• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Lieff Ink

TELL YOUR STORY

  • About
  • Services
    • Writing • Editing
    • PR
    • Writing Tutor
  • Words
  • Press
  • Blog
  • Clients
    • Client List
    • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Book
    • Accolades
    • Reviews

Does The Lead Singer Determine A Band’s Success?

August 5, 2013

Frontmen - Weiland and Chester Although Stone Temple Pilots is hitting the road this summer, notoriously troubled former frontman Scott Weiland will not be joining them because he has been replaced by former Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington. Instead, Weiland, no stranger to band switching (i.e. Velvet Revolver with Axl’s old crew) is touring with his band the Wildabouts through August.

It’s always interesting when bands replace their lead singer because the reaction is either really positive or horribly negative. Five examples of frontman replacements:

Judas Priest –This story is so good they made a movie out of it called Rockstar with Mark Wahlberg! In 1992 Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford officially left and after a five-year hiatus, the British band returned after hiring Tim “Ripper” Owens whose only experience was as the singer of a Judas Priest tribute band. Even though Ripper did a good job of replicating Halford and fans definitely ate up his Cinderella story, the two albums he was on did not do well. Returning to the band in 2003, Halford helped Priest make a successful comeback, while Ripper had a short stint with metal band Iced Earth.

Alice In Chains – Lead singer Layne Staley‘s frequent drug problems kept the band out of the recording studio and the spotlight in the second half of the 90s and after his death in 2002 (of an apparent drug overdose) it seemed that the band was finished making music. Then in the mid-2000s, the surviving members reunited for several benefit concerts featuring guest vocalists, including Comes With The Fall singer William DuVall, and things were back on track. DuVall went on to permanently front the band for their 2007 tour and will head into the studio with the band to record a new album. So far the fan reaction to DuVall has been positive.

Journey – For much of the 1970s, Journey’s lead vocals were shared by singer Steve Perry and keyboardist Gregg Rolie but after Rolie’s departure came 1981′s Escape which had three Perry-sung chart toppers, “Who’s Crying Now?,” “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Open Arms.” These monster hits cemented Perry as the voice of the band, but by 1987, success had gone to Perry’s head and he left Journey for a solo career. The band did eventually reunite, but as they were to go on tour in 1997, Perry injured himself and couldn’t perform. Eventually, Journey went on tour without him, getting Steve Augeri, who looked and sounded just like Perry, to front the band. Fans were divided on their opinions of the new lead singer but Augeri continued on with Journey until 2006 when chronic throat infections forced him to quit the band. Jeff Scott Soto filled in for a time and now tribute band singer Arnel Pineda is the frontman.

Mötley Crüe – The kings of 80s hair metal were definitely Mötley Crüe. Fan ate up their fast and loud songs like “Shout At The Devil,” “Wild Side” and “Girls, Girls, Girls,” among others. But with the 90s came constant fights between lead singer Vince Neil and drummer Tommy Lee, which lead to Neil’s 1992 departure. Determined to keep the band going, Crüe enlisted John Corabi for their next effort, their 1994 self-titled album. Unfortunately, though Corabi had talent and could play guitar for the band too, he neither sounded like the high-pitched Neil nor looked like the band’s platinum-blond former singer. Clearly fans didn’t like the lineup change because the album with Corabi bombed so badly that its support tour was canceled. By 2004, the four original Crüe members put aside their differences to make a successful comeback and the band is still touring.

Van Halen – Anyone who is a rock fan has had the Van Halen/Van Hagar conversation. Why? Because after the band’s hugely successful 1984, which included songs like “Jump,” “Hot For Teacher” and “Panama,” lead singer David Lee Roth quit, leaving the remaining three members in a lurch. The band ended up hiring solo artist Sammy Hagar, who not only sang, but could play guitar for live shows and did know how to work the crowd. The problem was that Hagar sang differently than Roth and definitely looked nothing like Roth. But while VH lost much of its old following, they gained a whole new following with fans who liked music that had elements of both pop rock and hair metal. And as with their Roth albums, the Hagar years saw all multi-platinum albums. In 1996, after Hagar came to verbal blows with Eddie Van Halen, the band hired Extreme singer Gary Cherone to work on Van Halen III which did horribly leaving the band on hiatus until 2007 when Van Halen officially reunited with Roth for a world tour that’s still raging.

It will be interesting to see what kind of reception Chester Bennington receives from STP fans. Will they obsessively compare him to Scott Weiland’s swagger and always think of him as another’s band lead singer or will they just be happy to have someone that shows up? Good luck Chester! You’re not in Linkin Park-ville anymore Toto!

Laura

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Blog Archive

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010

Footer

Laura Lieff was named Colorado Mountain College’s 2017-2018 Part Time Staff Member of the Year for her work as a writing tutor and teaching assistant.
Laura Lieff was named Colorado Mountain College’s 2017-2018 Part Time Staff Member of the Year for her work as a writing tutor and teaching assistant.

Work With Me

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
lieff-ink-logo_updated-2
  • About
  • Services
  • Words
  • Blog
  • Client List
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 · PO Box 1228 Edwards CO 81632 · info@lauralieff.com