3 Classic Rock Legends Who Almost Quit the Music Business Entirely (And We’re Glad They Didn’t)

Some of the biggest classic rock legends of all time nearly quit the business at one point in their careers, some of whom almost walked away when they were at the top of the charts. It’s definitely hard to imagine, but the following three classic rock legends gave pretty good reasons for wanting to quit while they were ahead. Here’s what they had to say about a few hard moments in their enormously successful careers.

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Paul McCartney

This is a particularly shocking entry on our list of classic rock legends who almost quit music. After all, Paul McCartney was a legendary member of the legendary rock band, The Beatles, from its inception to their inevitable breakup in 1970. And it’s hard to imagine some amazing solo McCartney classics, like McCartney II or Ram or many Wings albums never getting made. However, McCartney himself said in a BBC radio interview in 2016 that after The Beatles ended, he wasn’t sure “whether [he] was still going to continue in music.” He began to drink to deal with the stress of lawsuits and business dealings in the fallout of the band.

“It was Linda [McCartney] who said, ‘You’ve got to get it together…’ and that led to Wings,” said McCartney. “I liked the idea of a band. I wanted to go back to square one.”

Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens)

Here’s an example of a classic rock star who actually did quit the business… for a while. Thankfully, Yusuf Islam (better known as Cat Stevens by his OG fans) returned to music after some time away. The “Matthew And Son” folk rock hitmaker converted to Islam in 1977. In 1979, he sold all of his guitars for charity and then announced his decision to leave the music world behind to focus on philanthropy. A just cause, for sure. Thankfully, he returned to music in 2006.

Bill Berry

R.E.M. is at the cusp of what many would define as classic rock, but former member Bill Berry’s story is one worth telling. Berry, the band’s drummer, left the band and the music industry entirely in 1997, two years after suffering a cerebral aneurysm that almost claimed his life. Thankfully, he recovered. But according to Berry, his priorities in life shifted dramatically away from music. He became a farmer and wouldn’t return to the music industry until 2022. That year, he returned to music with a supergroup called The Bad Ends. He has also reunited with R.E.M. occasionally.

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