10 Forgotten Bands of Solo Stars

Whether Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and Paul McCartney, or Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, and Harry Styles, the history of pop is littered with iconic solo artists that emerged from iconic outfits. But not every star who left the safety net of a group to go it alone has been able to draw upon the taste of success—indeed, many chart regulars past and present were in bands that failed to leave any lasting impression whatsoever. From failed girl groups to flop rockers, here’s a look at 10 acts that proved to be frustrating false starts. 

1. Wild Orchid (Fergie)
2. Leaders of the New School (Busta Rhymes)
3. Freak Power (Fatboy Slim)
4. Blue Angel (Cyndi Lauper)
5. Y Kant Tori Read (Tori Amos)
6. Black Rose (Cher)
7. Vinegar Joe (Robert Palmer)
8. Eden’s Crush (Nicole Scherzinger)
9. The Ranch (Keith Urban)
10. Blackjack (Michael Bolton)

Wild Orchid (Fergie)

Before helping to transform Black Eyed Peas from a cult hip-hop outfit into party-starting superstars, Stacy Ferguson, a.k.a. Fergie, had her first bite of the pop cherry as part of an all-singing, all-dancing girlband. The trio—which also included Fergie’s Kids Incorporated castmate Renee Sandstrom and child actor Stefanie Ridel—performed the theme tune to the NBC sitcom Hope and Gloria, hosted Lip Sync Battle prototype Great Pretenders, and even shot a pilot for their very own Buffy-esque crime-fighting drama. Their self-titled 1997 debut also spawned three minor Hot 100 hits, including the two-time Billboard Award-nominated “Talk to Me.” 

But despite appearing as the opening act on tours with 98 Degrees and NSYNC, Wild Orchid failed to truly capitalize on the teen-pop explosion, and their third album, Fire, was shelved. Fergie connected with the BEP at a radio show, and, eventually, announced her departure from Wild Orchid. Sandstrom and Ridel soldiered on as a duo; they released the Hypnotic LP in 2003 before calling it a day themselves. 

Leaders of the New School (Busta Rhymes)

Busta Rhymes first displayed his lightning quick lyrical flow as a member of New York hip-hop quartet Leaders of the New School, which also featured fellow rappers Dinco D and Charlie Brown and Rhymes’s cousin, DJ Cut Monitor Milo. Mentored by Public Enemy—it was Chuck D who gave the man born Trevor Smith, Jr. his cooler alias—and their production team The Bomb Squad, the quartet signed to Elektra Records in 1990 and dropped their debut A Future Without a Past a year later. Collaborations with A Tribe Called Quest and James Brown further bolstered their street cred, while the Billboard Rap Songs chart-topper “The International Zone Coaster” suggested they were about to enter hip-hop's big league.

But the fact that Rhymes was continually called out as the star of the show created tensions between the group, and while promoting their sophomore album, T.I.M.E., during a particularly heated episode of Yo! MTV Raps in 1993, they essentially split up on live TV. Three years later, the other LONS members appeared on Rhymes’s solo debut The Coming and throughout the 2010s sporadically joined their de facto leader on stage.

Freak Power (Fatboy Slim)

A man of many guises and talents, Norman Cook enjoyed No. 1 success in the UK as the bassist in indie-pop quartet The Housemartins and as a member of the dance collective Beats International—and he nearly made it three out of three when another group of his, Freak Power, had their song “Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out” peak at No. 3 in the spring of 1995. Unfortunately, the groove-laden ‘70s throwback—buoyed by its use on a memorable Levi’s TV ad—proved to be the acid-jazz outfit’s only notable hit.

The fact that both Freak Power albums—1994 debut Drive-Thru Booty and 1996’s More of Everything for Everybody—struggled to connect with listeners sparked something of an identity crisis for Cook. “I’m a really crap guitarist. What am I doing here? I've spent the last 10 years getting pissed in nightclubs, learning how to DJ,” he later recalled of his thoughts at the time. As a result, he ditched bandmates Ashley Slater and Jesse Graham, switched his attention to the turntables, and ultimately became the superstar DJ known as Fatboy Slim. 

Blue Angel (Cyndi Lauper)

“[It] went lead,” Cyndi Lauper once quipped of her first album with New York new wave outfit Blue Angel, which was also her last. The pop eccentric had cut her teeth on the Big Apple’s live circuit with guitarist Arthur Neilson, bassist Lee Brovitz, drummer Johnny Morelli, and saxophonist John Turi. And she remained a loyal frontwoman, refusing solo offers from several labels to hold out for one that included her bandmates, too. They eventually signed with Polydor and released an album that went nowhere. Then, the band’s former manager, Steve Massarsky, filed a lawsuit against them, which left Lauper bankrupt. She also suffered a vocal cyst.

Despite all the drama, the Grammy winner has twice used Blue Angel songs in her own glittering solo career: She repurposed the group’s “Maybe He’ll Know” on 1986’s True Colors, and did a new cover of Frankie Laine’s “I’m Gonna Be Strong”—which Blue Angel had also covered—for the 1994 compilation Twelve Deadly Cyns.  

Y Kant Tori Read (Tori Amos)

As the wild-haired, whip-cracking pose on their self-titled debut album would suggest, the Tori Amos of Y Kant Tori Read was very different from the Kate Bush-esque figure that re-emerged in the ’90s. Though Amos would become known for hammering the piano on idiosyncratic confessionals, she got her start in an attention-grabbing ’80s outfit that bridged the gap between synth-pop and the glam rock of Sunset Strip.

The quartet—named after the star’s refusal to read sheet music while studying at the Peabody Conservatory—featured Amos, bassist Brad Cobb, drummer Matt Sorum (who would later go on to join Guns N’ Roses), and Amos’s longtime collaborator Steve Caton on guitar. Unfortunately, their debut album was a flop on its 1988 release—then became a collector’s item once Amos evolved into one of the alt-rock scene’s leading ladies. Amos initially distanced herself from its hairspray-soaked sound, but the songstress has since performed many of its 10 tracks during her solo tours. 

Black Rose (Cher)

Unlike the other bands on this list, Black Rose was formed while its singer was already an established star rather than a complete unknown—not that the band made much fuss about it. Indeed, in a bid to prove that they weren’t riding on her coattails, the short-lived outfit chose not to publicize the fact they were fronted by the one and only Cher: The legendary diva’s name didn’t feature at all on their self-titled debut’s artwork and her famous face was relegated to a back cover group photo. And before signing to Casablanca Records, the hard rockers—who also featured Cher’s then-boyfriend Les Dudek—toured the kind of venues you could hardly swing a cat in.

Of course, once it was clear that the record was flopping, Black Rose pulled out all the promotional stops, doing high profile performances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and The Midnight Special. But by that point, it was too late, and before long, Black Rose had completely wilted away.  

Vinegar Joe (Robert Palmer)

Formed from the ashes of the 12-piece collective Dada, Vinegar Joe released three albums in the early 1970s without much fanfare. Yet they still spawned not one but two solo stars of differing musical pedigrees. One was Elkie Brooks, who became one of the most prominent UK blues rock singers of the decade, scoring hits with covers of “Lilac Wine,” “Sunshine After the Rain,” and “Don’t Cry Out Loud.” The other was Robert Palmer, who flirted with everything from reggae and new wave to synth-pop and Tin Pan Alley in a chameleonic career that also included a stint in the supergroup Power Station. He’s best known, of course, for the Grammy-winning “Addicted to Love,” with its iconic video featuring Palmer flanked by five identical, instrument-wielding models.

Interestingly, Vinegar Joe very nearly welcomed a third future superstar into the fold: It’s said that  a young drummer named Phil Collins auditioned for the band but was turned down.

Eden’s Crush (Nicole Scherzinger)

Eden’s Crush is a prime example of how fickle fame can be. Rosanna Tavarez, Ivette Sosa, Ana Maria Lombo, Maile Misajon, and a then completely unknown Nicole Scherzinger were lauded as the next big thing after being selected as the final five in the WB’s talent show Popstars. And although they never achieved the success of the early American Idol winners, they still bagged a Top 10 hit with their debut single, “Get Over Yourself.” Their debut album, Popstars, was executive produced by David Foster and peaked at No.6 on the Billboard 200. (The opening track, “What’s Good 4 the Goose,” was co-written by Fergie.) They even enjoyed the ultimate early ’00s accolade—a guest appearance on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.

But the group was hampered by the financial constraints of their London-Sire label, and less than 18 months after their formation, they were dropped in 2001. Of course, it proved to be a blessing in disguise for Scherzinger, who a couple of years later took center stage in burlesque group-turned-pop sensation the Pussycat Dolls. 

The Ranch (Keith Urban)

Keith Urban could never be described as an overnight success. In Australia, where he grew up, his melodic brand of country pop struggled to make any impression for a good decade, and that includes the slightly rowdier album he recorded with short-lived trio The Ranch. Still, thanks to an opportunistic re-release in the wake of his early ’00s success—and various covers by Nashville favorites—their self-titled debut has enjoyed a surprisingly long shelf life. The Chicks released their version of “Some Days You Gotta Dance” as a single in 2001, while “Walk In the Country” (Scotty McCreery), “Desiree” (David Nail), and “Homespun Love” (Steel Magnolia) were all also given a new lease of life. Despite the high-profile co-signs, however, Urban, drummer Peter Clarke, and bassist Jerry Flowers have so far resisted the urge to reunite. 

Blackjack (Michael Bolton)

Once renowned just as much for his wild mullet as his gravelly voice, it’s perhaps little surprise that Michael Bolton was an early progenitor of the scene known as hair metal: Before becoming the nation’s favorite male power balladeer, the soft rocker went much harder as the frontman of the short-lived quartet Blackjack. 

The band only reached No. 127 with their eponymous LP and after 1980’s Worlds Apart failed to reverse their commercial fortunes, the quartet went their separate ways. But Bolton wasn’t the only member to go on to greater things—bassist Jimmy Haslip formed Grammy-nominated jazz fusion outfit Yellowjackets, while guitarist Bruce Kulick spent 12 years with iconic glam rockers KISS. Blackjack’s legacy has also been extended in unlikely circumstances. Both Jay-Z (“A Dream”) and Kanye West (“Never Let Me Down”) sampled songs from their sophomore album, much to Bolton’s delight. 

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