3 Solo Albums That Proved These Musicians Didn’t Need Their Former Bands for Success

When a member of a highly successful band goes their own way, everyone is always incredibly curious about how they will perform as a solo artist. For a musician, going solo after achieving collective success is arguably one of the riskiest things they can do. There are horror stories of musicians doing this and failing, but on the contrary, some have flourished.

Videos by American Songwriter

Not very often do we see a former member of a band surpass their previous height during their solo careers. However, some have come incredibly close and or achieved that very feat. That being said, here are three solo albums that proved these musicians didn’t need their former bands for success.

‘McCartney’ by Paul McCartney

If we are being honest, Paul McCartney‘s debut solo album could have been a collection of farm animal sounds, and people would have still listened to it out of sheer curiosity. However, that is not the case, as this album is a masterpiece that features the quintessential McCartney singles “Maybe I’m Amazed” and “Every Night”.

Following its 1970 release, McCartney’s debut solo album, unsurprisingly, peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. This is incredibly impressive in and of itself, as it showed McCartney had the capacity to do it alone. What also showed that McCartney had this capacity is that he played the majority of the instruments and produced all the tracks by himself.

‘Bella Donna’ by Stevie Nicks

Fleetwood Mac never officially broke up, but in 1981, each band member pursued solo careers. The most successful solo career to come from this brief hiatus was Stevie Nicks‘. During this break, Stevie Nicks released her debut solo album, Bella Donna.

Featuring classic tracks such as “Edge Of Seventeen”, “Leather And Lace”, and “After The Glitter Fades”, this debut body of work climbed to the No. 1 position of the Billboard 200. Furthermore, it had a total of four hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100.

‘The Dream Of The Blue Turtles’ by Sting

In 1984, Sting stepped away from The Police, and the band dissolved entirely. Roughly a year later, Sting released his debut solo album, The Dream Of The Blue Turtles, and showed the world that he and he alone could be a famous rock star.

Released in 1985, The Dream Of The Blue Turtles went on to peak at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It hosted four Top 20 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” and “Fortress Around Your Heart”.

Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images