Plenty of famous rock bands have dealt with a revolving door of members, and some of those departed members have been forgotten over time. Some might agree that the rock band members on our list below are indeed forgotten, while others might not. Either way, these four talented artists deserve at least a little more love for their contributions to their respective bands.
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1. Tracii Guns
Unless you’re a diehard Guns N’ Roses fan, you might not even know who Tracii Guns is. That’s a shame, because Guns is part of the namesake of the hard rock band, and he helped make the band what it is today. Guns ended up leaving the outfit just two months after it was born from a merger between L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. Slash would be his replacement, and the rest is history.
2. Scott Raynor
Before Travis Barker, there was Scott Raynor.
The original drummer of Blink-182, Raynor formed the iconic punk rock band alongside high school friend Tom DeLonge and co-lead singer Mark Hoppus. Raynor’s stint with Blink-182 spanned six years and two albums (Cheshire Cat and Dude Ranch). He ultimately parted with the band in 1998.
Raynor bounced around other bands following his departure. He’s since gone on to become a cop for the San Diego police department, getting sworn in back in January of 2023, via Mirror.
3. Pete Best
This example of a forgotten band member who once left their famous rock band didn’t exactly make the choice himself. He was sacked, and he was sacked by none other than The Beatles. Ouch.
Pete Best was once The Beatles’ drummer, and he joined the group in 1960. However, in 1962, the band booted him and hired Ringo Starr as his replacement. Naturally, they would become the most famous band of the 20th century.
4. Jason Everman
This entry on our list of forgotten rock band members was a surprise even to me, and I’m an avid Nirvana fan. Believe it or not, the trio of Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl once featured another member. And no, we’re not talking about Pat Smear. We’re talking about Jason Everman, the rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist for Nirvana who joined (and left) the grunge band in 1989, shortly before they got big. He was also a member of Soundgarden. Surprisingly, he left the world of music behind to become a military man.
Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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