3 Bandleaders Who Embarked on Solo Careers in the 80s (And Found Success)

Many of our favorite solo artists come from our favorite bands. Here are three iconic bandleaders who decided to take the solo route in the 80s.

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Phil Collins

Phil Collins, who started playing drums at just 5, joined English rock band Genesis at 20. Eventually, in addition to being the group’s drummer, he would also take on the role of lead singer when Peter Gabriel left the group in 1975.

Ironically, as Collins told Louder, he didn’t want the job of lead singer at first.

“I felt exposed,” he explained. “I’d lived all my life behind the security blanket of a drum kit, and suddenly there was nothing except a microphone stand. And the band sounds different from out front. You hear a different kind of balance out front, and it isn’t comfortable. And I didn’t want the job, frankly.”

By the 80s, Collins had gotten a little more comfortable with the spotlight. The singer-songwriter released a series of solo projects while still being a part of Genesis. Some of these included the highly successful No Jacket Required (1985) and music for movies like Against All Odds (1984).

Stevie Nicks

In the 70s, Nicks finally found the success she’d been looking for in projects like Buckingham Nicks (1973) with rock band Fleetwood Mac. Later on, the iconic singer-songwriter and performer would become the only woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame not once, but twice, for her solo work and work with the band.

In 1980, as Nicks told Rolling Stone, her decision to go solo was influenced by the songs that she didn’t have anything to do with.

“So I did the Gemini thing where you’re two different people —,” she explained. “Let’s give Stevie her solo career, without breaking up one of the world’s biggest bands. I was on a mission. Every time a Fleetwood Mac tour ended, I hit the ground running.”

She continued, “I would already have songs ready for my next record. I’d take a week off, then I’d be in the studio. Everybody else would go on vacation.”

Sting

In 1985, Sting released his first solo album, The Dream of Blue Turtles, a project that fused both jazz and rock. This move followed his choice to leave The Police, who had reached new levels of success with 1983’s Synchronicity. If you aren’t familiar with the project, think again. The album featured the ever-iconic “Every Breath You Take”.

On departing from The Police, Sting said in an interview, “I don’t think any grown man can be in a band, actually.” He further explained, “A band is a teenage gang. Who wants to be in a teenage gang when you’re knocking 70? It doesn’t allow you to evolve.”

In total, Sting has sold more than 100 million records as a solo artist and a member of The Police.

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