3 HOF Rockers From the 1990s Whose First Bands Never Got Famous

Rock music in the 1990s was in full force. But some of the genre’s biggest names came from humble beginnings. Not every marquee musician from the era rocketed to fame and fortune immediately. Occasionally, it took time. Sometimes they had to pay their dues. And that’s just what we wanted to highlight here below. Indeed, these are three HOF rockers from the 1990s whose first bands never got famous.

Billy Corgan

Born on March 17, 1967, in Chicago, Billy Corgan became one of the most significant artists of the 1990s. His band The Smashing Pumpkins released seminal songs from the era like “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” and “Tonight, Tonight”. But before any of that could take place, Corgan got his start in the late 1980s in St. Petersburg, Florida with a goth rock and metal group called The Marked. After that, he worked in a record store in Chicago before starting The Smashing Pumpkins. Hey, we all have to start somewhere, right?

Shirley Manson

Born on August 26, 1966, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Shirley Manson would grow up to be known as the lead singer and frontwoman for the rock band Garbage. In the 1990s, the group was famous for songs like “Stupid Girl” and “Only Happy When It Rains”. But before Garbage, Manson got her start in the Scottish rock band Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. While that group enjoyed some local fame, problems with record contracts ended up getting the best of them. Goodbye Mr Mackenzie dissolved in 1993, and that allowed Manson to join Garbage shortly after.

Layne Staley

Born on August 22, 1967, in Bellevue, Washington, just outside of Seattle, Layne Staley may just have boasted the best singing voice of the 1990s. The lead vocalist for the grunge band Alice In Chains, Staley was known for songs like “Would?” and “Rooster”. But before he was in AIC, Staley was fronting the local glam metal band Sleze. He joined that outfit in 1984 with some other high school students. But Sleze wouldn’t be the group that made the singer famous. In 1986, Sleze lost members and gained others before it morphed into the beginnings of Alice N’ Chains (later Alice In Chains). AIC released its first album in 1990.

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