in 1965. He later played in Cream and Blind Faith. He dropped his first solo album in 1970—and maybe that was his new path forward. But soon after that, he formed Derek and the Dominos. From there, more bands and more solo projects ensued.

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney may just be the most famous musician alive. Of course, the artist rose to fame and fortune as a member of The Beatles. But when that band broke up around 1970, McCartney was faced with a choice. Immediately, he began releasing solo records, including McCartney in 1970. A year later, he released Ram with his wife Linda. But then he decided he needed a new band—enter: Wings. That group released seven records in the 1970s, including the 1973 hit LP, Band on the Run.

Sammy Hagar

Sammy Hagar and his big voice rose to fame in the 1970s with the rock group Montrose. But that project couldn’t hold him or his talent fully, so he decided to venture off and follow his heart on a solo recording career. After that, Hagar released his debut solo LP, Nine on a Ten Scale, in 1976. About a decade later, though, he was hired to be the then-new lead singer for the famed rock group Van Halen. He held that job from 1985 through 1996 (and then again for a few years in the early 2000s).

Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns

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