Random Famous Bands That Changed Lead Singers (20 items)

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  (#13) Queensrÿche

  • Progressive metal, Rock music, Power metal, Heavy metal, Progressive rock, Traditional heavy metal, Hard rock

  Lead Singer Change: Geoff Tate to Todd La Torre

  From 1982 until 2012, heavy metal band Queensrÿche featured lead vocals by Geoff Tate, despite the fact that Tate had initially turned down the band's offer. But in 2012, the other members of the band called a meeting (which Tate did not attend) where they fired Tate's wife, Susan, who had been the band's manager. Two days later, Tate fought with his bandmates over firing his wife in an argument that escalated into a brawl. Shortly after, the rest of the band members voted to expel Tate from the band. 

  The band brought in singer Todd La Torre to replace Tate, and continued to tour under the name Queensrÿche. Tate and his wife sued for the rights to use the name. From 2012 to 2014, as the lawsuit dragged through the courts, there were two Queensrÿches touring under the same name: the one now fronted by Tate soundalike La Torre, and another one fronted by Tate. Finally, in 2014, the La Torre-fronted group won the rights to the band name.
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  (#16) Foreigner

  • Rock music, Heavy metal, Pop rock, Soft rock, Rock and roll, Hard rock

  Lead Singer Change: Lou Gramm to Johnny Edwards to Lou Gramm to Kelly Hansen

  The original members of Foreigner auditioned dozens of singers before finding lead vocalist Lou Gramm, who completed the band. However, Gramm continually clashed with founder Mick Jones, and finally, in 1990, Gramm split and Johnny Edwards took over lead vocals. 

  Two years later, Gramm found himself trapped in a hotel with Mick Jones after the Los Angeles riots caused a city-wide curfew. The pair made amends and Gramm rejoined Foreigner only to leave again in 2003, though recently there have been rumors about a reunion tour....
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  (#10) Bad Company

  • Blues-rock, Hard rock

  Lead Singer Change: Paul Rodgers to Brian Howe to Robert Hart to Paul Rodgers

  The original Bad Company was a super group anchored by Paul Rodgers of the band Free. The group was wildly successful, but by the end of the 1970s, they were also burned out on big stadium shows and took a break.

  In 1986, two members of the original Bad Company formed a new band of the same name, this time with frontman Brian Howe. In 1994, Brian Howe left the group, complaining that he was "tired of doing all the work and then getting nothing but resentment for it from [original band members] Mick and Simon."

  Brian Howe had sounded very different from Paul Rodgers, but for their next lead man, Bad Company chose Robert Hart, who sounded extremely similar to the original front man. However, he wasn't similar enough, because in 1998 Paul Rodgers came back, taking up the mantle 25 years after he founded the group.

  (More recently, Paul Rodgers also toured with Queen after the death of their lead man, Freddie Mercury.)

   
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  (#18) Boston

  • Classic rock, Rock music, Progressive rock, Hard rock

  Lead Singer Change: Brad Delp to Fran Cosmo to Brad Delp to Michael Sweet to David Victor...
  
  Unlike many bands, whose sound and image are largely defined by their lead vocalist, Boston's anchoring member is arguably Tom Scholz, who doesn't usually sing, but does do almost everything else, including songwriting, producing, and playing guitar and organ.

  Boston's founding vocalist Brad Delp sang with the band from 1976 until his death in 2007, except for a four-year hiatus during which vocals were handled by Fran Cosmo. 

  In 2007, following Delp's suicide, Scholz turned to several new singers, including Michael Sweet and David Victor. The band has also included lead turns by female vocalist Kimberley Dahme, guitarist Gary Pihl, and Tommy DeCarlo, a Boston fan who was discovered by the band after he posted recorded a song tribute to Delp and posted it on his MySpace page.

  The band's most recent album, Life, Love & Help, included lead vocals from Brad Delp, Tommy DeCarlo, Kimberley Dahme, David Victor, and Tom Scholz himself.
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  (#19) INXS

  • New Wave, Rock music, Dance-rock, Pop rock, Alternative rock, Hard rock, Post-punk

  Lead Singer Change: Michael Hutchence to J.D. Fortune

  MIchael Hutchence was a founding member and lead singer of Australian rock band INXS until his death in 1997. The remaining members of the band replaced him with J.D. Fortune, who they found through a reality TV singing competition in 2005. He (mostly) stuck with the band until they retired from touring in 2012. 
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  (#20) Queen

  • Pop music, Rock music, Heavy metal, Progressive rock, Glam rock, Art rock, Hard rock

  Lead Singer Change: Freddie Mercury to Adam Lambert

  There's really no replacing Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, whose 1991 death put the band's music on hold. When American Idol alum Adam Lambert joined the band in 2012, they were careful to call themselves "Queen + Adam Lambert" to illustrate that Mercury was a one-of-a-kind singer. (Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers also did a turn with Queen as "Queen + Rodgers.")

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