5 Rock One-Hit Wonders And Where They Are Now

Ever hear some solid one-hit wonders from back in the day and think, “Where are they now?” We’ve got you covered. Let’s dive into five rock one-hit wonders and break down what happened to them, and where they are today!

1. Ram Jam 

Ram Jam’s claim to fame was their cover of “Black Betty” from 1977. They never had as big of a hit as “Black Betty”, and it’s quite a shame. Ram Jam was an excellent boogie rock outfit.

If you’re wondering where these rock one-hit wonders are now, we’ve got some bad news. Ram Jam broke up after only a year together. The New York City band struggled to capitalize on the success of “Black Betty” and their follow-up album failed to produce any hits. Several of the band members have since passed away, so the chances of a reunion are pretty slim.

2. Blind Faith

This killer supergroup composed of Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ric Grech, and Ginger Baker got together for just one album. From that one album, they kicked off one short tour and enjoyed one major hit: “Can’t Find My Way Home”.

So, what happened to this supergroup? Each member had their own thing going on with their respective solo careers and other bands. Apparently, they struggled to agree on how to properly make Blind Faith’s music, so they called it quits early on. The band was only together for less than a year in 1969.

3. The Ides Of March

If you know the band Survivor, you probably have heard of The Ides Of March. This jazz rock outfit featured Survivor’s Jim Peterik. They are known for just one hit: “Vehicle”, written about Peterik’s ex-girlfriend (and later, wife) in 1970. 

The Ides Of March broke up in 1973 but got back together in the 1990s. They’re still going strong today, though they haven’t released new music since Play On in 2019.

4. Red Rider

Remember the Canadian hard rock tune “Lunatic Fringe” by Red Rider? This track was a hit in the band’s native Canada as well as the US. Some might not know that singer/songwriter Tom Cochrane fronted this band, too. It was a great song with a strong political message, but the band never had a big international hit again. However, they continued to top the charts locally.

Red Rider broke up in 1990 and Cochrane kicked off his solo career with a few Red Rider members as part of his backing band. The band then got together again in 2002 to play a benefit show, and they decided to tour semi-regularly ever since.

5. Free

“All Right Now” was hard rock band Free’s only major international hit. They had a few successful songs since 1970, namely “Little Bit Of Love” and “Wishing Well”. But no other single had the charting power that “All Right Now” had.

Free broke up in 1971, got back together in 1972, then broke up for good in 1973. Andy Fraser and Paul Rodgers had some serious creative differences that led to the first breakup. The band got together again to help guitarist Paul Kossoff battle his substance abuse, but that led to members quitting and an unstable revolving door of replacement members. Sadly, Kossoff died in 1976 from a pulmonary embolism.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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