4 Folk and Rock Musicians From the 1960s Who Disappeared Without a Trace

Plenty of folk and rock musicians from the 1960s made it big before they disappeared into thin air. These four talented musicians did exactly that, and we’re going to find out what happened to them. Let’s enjoy a brief music history lesson, shall we?

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1. Syd Barrett

This wouldn’t be a true list of rock musicians from the 1960s who disappeared without mentioning the tragic tale of Syd Barrett. Barrett is best known as Pink Floyd’s original frontman from 1965 to 1968. He orchestrated the band’s gorgeous debut album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn.

Sadly, Barrett would have no choice but to depart the band the following year. He struggled with mental health problems, which were only made worse by his growing use of psychedelic drugs. Barrett would eventually disappear from the public eye for good after his retirement in 1972, opting for a quiet life in Cambridge, England until his death in 2006 at the age of 60.

2. Del Shannon

Remember Del Shannon? He was a pretty big deal in the early 1960s. His hit “Runaway” quickly became a cult classic in rock and roll. He also enjoyed a few other hits, namely  “Little Town Flirt” and “Hats Off To Larry”.

Unfortunately, the British Invasion movement quickly took over the rock charts and Shannon’s career took a bit of a nosedive. His final record was released posthumously in 2017, and the last record he released while alive was Drop Down And Get Me in 1981. Shannon passed in 1990 at the age of 50 from what many (including his widow) believe to be drug-induced suicide.

3. The Beau Brummels

The Beau Brummels are probably the most influential band you’ve never heard of. This outfit is considered one of the earliest pioneers of the San Francisco 1960s rock sound. They found a bit of success with the Sly Stone-produced 1964 folk-rock single “Laugh, Laugh”. 

Just a few other hits came after that release, but the band decided to make a genre switch to country music instead. They ultimately broke up in 1969, but they have returned off and on through the years. Their last reunion was in 2013, and the band has called it quits for good since then.

4. Peter Green

One of the more prominent rock musicians from the 1960s who disappeared without a trace, you might remember Peter Green as the OG musician behind the world’s first iteration of folk-rock band Fleetwood Mac.

When the band first formed in 1967, they were a blues outfit that found a bit of success with songs like “Albatross” and “Oh Well”, among several other successful releases. Sadly, Green had to tap out in 1970 due to his increasingly concerning drug abuse problems and mental health struggles. He did reappear in the 1990s with the group Peter Green Splinter Group, but after that, he more or less faded away from the limelight for good. Green passed away in 2020 at the age of 73.

Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage

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