Some of the most iconic stars in music history didn’t start out as solo acts. They emerged from already-successful bands, and in some cases went on to solo careers that dwarfed the careers of the bands that spawned them. Now, as part of Season 8, the Great Pop Culture Debate wants to look back at those supernova stars who exploded out of bands, as we determine the Best Solo Musician to Come out of a Band/Group!
We made a list of just about every major pop/rock recording artist who came from a band or group. We focused primarily on artists with significant success in America, and limited it to artists who came from bands that ALSO had at least some level of national success prior to the solo artists emerging from it. Our listeners picked their favorites, we ranked them and added them to a bracket, and then we discussed and debated them, all for your amusement!
Listen as Host Eric Rezsnyak and GPCD panelists Curtis Creekmore, Jake Lewis, and Jake Pitochelli discuss and debate 16 of the most notable solo musicians of all time, ultimately naming their favorite of the bunch.
To listen to Round 1, showing how we got to the Sweet 16 down from the Top 32, become a Patreon supporter of the podcast today to access the exclusive Part 1 episode.
The Round 2 match-ups are:
Match 1: Beyonce (1) vs. John Lennon (4)
Match 2: Diana Ross (3) vs. Stevie Nicks (2)
Match 3: Cher (1) vs. Gwen Stefani (4)
Match 4: Phil Collins (3) vs. Justin Timberlake (2)
Match 5: Michael Jackson (1) vs. Lionel Richie (5)
Match 6: Prince (3) vs. Harry Styles (2)
Match 7: Tina Turner (1) vs. Cyndi Lauper (4)
Match 8: Paul McCartney (3) vs. George Michael (2)
Want to play along at home?
Download the listener bracket here and see if your picks match up with ours!
To listen to music from all 32 artists up for contention, check out the playlist we made for the episode by clicking here.
Looking for more related content?
Check out these other episodes from Great Pop Culture Debate:
And if you want more content, check out Eric Rezsnyak’s Top 10 90s Bands That Time Forgot.
Have a say in future episodes!
Finally, if you want to have a say in what episodes we tackle next, vote in our Topic Polls! And we would love to have you pick your faves in the polls currently open for your votes!
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EPISODE CREDITS
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panel: Curtis Creekmore, Jake Lewis, Jake Pitochelli
Producer: Bob Erlenback
Editor: Jeffery Perry