Riding solo: Musicians who enjoyed greater solo success

Justin Timberlake - Timberlake was the youngest member of NSYNC, one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, but quickly matured as a solo artist. His sound—characterized by its diversity in music genres—helped his first two albums exceed sales of 10 million copies. He's also become a noted film actor.

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Pharrell Williams - Rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer, Williams divides his time between The Neptunes, N*E*R*D, and his solo work. He's achieved some of his greatest successes as a solo artist (2014's 'Happy' received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song).

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Pink - Originally a member of the girl group Choice in 1995, Pink was plucked out of relatively obscurity when LaFace Records saw potential in her distinctive, raspy voice and unconventional stage presence and offered her a solo recording contract.

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George Michael - Wham! was one of the biggest pop acts of the 1980s, but after parting company with Andrew Ridgeley in 1986, the late George Michael took his songwriting talents to new heights with tracks like 'Praying for Time,' 'Faith,' and 'Jesus to a Child.'

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Robbie Williams - Robbie Williams' tenure in Take That brought the English singer-songwriter a fair degree of fame. But he has achieved greater commercial rewards with his solo career, beginning in 1997. In 2006 he entered the Guinness Book of World Records for selling 1.6 million tickets of his Close Encounters Tour in a single day!

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Björk - You may remember Björk as the lead singer with Icelandic alternative rock band the Sugarcubes. After the band's breakup, the eccentric songbird moved to London to pursue a solo career. Commercial and critical success followed, and she regularly tours and has acted in several movies.

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Michael Jackson - Michael and his brothers—The Jackson 5—have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. However, 'Thriller' alone, released in 1982, has so far sold an estimated 66 million copies and remains the world's best-selling album. Enough said!

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Beyoncé - Rising to fame in the late 1990s as the lead vocalist of Destiny's Child, Beyoncé's career beyond the group has been nothing short of phenomenal. As a solo artist she has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

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Peter Gabriel -

The original lead singer and front man of British rock band Genesis, Gabriel left in 1975. His hugely successful solo career spawned numerous hit single and albums including 'So,' released in 1986.

(Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY 2.0)

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Phil Collins - Genesis drummer Phil Collins stepped into Peter Gabriel's shoes as lead vocalist and juggled band duties with a parallel and highly regarded solo career before leaving for good in 1996. However, Collins reunited sporadically with bandmates Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford for several tours.

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Gwen Stefani - Co-founder and lead vocalist with No Doubt, Stefani embarked on a solo career during the band's hiatus and released a string of critically and commercially successful albums. She still hooks up with her old bandmates for occasional gigs.

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Lionel Richie - As a member of the funk and soul outfit The Commodores, Lionel Richie enjoyed early success as a singer-songwriter. A gifted lyricist, he was already writing hit songs for other artists by the time he released his debut solo album in 1982. He is today regarded as one of the finest balladeers of recent times.

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Rod Stewart - Stewart honed his profession by appearing in several British soul and rhythm and blues bands before joining the Jeff Beck Group and then The Faces, where he rose to prominence in the early 1970s. Stewart's 1971 solo album 'Every Picture Tells a Story' made him a household name, but by 1975 Stewart was an international music star.

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Eric Clapton - One of rock music's legendary figures, Clapton honed his craft in a series of seminal bands including the Yardbirds and Cream. His solo outings began in the 1970s and he remains one of the most influential musicians in the business.

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Curtis Mayfield -

Influential soul musician and pioneer of politically conscious African-American music, Mayfield was just 14 when he joined the vocal group The Impressions. He left in 1970. Among his solo successes was 1972's 'Super Fly.'

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Camila Cabello - While the Cuban-American singer began in the group Fifth Harmony, a girl group that was created on 'The X Factor' in 2012, Cabello struck out on her own in 2016. Since then, she has featured in several hit songs, and released her own album. Her single 'Havana' became the most-streamed song by a solo female artist on Spotify.

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Lou Reed - Reed's work as lead vocalist, guitarist, and principal songwriter with the Velvet Underground never achieved the recognition it deserved during the band's lifetime (that would be acknowledged many years later). But after departing in 1970, the musician and poet silenced critics with albums like 'Transformer' (1971), which launched a more mainstream career.

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Tupac Shakur - The rapper's career took off in 1990 as a member of Digital Underground. Just a year later he released his debut solo album, '2Pacalypse Now.' By 1995, Tupac was one of the biggest names in the business and today is regarded by many as one of the greatest rappers of all time.

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Tina Turner - Ike & Tina Turner were one of the hottest R&B and soul duos of the 1960s and early 1970s. But after their professional and personal relationship ended in 1976, Tina Turner struck out on her own. By the 1980s she was a worldwide superstar. 'Private Dancer,' released in 1984, is her most successful album.

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Neil Young - Young formed Buffalo Springfield in the mid-1960s and later joined Crosby, Stills & Nash. By 1970 he was hitting the road as a solo performer and producing albums like 'Harvest' —the best-selling album of 1972 in the United States!

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Van Morrison - Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Van Morrison was the lead vocalist in the mid-1960s for a band called Them. His solo career effectively began with the release of his signature hit 'Brown Eyed Girl' in 1967.

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Ice Cube - As a member of the hip hop group C.I.A and later co-founding N.W.A, Ice Cube gained notoriety as an early exponent of gangster rap. In 1989 he embarked on a solo career and released albums considered by many as some of the most defining rap of the 1990s.

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Harry Styles - The former member of boy band 'One Direction' left the group after they declared a permanent hiatus in 2016. He released his first single, 'Sign of the Times' in 2017, and Rolling Stone has categorized it as one of the top 100 songs of the century so far.

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Dusty Springfield - English pop singer Dusty Springfield was a member of pop-folk vocal trio The Springfields, with her brother Tom Springfield and Tim Field, that became one of the UK's top-selling acts. But she's especially remembered for her solo work, with toe-tapping hits like 'I Only Want to Be with You,' and the more brooding 'Son of a Preacher Man.'

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Norman Cook - Norman who? Think Fatboy Slim. The English DJ and record producer used to play bass guitar for indie rock band The Housemartins. Cook is now one of the most acclaimed DJs on the international electronic music dance circuit.

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Ozzy Osbourne - The self-styled Prince of Darkness is forever associated with heavy metal band Black Sabbath, though he was kicked out for alcohol and substance abuse in 1979. No worries. He went on to have a successful solo career and won a new audience in the early 2000s as an unlikely reality TV star.

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Sting - When new wave rock band the Police burst on the scene in 1977, critics immediately recognized in Sting an exceptional song-writing and musical talent. And so did the public—the band sold millions! But it was as a solo artist that the English musician blossomed, demonstrating a maturity in technique and narrative that was ably expressed on albums like 'the Soul Cages,' and 'Ten Summoner's Tales.'

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Cher - As one-half of the folk rock husband-wife duo Sonny & Cher, Cherilyn Sarkisian (her full name) enjoyed enormous popularity in the second half of the 1960s. The couple had their own TV show and it was during this period that Cher established herself as a solo artist with 'Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves.' After a brief "retirement" in the mid-2000s she returned to music and film and is still performing today.

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Iggy Pop - Known as the "Godfather of Punk" and one of rock's great survivors, Iggy fronted the Stooges for many years before going solo in 1977 with two celebrated albums, 'The Idiot' and 'Lust for Life.' He still gigs with the Stooges on occasion.

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Diana Ross -

During the 1960s the Supremes were Motown's most commercially successful act. Fronting the female singing group was Diana Ross, who departed in 1970 and achieved superstardom with tracks like 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough,' and in several films including 'Lady Sings the Blues' (1972).

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