The music business is a tough gig. Sure, it might seem like everything any aspiring musician has ever wanted, but like everything, it has some negative attributes. Public scrutiny, financial manipulation, and social strife are just a few to name, and trust us, there are many more. So, is making it in the music business hard? Yes, of course, but so is staying in it. Unfortunately for these three rock bands from the 1970s, the things mentioned above got to them, as they stopped almost as soon as they started.
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Ram Jam
Founded in 1977, Ram Jam rose to fame with their 1977 rock hit, “Black Betty”. Released in June of 1977, the band’s most notable single peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though following the success of the single, the band broke up in 1978 due to their failed second album.
It’s quite a shame these guys didn’t stay together until at least the end of the decade, as their talent amounted to far more great music than “Black Betty”.Though it seems the general public didn’t catch on to that fact. Other songs you should check out by Ram Jam include “Keep Your Hands On The Wheel” and “Let It All Out”.
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols are an incredibly impressive rock band, and it’s not necessarily because of their talent. While that certainly plays a part, the thing most impressive about the ever-so-controversial Sex Pistols is that their unruly disposition as a band has made them notable to this day. That fact becomes even more impressive when you learn that the band was only together for two years and released one studio album.
The Sex Pistols’ demise in 1978 came about due to substance abuse, internal strife, poor management, and a trepidatious American tour. Subsequently, their lead singer, Sid Vicious, would go on to live an incredibly nefarious, eclectic, and controversial life, which is one of the many reasons they have stayed notable nearly 50 years after their end.
Derek and the Dominos
Founded by Eric Clapton in the spring of 1970, Derek And The Dominos‘ run was incredible despite it only being about a year long. During that year, Derek And The Dominos released one studio album, Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs. The acclaimed album peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 and recharted in 1972, 74, and 77.
Several tragic factors caused the end of the band in 1971. At the time of their breakup up the band was a commercial failure, but the two main reasons for the band’s dissolution were Eric Clapton’s crippling drug addiction and the death of Duane Allman.
Photo by Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
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