When the frontman leaves for a solo career, what’s a band to do? Form a new band.

Talk Show

Stone Temple Pilots were one of the most successful rock bands of the ‘90s, racking up hits like “Plush,” “Big Empty,” and “Interstate Love Song.” Along the way, lead singer Scott Weiland struggled with a heroin addiction, leading the band to abruptly announce a hiatus in 1997. Weiland recorded a solo album and spent some time in rehab, but the rest of the band wasn’t so sure he was coming back to the group…so the other three Stone Temple Pilots formed a new band called Talk Show. One self-titled album sold poorly, and by 1998, Weiland was back in the band.

The Heads

Talking Heads was never a collaborative, democratic band: David Byrne was the undisputed leader. He broke up the band in 1992, but the other three members (Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth, and Chris Frantz) weren’t ready to throw in the towel yet, not with the band or each other. In 1996, they formed the Heads and released one album, No Talking, Just Head, alluding to the fact that the band was like Talking Heads…but not quite. Guest vocalists like Debbie Harry of Blondie and Michael Hutchence of INXS filled in, but the band ultimately fell apart when Byrne sued the Heads because he thought the project was too similar to Talking Heads, a band and brand he owned outright.

Phantom, Rocker & Slick

Stray Cats were a bit of an anomaly on the radio in the early ‘80s: while hard rock bands like Journey and New Wave bands like Blondie dominated pop music, the Stray Cats played rockabilly music and dressed like 1950s hooligans. They scored a bunch of hits, including “Rock This Town” and “Stray Cat Strut.” Brian Setzer left the group in 1984 for a solo career (he now leads the swing revivalist Brian Setzer Orchestra), leaving the other two main members of the Stray Cats, drummer Slim Jim Phantom and bassist Lee Rocker, in the lurch. So, they recruited David Bowie’s guitarist Earl Slick and recorded two albums in the mid-1980s. It led to a couple of minor hits and the group was short-lived, although it sported one of the best names in rock history: Phantom, Rocker & Slick.