Top 10 Musicians Who are or Were the Only Constant Member of a Band's Lineup
Throughout history, some bands (Led Zeppelin, U2, ZZ Top, Rush) have never really changed lineups, if at all. Other bands have undergone numerous member changes.Sometimes, only one member remains throughout the band's entire existence, either holding the rights to the band's name or serving as its creative leader.
Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer of the English rock band Deep Purple. He has been the band's only constant member since its foundation. Ian Paice has been Deep Purple's drummer throughout its entire 50-year history.
Jon Lord was with the band until he retired in 2002, making Ian eligible for this list.
Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. As a guitarist for the progressive rock band King Crimson, Fripp has been the only member to have played in all of King Crimson's line-ups from their inception in the late 1960s to the present. He has also worked... read more Robert Fripp has been King Crimson's leader and creative force throughout its 50-year history.
He is, essentially, the band.
Aleksandar Živojinović, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. As I mentioned in the Geddy Lee entry, Alex (believe it or not) was the only constant member of Rush.
Anthony Frank "Tony" Iommi is an English guitarist, songwriter and producer. Best known as lead guitarist and founding member of the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, he has been the band's sole continual member and primary composer. At age 17, he accidentally lost the fingertips of his middle... read more
Angus McKinnon Young is an Australian guitarist of Scottish origin, best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, songwriter and sole constant member of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. When performing live he does his own version of Chuck Berry's "duck walk" and has also spun on his side while... read more Angus Young became the last original member following Malcolm Young's retirement in 2014 (he died three years later).
Brian Johnson and Cliff Williams' departures removed all other ties to classic-era AC/DC.
Angus Young is the only member who stayed with AC/DC for the 47 years they were around.
David Scott "Dave" Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, actor and author. Mustaine is best known as a pioneer in Thrash Metal, being the former lead guitarist of Metallica before his dismissal in 1983, leading to finding and becoming the front man of his own... read more
Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner (1967-2001) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known as the founder and vocalist, guitarist and bassist of the American heavy metal band Death. He is considered the most influential figure in Death Metal, with some publications referring to Chuck... read more
Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist, primary songwriter and founder of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Guitarist Dave Murray has been on every single album and tour with Iron Maiden.
Steve started the band, but Dave has been by his side since 1976. Their first album came out in 1980.
Donald Thomas "Tom" Scholz is an American rock musician, inventor, engineer, and philanthropist, best known as the founder of the band Boston. This is to be expected. Tom Scholz was the entire creative force of Boston.
Brad Delp's tragic suicide in 2007 left Tom Scholz as the only original member in the band.
Nicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English musician and composer, best known as the drummer of legendary rock band Pink Floyd. He was the only member of the group to have played on all of their albums.
Syd Barrett got kicked out in 1968.
David Gilmour joined at that time.
Roger Waters left the band in 1983 after the recording of The Final Cut.
Rick Wright got kicked out by Waters in 1979 during the recording of The Wall and returned in 1987 for A Momentary Lapse of Reason.
The Newcomers
Michael Trent Reznor, known professionally as Trent Reznor, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and film score composer. He is known for his intense music videos.
Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt is a Swedish musician, prominently known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of progressive death metal band Opeth, as well as being the former vocalist of death metal supergroup Bloodbath for three albums up until 2012... read more
Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. After Glenn Frey died in 2016, Don Henley became the only original member in the band.
William Bruce Rose Jr., better known as 'Axl Rose', is an American singer born on February 6, 1962, in Lafayette, Indiana. He Is the founder and lead singer of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses. He is a celebrated but controversial figure in the world of rock. He is the only original member of Guns N' Roses.
Axl is the only one who stayed in the band for the 36 years Guns N' Roses has been a band.
James Roger McGuinn known professionally as Roger McGuinn and previously as Jim McGuinn, is an American musician. I'm looking at such a creative, fresh, and informative music list after a very long time.
Great list. You add new content that is all about creativity and precision. I was really disappointed with the extremely biased and repetitive music lists being added repeatedly.
He was the only constant member of The Byrds, even when they completely changed their lineup in 1968.
This is evident in that he was the only band member to sing lead vocals on the album Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde.
Brendon Boyd Urie, more commonly known as Brendon Urie, was born April 12, 1987, in St. George, Utah. He is an American singer, songwriter, musician and multi-instrumentalist. He is best own as the lead singer of the American pop-rock band Panic! At The Disco. He is the only original remaining member... read more
Scott Ian is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist, backing and additional lead vocalist, and the only remaining original founding member of the thrash metal band Anthrax. He also writes the lyrics on all their albums.
He is the only original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd in its current lineup - a lineup that is somewhat controversial among fans.
Amy Lynn Hartzler, known professionally as Amy Lee, is an American singer-songwriter, classically trained pianist and composer. She is also the lead singer to the Arkansas band Evanescence.
Ian Fraser Kilmister, known as Lemmy, was an English musician, singer and songwriter who founded and fronted the rock band Motörhead. He was a bassist and a singer known for his raspy voice. He died in 2015 from cancer and other health problems. Motörhead went through nine other musicians throughout its history.
Lemmy was pretty much the face of the band.
He is the only original member left in The Marshall Tucker Band.
William Patrick "Billy" Corgan Jr. is an American musician, songwriter, producer, television writer, poet, and professional wrestling promoter best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins.
Robert James Smith is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is the lead singer, guitarist, lyricist and principal songwriter of the rock band The Cure. He is the band's only constant member since its formation in 1976.
Steven John Wilson is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer, most closely associated with the progressive rock genre. He is best known for his band Porcupine Tree.
Benjamin Jackson Burnley IV is an American musician, composer, and producer, best known as the founder and frontman of the American rock band Breaking Benjamin.
