We just checked with the Guinness Book of World Records, and it’s true. Being in a band is the most difficult thing that a person can do. More difficult than swallowing a dozen cannon balls, more difficult than piling 10,000 pizzas on top of each other, and even more difficult than trying to break glass with your high-pitched voice. Just ask anyone in a band, they’ll tell you. It’s hard!
So, it makes sense that some prominent members of bands might want to depart their projects for the calmer seas of being a solo artist. It’s happened many times throughout the decades. And that is what we wanted to explore below. More specifically, we wanted to examine the phenomenon over a single decade—the 1980s. Indeed, these are three classic rock artists from the 80s who went solo.
Phil Collins
The British-born band Genesis was founded in 1967. A few years later, drummer and singer Phil Collins responded to an ad in the newspaper from the group looking for a drummer. He auditioned at member Peter Gabriel’s parents’ house and got the job in 1970. His first album with the band was their third, Nursery Cryme. A handful of years later, he would become the frontman for Genesis. But in 1981, Collins released his debut solo LP, Face Value, which included the iconic song, “In The Air Tonight”. That record marked his own path forward under his own name, though he would stay with Genesis until 1996. (Genesis has since reunited several times.)
Ozzy Osbourne
In 1968, the heavy rock group Black Sabbath was born. Led by the eerie and haunting vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, the band was known for songs like “Paranoid” and “Iron Man”. But about a decade later, Ozzy was fired from Black Sabbath. In 1979, he got the boot because his behavior (and substance abuse) had just become untenable with the other members. He wouldn’t rejoin the band again until 1997. In between, he had a well-received solo career, which included hits like the first song he ever released as a solo artist, “Crazy Train,” in 1980 from his debut LP, Blizzard Of Ozz.
George Michael
In 1981, the pop duo Wham! launched their career. Kicking it off with “Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)”, the project produced other favorites like “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “Last Christmas”. But in 1987, George Michael left Wham! to start a solo career, releasing his standout LP, Faith, that year. Michael was a hit-making machine, releasing other classics like “Freedom! ’90”. Recognized for his sticky tunes and good looks, it was inevitable he’d go out on his own.
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