4 Rock Musicians Who Had Successful Careers After Getting Booted From Their Bands

Even the best singers, guitarists, and drummers in the world of rock and roll can still get fired from their jobs. This is the case for many rock musicians through the years who got booted from their bands. Luckily, though, these particular four rock stars still had successful careers after getting the pink slip from their bandmates. Let’s take a look, shall we?

1. Ozzy Osbourne

This is a pretty famous example of one of many rock musicians who had successful careers after getting booted from their bands. Ozzy Osbourne is a rock legend and has enjoyed quite a career over the last few decades. He did what most rock stars did: drink, party, and use a lot of drugs. Unfortunately, the members of Black Sabbath were sick of how far Osbourne took it.

Osbourne went on to say in his memoir I Am Ozzy that the band fired him in 1979. He alleged that Tony Iommi thought he was a “coked-up loser and a waste of time” and got Bill Ward to do the firing. Black Sabbath replaced Osbourne, but his solo career lasted for decades after.

2. Jon Anderson

One of the founders of Yes, Jon Anderson stuck with the group from its inception in 1968 through the 1980s. He also returned for comeback tours in the 1990s and 2000s as well. He was going to reunite with the band for yet another run in 2008, but some health problems forced him to quit ahead of time. The band did take a short break, but eventually decided to continue touring without Anderson. 

Anderson wasn’t happy with getting the quiet boot, and some legal battles followed. Still, he tried to get back together with the band after everything was settled, but guitarist Steve Howe wasn’t having it. Anderson eventually gave up and went on to focus on a pretty successful solo career.

3. Dave Navarro

Most people associate Dave Navarro with Jane’s Addiction, the alt-rock band that he is still very much a part of and touring with today. However, Navarro was also a member of the famed Red Hot Chili Peppers. He only managed to record one album with the band before slinking away into a nasty drug habit along with Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis. 

Kiedis is on record saying that Flea was originally the one to fire him, then Kiedis had to step in when Navarro got (rightfully) angry about it. Navarro was eventually replaced by John Frusciante, but he went on to have a successful career with Jane’s Addiction.

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4. Lemmy Kilmister

Hawkwind had a revolving door of band members, and one of the most famous was Lemmy Kilmister. He was just starting his rock career and played bass with the band. Unfortunately, he was caught in Canada with drugs in 1975 while touring with Hawkwind and was promptly given the boot. He went on to form the now-famous heavy metal band Motörhead.

Photo by Kevin Winter

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