3 Artists Who Had a Hit or Two (And Then Disappeared)

The music industry is a pressure cooker. Its high tempo, fame, fortune, and hedonistic nature are a lifestyle not necessarily conducive to internal peace. That being so, many artists with hit songs have disappeared from the industry altogether after achieving success. Now, the reasons for their departures differ, though ultimately, they seemingly felt the need to leave the industry and explore the different avenues life has to offer.

More often than not, the musicians to leave the industry are the ones who received minimal yet significant success. With that in mind, here are three artists who had a hit or two in the music industry before disappearing from the scene.

Norman Greenbaum

Norman Greenbaum is known for his 1969 hit song, “Spirit In The Sky”. Following the release of the single, Greenbaum’s hit song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Greenbaum tried to replicate this success, however, he fell short and left the limelight in 1972 after the release of his album, Petaluma.

After the release of Petaluma, Norman Greenbaum moved to Penngrove, California, and became a dairy farmer. He never returned to the limelight, but he did return to music, as he became a promoter and a manager in the late in the mid-1980s.

Peter Green

Peter Green is one of the founding members of Fleetwood Mac, who helped create hit songs such as “Black Magic Woman” and “Man of the World”. However, in 1970, Green abruptly left the band due to mental health reasons brought on by the lifestyle that rock ‘n’ roll fame entailed.

After his departure from Fleetwood Mac, Green left the music industry for nearly a decade. His first official return was in 1979 after the release of his debut solo album, In the Skies. Following that, Greenbaum’s career continued off and on until he passed away tragically in 2020.

Jeannie C. Riley

In 1968, Jeannie C. Riley released her hit single “Harper Valley P.T.A”. Following the release of the song, Riley scored major success as the song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 1 on the Country Singles chart. Riley went on to have some success; however, in 1972, she announced her transition into Christian music after she became a born-again Christian.

Following that announcement, Riley left the music scene altogether in 1991 to pursue a career in the prayer ministry. Since that departure, Riley has been living a quiet life and married her first love, Billy Starnes, in 2012, per Round Top.

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