5 Most Iconic Sibling Rock Duos of All Time

The rock ‘n’ roll world is not for the faint of heart, but as these iconic sibling rock duos can attest, having your brother or sister by your side can make it a whole lot easier. Family bands are nothing new in the musical world. Since artists first began recording (and for decades and centuries before that), relatives would utilize their proximity, like-mindedness, and good, old-fashioned blood harmony to create music together.

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There are countless ways to categorize family bands, from entire familial units to specific groupings of siblings or other relatives. For the sake of this list, we’ll focus specifically on iconic sibling rock duos.

Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart

Kicking off our list of iconic sibling rock duos are Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart. Ann, the elder sister, provided the band’s powerhouse vocals, and Nancy, the younger sister, took care of the guitar riffs. Arguably one of the most famous sister duos in musical history, it’s worth noting that the Wilson sisters faced challenges throughout their career that other duos on this list didn’t. Unlike their male sibling counterparts, the Wilsons dealt with hyper-sexualization and sleazy incestuous rumors that rarely, if ever, would have been placed on a pair of male relatives. (Ann Wilson summarized their experiences in one of their most popular songs, “Barracuda.”)

Angus & Malcolm Young of AC/DC

Malcolm Young and his younger brother, Angus Young, formed AC/DC in Sydney in the early 1970s. Malcolm held down the rhythm guitar while Angus became famous for his schoolboy-uniform-clad, highly physical lead guitar playing. In a 2001 interview with Lola da Musica, the brothers shared how much they valued the other’s opinion and talent. Angus said even when he worked with other successful professionals, he took their advice with a grain of salt. “I’m not worried what [they] said. I’m worried what Malcolm says.” After Malcolm died in 2017, the brothers’ nephew, Stephen Young, replaced him. Stephen is the son of the Youngs’ eldest brother, Stephen Young Sr.

Eddie & Alex Van Halen of Van Halen

Healthy sibling rivalries are a natural part of growing up with brothers and sisters. And in a fateful turn of events, it also led to the Van Halen lineup as we know it today. Brothers Alex and Eddie Van Halen (older and younger, respectively) began playing music as children. Keen to start a band, Eddie began practicing drums on a kit he was paying off with a paper route. While Eddie was working, Alex would secretly play his kit. Eventually, Alex got so proficient at drums that Eddie ceded the instrument to his older brother and began playing Alex’s guitar instead. The rest is history.

Dimebag Darrell & Vinnie Paul of Pantera

Darrell “Dimebag Darrell” Abbott and Vincent “Vinnie Paul” Abbott formed Pantera in 1981. After the band split in the early 2000s, the brothers created a new band, Damageplan. A deranged Pantera fan attended a Damageplan show in Columbus, Ohio, in 2004 and shot and killed Darrell mid-performance. His older brother, Vinnie Paul, died in 2018. After Pantera reformed with original members in 2022, bassist Rex Brown told Sweetwater that he felt like he could feel the Abbott brothers’ presence in the studio. “To me, they’re angels. I think they’re looking down, or they’re looking around us, with us, and I think they’re digging what they’re seeing, man. I really do.”

Liam & Noel Gallagher of Oasis

Love them or hate them, the Gallagher brothers are certainly one of the most famous (or, perhaps, infamous) sibling duos of rock ‘n’ roll history. Liam and Noel Gallagher helped usher in the late 1990s wave of Britpop with smash hits like “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova.” Their contentious behavior with one another was almost as ubiquitous as the music itself. The Gallaghers’ infighting reached a fever plum, er, pitch in 2009 when Noel left the band. In the years that followed, a “will they, won’t they” narrative formed around the Gallaghers as people hoped for an Oasis reunion. In August 2024, fans got their wish when the siblings announced their long-awaited reunion.

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