3 Classic Rock Bands Who Had Huge Hits in the 1980s, and Then Disappeared

Most classic rock bands, especially those that came up in the 80s, have enjoyed long and enduring careers. Some classic rock bands from the 1980s, though, more or less disappeared after the decade came to a close. And that’s a shame, as quite a few of them (including the following three bands) were genuinely very good. Let’s look at what happened to them, shall we?

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Vixen

Remember this all-female glam rock outfit? Vixen enjoyed quite a bit of success from 1987 to the very early 1990s. Their debut single, “Edge Of A Broken Heart”, hit No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. From there, they enjoyed a string of hits that lasted until around 1991. After that, Vixen seemed to just disappear from the airwaves. So, what happened?

Vixen broke up in 1992 but revived in 1997. In 1998, they released Tangerine, which didn’t produce any hits and resulted in legal issues with founding member Jan Kuehnemund. The other former members of the band went on to release music under the names VXN and JSRG. It’s all quite complicated, so it’s safe to say that the original Vixen as we know it came to an end in 1992.

‘Til Tuesday

Some might remember this new wave alt-rock outfit as Aimee Mann’s original band. ‘Til Tuesday came together in 1982 and produced some hefty hits, namely the 1985 song “Voices Carry”. The album of the same name was their most successful record, though they continued to chart with the two follow-up records through 1988. After that year, though, ‘Til Tuesday disappeared.

In reality, the group disbanded in 1990 when Mann decided to focus on her solo career, and she said herself that her musical taste had simply changed around that time. No drama to be found here.

Sheriff

Canadian readers definitely remember this band, especially those who were around to experience them in the early to mid-1980s. The arena rock band Sheriff launched in 1979 and scored their biggest hit, “When I’m With You”, in 1982. Though, that song didn’t become a No. 1 hit until it was re-released in 1989. But by then, Sheriff was long gone. The band came to an end in 1985, despite how successful they were in the early 1980s. Apparently, “internal tensions” were what caused this entry on our list of classic rock bands from the 1980s that disappeared to come to an end. What a shame.

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