Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: 10 Bands That Changed Singers..and Won

[tater1977]

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: 10 Bands That Changed Singers... and Won

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/F ... 0229-2012/

Michael Leonard

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Lead guitarists like to think they are the star of the show, but to many fans it is the singer who defines any band’s sound.

And some bands have won long-term by changing their frontmen. Sometimes it is singers leaving, sometimes it’s singers being sacked, other times it untimely death. Whatever the reason, here are 10 veteran bands who changed their singer and got even more successful.

Feel free to add your own changing frontman favorites in the comments…

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Journey

When Neal Schon and Greg Rolie left Santana’s band in 1973 to form Journey, it was Rolie who was designated singer. Journey’s early jazz-rock fusion-ist sound was impressive, but hardly the stuff of hit records. Journey’s record label, Columbia, demanded the band hire another singer to help out keyboard player Rolie. Robert Fleischman was briefly Journey’s frontman, but that didn’t work out either. Enter Steve Perry. With Perry onboard, Journey went stratospheric. Their sound was completely different to their debut, but with the Escape album hitting #1 and making Journey AOR staples, who was crying now? Possibly Fleischman, who didn’t make the grade. Journey continue in 2012 with sixth vocalist, Arnel Pineda. It’s no coincidence Pineda sounds 90% like Steve “The Voice” Perry.

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[ForceInfinity]

Bah, they don't even have Dream Theater. James LaBrie is their third lead vocalist after Chris Collin and Charles Dominici, and arguably the band has done far better with LaBrie having scored their first Grammy nomination just recently for "On the Backs of Angels"