3 Rock Icons From the 70s Who Had More Success After They Joined a Band

Every artist has a story that starts long before they step into the public eye. Sometimes you have to go through trial and error before you find the thing that’s going to be your “big break”. Here are three rock icons from the 70s who did different things in their careers before joining a super-successful band.

Videos by American Songwriter

Stevie Nicks

Before she was the lead singer of Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks was actually in a duo with her then-boyfriend, Lindsey Buckingham. They even released a project together called Buckingham Nicks, before they were recruited to join Fleetwood Mac in 1974. At first, only Lindsey was invited to join the group. However, he said he would only join on the condition that Stevie came too. Although later on, Nicks would achieve much success in a solo career, her role in one of the greatest rock bands of all time certainly helped set her up for success.

Sammy Hagar

Sammy Hagar, also known as The Red Rocker, is well known as the lead singer and frontman of the rock band Van Halen, which he was a part of until 1996. Before that, Hagar had some success as a solo artist and even served as the frontman for another band, Montrose. Apparently, when he met Eddie Van Halen for the first time in 1978, Van Halen told Hagar that he was a “Montrose freak.” He even admitted that the group was his favorite band. Little did he know that, about seven years later, Hagar would replace Van Halen’s former lead singer, David Lee Roth.

Don Henley and Glenn Frey

Before Henley and Frey met in 1970, both were involved in other bands and musical projects. Frey was a part of multiple bands and even worked with Bob Seger. Just before meeting Henley, he was even in a duo called Longbranch Pennywhistle, under which he released an album. Before The Eagles, Henley was a part of a band called Shiloh and even worked with songwriter Kenny Rogers. Through their time with The Eagles, Henley and Frey would win multiple Grammy awards and write iconic hits like “Desperado” and “Hotel California”.

Photo by: David Brewster/Star Tribune via Getty Images