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10 Great Artists Who Went Solo And 1 Who Started There

By Meltdown

I didn’t realize how many artists have gone solo until I really started to think about it. Even before you read my list you can probably think of 10 or 12 very successful solo acts. There’s also some guys who’ve never gone solo. I asked James Hetfield if he’d ever thought about going solo. He told me that Metallica was his side/solo project. “I get to do pretty much whatever I want in Metallica. There’s not really a need for it. I write things that make me feel good, if they end up in Metallica, that’s even better.” You can watch that interview from 2017 here.

There’s solo acts like any of the Beatles, Billy Joel, Elton John and so on, who are other level stars. My list consists of guys who were in bands, and struck out on their own….with one exception.

Also, think about becoming a solo artist. Why did they do it? Ego? Did they get kicked out of the band? Did they take bad – or good – advice? It’s takes balls to go out on your own, as opposed to being a cog in the machine.

These are some of my favorite solo artists. Some are still in bands, others found it was easier to do it on their own.

  • Ozzy osbourne

    This is the first and most obvious one for me. After leaving Black Sabbath, Ozzy got a new start and kicked off one of the most successful solo careers in rock history. One day I need to get Dana Strum from Slaughter on my Talkin’ Rock podcast to tell the story of how he introduced Ozzy to Randy Rhoads. It’s a great story, and the way he tells it makes it so much better.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlHoKOazyVU

  • corey taylor

    We all know CMFT from Slipknot and Stone Sour, and while he hasn’t had the success as a solo artist some of these guys have, it’s my list and I love his first album. I’ll admit, there’s not much Corey does that I don’t like. His debut record is killer! I cannot wait for the act two.

  • rob zombie

    Rob Zombie did pretty well in White Zombie, but he came into his own and found big-time rock stardom as a solo act. Hellbilly Deluxe was a monster album, excuse the pun, that remains one of Rob’s best to this day.

  • david lee roth

    This has to be a case where people were in his ear telling him he didn’t need the VH boys, right? “Diamond” Dave left Van Halen after the 1984 album and proceeded to put out a couple flame throwing solo albums. Let’s not forget that the band he assembled was awesome. I’d argue that his band, made up of bass player, Billy Sheehan, guitarist, Steve Vai, and drummer, Gregg Bissonette, was one of the best bands, talent-wise, of the 80s.

  • ronnie james dio

    You can’t have a list like this without including Dio. He went from band to band in the 70s, joined Black Sabbath after Ozzy left, put out a couple killer albums, then went solo. In an interview I did with his wife, she alluded to the fact that Ronnie was accused of remixing songs when the the Sabbath guys weren’t around, to make his vocals more prominent. She said that didn’t happen. In any case, his solo career, especially in the 80s, was very successful. Growing up he was one of my favorites. I only had the chance to meet him once and he could not have been nicer.

  • alice cooper

    This one is a little trickier than the others. Vincent Furnier was in the Alice Cooper band, when he became Alice. To this day, one of the best live rock performers. His show is an all out theatrical assault.

  • slash

    Slash has had a few versions of his solo stuff. The latest with the Conspirators seems to be the most constant. While Slash could live off GNR money for lifetimes to come, he loves to make music and play live.

  • tom keifer of cinderella

    Cinderella had a pretty good run in the 80s, until they – like many others – ran into the buzzsaw known as Grunge. While Tom has only put out two solo albums, and doesn’t play to huge crowds, outside of festivals, I love his music and he’s a great guy. Plus, Cinderella was one of my favorite 80s bands.

  • sammy hagar

    I might be talking out of school, but over twenty years ago Sammy told me that he could live off of VH money for the rest of his life. He’s another guy that needs to make music and tour the world. Since the 70s fronting Montrose, Sammy has been one of the best front man/guitar players in rock.

  • kid rock

    Might of caught you off guard with this one. Kid Rock was never in any sort of band, unlike everyone else on this list. When he really broke with 1998’s Devil Without A Cause it was off and running. While most solo acts have a high turnover of band members, Rock has managed to keep his band relatively intact. And, you can’t argue the success he’s had.

  • robert plant

    While I’m not that familiar with his currant stuff, I loved what he put out in the 80s after Led Zeppelin. My favorite is “Now and Zen”. Killer album! I really like how that record didn’t sound like Zep.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VpgMpbKEBQ

Which ones did I miss? Funny, there’s some bands with guys who’ve never ventured away from the mothership. U2, AC/DC, Megadeth, Slayer, Papa Roach, Disturbed, and 3 Doors Down just to name a few. Then there’s a ton more who have gone solo. The Eagles guys, Ted Nugent, Vince Neil, Uncle Kracker, Chris Cornell, Jerry Cantrell, Sting, John 5, Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, Geoff Tate, Josie Scott, Scott Stapp, Steve Vai, Dorothy, George Lynch and many more.

Don’t even get me started about solo acts in the country music world. You’re hard pressed to find actual bands there.

-Meltdown-

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