Bands are often likened to families, which implies a lot. “Brothers fight,” Graham Nash told Billboard in 2023 about the grandiose dynamics of his associations with David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Neil Young over the years. “You’re brothers and you love each other, but you fight. You break up. You come back together. You break up again. It’s family. It’s volatile.”
That’s certainly proven true over many decades, as rock bands by the dozens — hundreds, even — have weathered departures, some peaceful and some tempestuous. Many even turn litigious as the principals argue over ownership of music, trademarks, images and the like. Some bust-ups prove to be temporary and are set right – or at least result in — subsequent reunions, and some are better for all parties concerned. It’s a proverbial tale as old as time, and rare is a group like, say, U2, that’s gone through a long career with its band of brothers intact.
The changes are almost always noteworthy, and newsworthy, some erupting into open scandals that can last years and be rehashed by Behind the Music episodes and in scathing memoirs. They become legendary, too, great gifts of lore that bring extra dramatic arc to a band’s legacy. It’s mesmerizing to watch from the sidelines, even if it’s traumatic for those directly involved.
The most impactful and controversial of them? Now there’s a discussion that could incite arguments vehement enough to break up any band. We’ll take our shot, though, and present these as the 11 most notable departures and replacements in rock band history.
