Zombie Bands Attack! These Touring Groups Don’t Have a Single Original Member

What happened? From the day Foreigner formed in 1976, guitarist Mick Jones was at the helm. He was their primary songwriter, and the one who hired/fired the others. When original singer Lou Gramm left the band for a second time in 2003, Jones was the last original member left. He led a new incarnation of the group until health problems gradually reduced his role within the group, finally forcing him off the road a couple of years back. Credibility? It’s pretty minimal. Former Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson has been in the group the longest at this point, followed closely by frontman Kelly Hansen. But they both joined in the 2000s, long after the last hit was recorded. They do a very nice job playing the classics, and they’re in the middle of a successful summer tour right now, but this is a glorified cover band. Potential Reunion? It’s happening Oct. 19 when Foreigner are inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. Nothing has been 100 percent confirmed, but all signs point to Jones, Gramm, drummer Dennis Elliott, keyboardist Al Greenwood, and bassist Rick Willis getting their “Double Vision” on one last time. The event falls shortly before the end of Gramm’s solo farewell tour, meaning this is the end of authentic Foreigner. Fake Foreigner, however, will likely tour forever — even though they claim they are on their own farewell tour at the moment.

What Happened? Lumping these three Fifties R&B vocal groups into one entity may seem like a gross injustice since they are distinct groups with their own unique histories. But, sadly, the original members didn’t own the rights to their own group names, and they were forced to helplessly watch imitators flood concert stages all over the world pretending to be them. Savvy promoters often hired a single elderly member in an attempt to make audience members feel they were seeing one original. These groups formed 70 years ago, and the real members are no longer with us in every single case. Credibility? Thanks to decades of legal battles, the heirs of the original members finally have the copyrights. That hasn’t stopped shady promoters from throwing fake versions onto the stage, meaning you should do your research before buying tickets. And even then you’re seeing skilled singers carry on the legacy of these groups, not the real deals. Potential Reunion? Nil.

What Happened? The original Four Tops lineup of Levi Stubbs, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Renaldo “Obie” Benson, and Lawrence Payton remained intact from their formation in 1953 all the way through 1997 when Payton died. It was a 44-year run with few precedents in music history. (During that same time, a small army of men came and went from the Temptations.) But Stubbs retired from the group in 2000 after suffering a stroke, and he died in 2008. And when Benson died in 2005, Fakir was suddenly leading a new version of the band by himself. He died July 22, 2024. Credibility? Lawrence Payton Jr. has been touring in his father’s place for many years. And the other three members were handpicked by Fakir himself. There may not be a single vocalist in the group that sang on any of the Four Tops’ original recordings, but this incarnation still has more credibility than the Platters, Drifters, or Coasters combined. Potential Reunion? Only up in heaven.

What Happened? The short answer is time, illness, and one of the most horrific plane crashes in rock history. That 1977 accident killed frontman Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines. The surviving members came back together with Johnny Van Zant, younger brother of Ronnie Van Zant, singing lead. But the surviving members died one by one over the years, until guitarist Gary Rossington was the last one left. He died in 2023. Credibility? The current incarnation of Skynyrd has a much greater claim to legitimacy than many of the other groups on this list. A big reason is the tireless work of Johnny Van Zant over the past four decades. He sings his heart out every night in a voice eerily reminiscent of his late brother. There’s also guitarist Rickey Medlocke, who played drums very briefly in the group before they found success in the early Seventies and returned to the fold as a guitarist in 1996. One could even argue that Skynyrd shouldn’t be on this list because Medlocke is still a member. But he left before the band recorded the first album. He seems to fall one tiny degree short of counting as an actual OG, but good people can disagree on this. Potential Reunion? The entire original lineup of the band is now dead, but drummer Artimus Pyle joined in 1975 and plays on several of their most famous songs, including “What’s Your Name” and “That Smell.” He’s the only living former member of the band who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His return would give the group a bit more credibility, but it’s pretty unlikely. Relations between the two camps are pretty strained.

What Happened? Blood, Sweat & Tears were one of the most popular groups of the late Sixties and early Seventies, scoring big hits like “Spinning Wheel,” “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” and “And When I Die.” They won Album of the Year at the 1970 Grammys over the Beatles’ Abbey Road, the first Crosby, Stills, & Nash record, and Johnny Cash’s At San Quentin. Their popularity took a big dip when they went on a U.S. Department of State-sponsored tour of Eastern Europe in the summer of 1970. Their lineup also changed quite a bit, with singer David Clayton-Thomas sticking around the longest. When he left in 2004, the group no longer had any authentic members. Credibility? A truly astonishing number of musicians have played in Blood, Sweat & Tears over the past few decades. They were even fronted by American Idol‘s Bo Bice at one point. Their current singer is The Voice contestant Keith Paluso. Original guitarist Steve Katz played with them a few times between 2008 and 2010, and founding bassist Jim Fielder performed with the band in 2022. But 99 percent of the time that you’re seeing Blood, Sweat & Tears, it’s an entirely new set of musicians with no connection to the classic band. Potential Reunion? Clayton-Thomas has kept a very low profile since Covid hit. It’s within the realm of possibility he could unite with fellow Blood, Sweat & Tears alumni like Fielder, Katz, organist Al Kooper, and drummer Bobby Colomby for a tour. But it’s unlikely, since they’re all nearing 80 or slightly past it and no longer care to tour. For better or worse, they’ve passed the baton onto a new generation of the band.

What Happened? The classic Iron Butterfly quartet of Erik Brann, Ron Bushy, Lee Dorman, and Doug Ingle recorded the psychedelic mega-hit “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” in 1968. They splinted apart almost immediately after that. Drummer Bushy stuck around the longest, but he retired from the road in 2012 and died in 2021. (Ingle died in May.) The longest-serving member of the current band, singer-guitarist Eric Barnett, joined in 1995. The others signed up in the 2000s. Credibility? The best thing they can say is that Barnett spent many years performing with original members, including “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” singer/organist Doug Ingle. The others logged at least a little time in the band with Bushy. That gives them more cred than an Iron Butterfly tribute band, but not a ton. Potential Reunion? It’ll require some very powerful smelling salts.

What Happened? Southern rockers Molly Hatchet filled the void left behind by Lynyrd Skynyrd when they entered the scene in 1978. In the early Eighties, the band scored big hits with “Flirtin’ With Disaster,” “Bloody Reunion,” and “Satisfied Man.” But the founding members all faced significant health problems in the years that followed. When guitarist Steve Holland died from Covid in 2020, the complete original lineup was gone. Credibility? Keyboardist John Galvin joined in 1983 and played on some of their latter hits. Guitarist Bobby Ingram came onboard in 1987, just as they were starting to transition into a legacy act. The other members were hired in the 2000s. The presence of Galvin and Ingram does grant them a degree of authenticity, but nearly every song in their set was recorded after they joined. Potential Reunion? The complete classic lineup is dead. A handful of Nineties members remain, but their return wouldn’t mean all that much. For all intents and purposes, the current Molly Hatchet are as close to a reunion as is possible.