From Spanish to Japanese, and everything in between
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976. Besides Petty, the original lineup consisted of lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer Stan Lynch, and bassist Ron Blair. Petty died in 2017 one week after the Heartbreakers' 40th Anniversary Tour.
Joan Jett, real name Joan Marie Larkin, founded Joan Jett and the Blackhearts as her backup band in 1979. Their version of 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll,' released in 1981, cemented the band's reputation as one of the era's most influential rock acts.
This Canadian band came together in Toronto in 1977. Founding member David Millar had recruited Martha Johnson to play keyboards, and the group was henceforth known as Martha and the Muffins. When Millar left to work as the band's sound engineer for live shows, he was replaced by Martha Ladly. For a while the lineup was known as M + M. They only had one major international hit single, 'Echo Beach.'
Arguably the most influential reggae band ever formed, Bob Marley and the Wailers founding members were Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer. The Wailers were an essential component of Marley's music, although the lineup changed over the years. The original members of the band have now all passed away.
British rock and pop band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions were formed in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1982. Fronted by Lloyd Cole, the Commotions scored four Top 20 albums and five Top 40 singles in the UK before splitting up. Lloyd Cole and the Commotions reunited briefly in 2004 to perform in Glasgow, Dublin, Manchester, and London.
Founded in California in 1964, the Mothers of Invention recruited Frank Zappa after their original guitarist was fired. With Zappa at the helm, the band released a series of critically acclaimed albums and enjoyed considerable commercial success.
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band is not the only lineup Bob Seger has fronted. He's also known for performing with the groups Bob Seger and the Last Heard and the Bob Seger System. But it's with Silver Bullet that the singer-songwriter enjoyed his greatest success, with albums such as 1976's 'Live Bullet.'
Influential funk band Sly and the Family Stone formed in 1966 and pioneered the emerging "psychedelic soul" sound. The Family Stone was the first major American rock group to have a racially integrated, mixed-gender lineup.
Formed in London in 1976 by Susan Janet Ballion, better known by her stage name Siouxsie Sioux, and bassist Steven Severin, Siouxsie and the Banshees were widely successful in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. The band was described by one music critic as "one of the most audacious and uncompromising musical adventurers of the post-punk era."
The Blockheads enjoyed their greatest chart successes backing vocalist Ian Dury. Active in the late 1970s, Ian Dury and the Blockheads had a massive hit in 1979 with 'Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick.' Dury's love of music hall was complemented by the band's diverse musical influences, which included jazz, rock and roll, funk, and reggae.
Since 1969, 15 studio albums and eight live albums have been billed as being by Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Crazy Horse members have in the past included multi-instrumentalist Nils Lofgren and keyboardist Jack Nitzsche, also known for his work as a film music composer, for example for movies such as 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' (1975).
A huge act in the late 1970s and throughout the '80s and '90s, Elvis Costello & The Attractions achieved their fame partly due to the outstanding level of musicianship demonstrated by the band's members. In the wake of the 1978 album 'This Year's Model,' the Attractions were being described as one of the best backing bands in rock history.
Regarded as one of the most influential musicians in the history of blues music, Stevie Ray Vaughan was front man of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, with Chris Layton on drums and Tommy Shannon on bass. Reese Wynans was later hired as the band's keyboardist.
One of the most iconic backing bands in popular music history, the E Street Band has been associated with Bruce Springsteen since 1972. The late saxophonist Clarence Clemons was a loyal member of the lineup until his death in 2011.
Contemporaries of the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers also came out of Liverpool. Front man Gerry Marsden was backed by older brother Freddie Marsden, Les Maguire, and Les Chadwick. The band's first three singles, 'How Do You Do It?,' 'I Like It,' and 'You'll Never Walk Alone,' all went straight to number one in the UK charts.
Bruce Hornsby and the Range enjoyed resounding success with their 1986 single 'The Way It Is.' While driven by Hornsby's virtuoso piano playing, the Range provided extensive use of synthesizers and lopped drumbeats throughout.
A central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll, Buddy Holly's career was cut tragically short after his death in a plane crash in 1959. The Crickets' original lineup consisted of Niki Sullivan on rhythm guitar, Jerry Allison on drums, and Joe B. Mauldin on bass. Sullivan left within a few months of his involvement. The Crickets helped set the musical template for subsequent rock bands, including the Beatles.
One of the great iconic rock acts of the early 1970s was Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Ziggy was, of course, David Bowie's alto ego, while the Spiders were Mick Ronson (guitar), Trevor Bolder (bass), and Mick Woodmansey (drums).
Martha and the Vandellas were formed in Detroit in 1957 and quickly became a major act for Motown Records. Lead vocalist Martha Reeves was backed by Betty Kelly and Rosalind Ashford, and all three sang on 'Dancing in the Street,' released in 1964 and regarded as their signature song. The Vandellas are not a formal backing band, as they are singers rather than musicians. But they make this list by virtue of the fact that their vocal harmonies considerably lifted the tracks they sang on.
Similarly, the Supremes came from Detroit and were also formed as a singing band. The classic lineup of Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, and Mary Wilson achieved mainstream success in the mid-1960s billed as Diana Ross and the Supremes.
Sources: (Far Out Magazine) (Pickled Priest) (Songfacts) (Consequence of Sound)
See also: The groovy history of Motown Records
The Four Seasons evolved out of a previous band called The Four Lovers, with Frankie Valli on lead vocals. From 1970 onwards, the band was often referred to as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Valli, now in his nineties, is still performing with the current version of the band.
The founding core of Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show was George Cummings, Ray Sawyer, and Billy Francis, who worked together in the mid-1960s. Today, "Dr. Hook" is generally regarded as Dennis Locorriere, the band's current lead vocalist who joined in 1968, originally as bass player. However, the story goes that when fans used to ask who Dr. Hook was, Medicine Show members would all point to the bus driver.
The Band gained worldwide recognition as Bob Dylan's first electric band, accompanying the singer-songwriter on his 1966 concert tour. The group were later successful in their own right, with song's like 1969's 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' applauded by music critics and the general public alike.
Huey Lewis and the News enjoyed a run of hit singles in the 1980s, including the catchy 'The Power of Love,' which was featured in the 1985 film 'Back to the Future.' The News includes members who have performed with Lewis since 1979.
Few backing bands contain members who went on to find global fame as musical artists in their own right, but the Bluesbreakers were that rare exception. Among those backing up singer and songwriter John Mayall in 1966 was Eric Clapton and John McVie, later of Fleetwood Mac.
The Revolution was formed by Prince in 1979 and served as his live band and his studio band. The lineup included Bobby Z on drums, Lisa Coleman on keyboards, and Wendy Melvoin on guitar.
Australian musician Nick Cave formed the Bad Seeds in 1983 in Melbourne with multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and German guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band in all its various lineups since has been instrumental in forging Cave's unique blend of post-punk, alternative, experimental rock sound.
Those who front a music band tend to steal all the glory. After all, it's easy to focus on the lead vocalist. Sure, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Neil Young, Bob Marley, and others of their ilk have all earned their place center stage. But what of the musicians working beside and behind them? When do they ever get a look-in? Well as a matter of fact, there are plenty of backing bands out there who have earned their stripes as first-class musicians, and can hold their own against any front man or front woman.
So, what are music's most memorable backing bands? Tune into this gallery to find out!
The J.B.'s served as James Brown's backing band throughout the 1970s and '80s, and played an essential role in helping Brown create some of the most influential funk records of the era.
Music's most memorable backing bands
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Those who front a music band tend to steal all the glory. After all, it's easy to focus on the lead vocalist. Sure, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Neil Young, Bob Marley, and others of their ilk have all earned their place center stage. But what of the musicians working beside and behind them? When do they ever get a look-in? Well as a matter of fact, there are plenty of backing bands out there who have earned their stripes as first-class musicians, and can hold their own against any front man or front woman.
So, what are music's most memorable backing bands? Tune into this gallery to find out!