Doug: Today's topic is to toss out your favorite musical groups that have siblings in the line-up. Brothers, sisters, brothers and sisters -- you name 'em, we'll discuss 'em!
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The Bee Gees is the most obvious one.
ReplyDeleteMore obvious than the Jackson 5 or the Pointer Sisters or the Carpenters?
ReplyDeleteDoug ;)
There's quite a few "obvious" choices, e.g. the Kinks, Van Halen, AC/DC and Styx just to name a few, but for me one that is screamingly obvious - the first I thought of - is Sly and the Family Stone, featuring four members of the Stone (actually Stewart family): brothers Sly and Freddie, and sisters Rose and Vet.
ReplyDeleteAnd such a great band that was, both in terms of their actual songs and the influence they had on so much music afterward up to the present.
Ooh, Edo -- good call on Styx, and maybe not so obvious.
ReplyDeleteSo far it seems as if each act we've named is for the most part associated with a specific genre of music. Are there any "crossover" acts that come to mind?
Doug
Them had brothers briefly.
ReplyDeleteKinks, CCR, and Heart come to mind.
How abou make-believe "brothers" The Ramones?
Van Halen & Nelson, though I don't much care for either.
There are of course the Everly Bros, the Louvin Bros, the Gosdin Bros, the Staples Singers, Isley Bros, Andrews Sisters, the Cowsills who inspired the Partridge Family, etc. But family vocal groups are a tradition so it makes it too easy.
ReplyDeleteNeville Bros...
ReplyDeleteHanson if you like that kind of thing...
Black Crowes if you can stand that kind of thing...
I should quit while I'm ahead.
My favorites would be Kinks, CCR, BeeGees, Heart, and the Everlys.
Van Halen has at times even been multi-generational, with Eddie's son Wolfgang replacing Michael Anthony on bass on some tours. So Eddie and Alex, and Wolfie.
ReplyDeleteDoug
How about battling brothers, like Ray and Dave Davies, or the issues that arose between John and Tom Fogerty, before Tom's death?
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of battling brothers, I'm not really a fan (at all), but weren't the two brothers in Oasis (the Gallaghers?) at each other's throats pretty much the entire time that band was together?
ReplyDeleteSounds like we could get a periphery post going on parents/relatives as managers or promoters.
ReplyDeleteHusbands and wives? Ike and Tina Turner, the Captain and Tenille (really? Divorcing after all this time?), and Sonny and Cher.
Seems to be more discord than "making beautiful music". Ah, but there was some good stuff throughout this conversation while those acts lasted!
Doug
By far my favorite band with brothers is the Kinks. I have over 20 Kinks cds from throughout their career, but I especially love their output from '64 - '72, including such great singles as You Really Got Me and albums like Face to Face, Something Else, Village Green Preservation Society, Lola vs. Powerman and the Money-go-round, and Muswell Hillbillies. Dave Davies wasn't nearly as prolific a songwriter as Ray, but he came up with many terrific songs, my favorite being Death of a Clown.
ReplyDeleteCuriously, the Kinks started out as Dave Davies' band, just as Creedence Clearwater Revival started out as Tom Fogerty's band, each under different original names, and in each case their brothers joined and wound up taking over as primary songwriter and lead vocalist. Eventually Tom got fed up and quit and CCR broke up after releasing just one more album. The Davies brothers just kept fighting and playing for around 30 years.
ReplyDeleteThe situation between Tom and John Fogerty was exceedingly sad. The deal signed with Fantasy was monumentally bad. That certainly caused a lot of problems for John. The later suits with Saul Zaentz, and Tom's backing of Zaentz, didn't help the relationship. But depending on what you read, that wasn't the only reason they grew apart. It seems like John really dominated CCR and that lead to a lot of frustration for Tom.
ReplyDeleteWhatever the reasons, it's terrible that they couldn't reconcile before Tom's death.
What about the Allman Brothers? (Although Duane died really young in that motorcycle crash, and I think another band member died a year later in another crash only a couple blocks away.)
ReplyDeleteMike W.
Allman Brothers -of course! Good call Mike. And hey -Beach Boys?
ReplyDeleteIf we want to add the Allman Brothers Band for conversation, then we have to bring up Lynyrd Skynyrd, don't we?
ReplyDeleteDoug
Were there any siblings in Lynyrd Skynyrd?
ReplyDeleteThe non-John 3/4 of CCR decided they were equally talented and should have equal representation on the albums. Tom quit over it. John made the other 2 put up or shut up on the Mardi Gras LP. Guess what? 2/3 of the album sucked, not coincidentally the 2/3 not by John. Then the band broke up and the 3/4 of CCR that weren't John proved how awesome they were. Talk about killing the golden goose.
ReplyDeleteEdo --
ReplyDeleteI guess the van Zants were not in the band ever at the same time, so my nomination for discussion should be rescinded.
Doug
The Panozzo brothers of Styx was a really good call. Not many think of Styx as a sibling group since they were so quiet for so long. Staying along the rock genre topic, Dire Straits started out with Mark's younger brother David on rhythm. I think he was on the first two albums. And much like Sly and the Family Stone (Stewart) started out in gospel music, so did Robert Randolph and The Family Band. Pardon my French, but he plays the merde out of that pedal steel. Swinging down South for church music leads you to The Blackwoods. I don't think you can describe them as anything less than legendary. And out of that same genre came the Kingsmen, with brothers Harold and Don Reid. After another group came to fame as the Kingsmen with their hit Louie Louie, the Kingsmen became The Statler Brothers. (Statler was a brand of toilet paper). Jumping over to Bluegrass music, you had the Osborne Brothers, who ruled Bluegrass during the 60s and early 70s. Nowadays, the Brothers Osborne, not related to them but brothers nonetheless, are making in big in country. The Henningsens are a Dad and his son and daughter. Big time country leads you to The Band Perry. And completing the tour of my iPod, you have no less than the legendary, and tragic, Selena. Her career began as Selena y los Dinos, which was her, her Dad, and everybody except Mom. As she became more popular, the siblings began to be replaced by talent.
ReplyDeleteThe Prowler (still cannot wear ear buds).
PS Doug? Lynyrd Skynyrd?
Prowler?
ReplyDeleteProblem?
Doug
Donnie and Johnny formed Van Zant in the early 80s, releasing Van Zant in 1985. Johnny would later front the reunited Lynyrd Skynyrd while Donnie bounced back and forth between 38 Special, solo work and more projects as Van Zant with his brother, Johnny.
ReplyDeleteThe Prowler (loving wiki wiki Wikipedia).
Right.
ReplyDeleteSo as far as I know, and I think you're supporting it, there were never two van Zants in Lynyrd Skynyrd at the same time. Right?
Prowler, you can be one confusing dude!
Doug
I'll probably be voted off the island for this, but besides the Everlys, I'd vote for the Osmonds.
ReplyDeleteI've watched a few hours of vintage behind scenes videos of their early '70s tours of US and Britain. I liked their intensity and a lot of their more uptempo songs ('Lazy River' comes to mind..). Just great, clean musicianship, lots of good polish to boot as well. Donny and Marie broke off pretty well, the tv show was pretty popular for the first few years.
Good call on Sonny and Cher as well.
Another contender is the Everly Brothers, if duos are allowed.
ReplyDeleteOh Doug, if you think I'm confusing on the outside, you should hear what goes on on the inside!!! And be glad, very glad, you've never had to read one of my papers.
ReplyDeleteThe Prowler (always crowded beneath the cowl).
My favorite brother bands are the Allmans, the Nevilles, and the Isleys.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the Prowler on Robert Randolph....dude can play that pedal steel and they are awesome to see in performance.
Ernie Isley was hugely influenced by Jimi Hendrix on guitar and that influence made a huge impact on soul music in the 70's. The original three were vocalists only, but Ernie, brother Marvin, and future brother in law, Chris Jasper were musicians, too, and for about a decade, they were awesome, mixing the best of James Brown and Hendrix together. Ernie and Ronnie are still doing it today!
The Blues Brothers? No?
ReplyDeleteThe Doobie Brothers? Uh...I'll stop now
ReplyDeleteI've never understood how siblings can stand to be in a band together, around each other all the time.
ReplyDeleteIn my family, we're all grateful that Christmas only comes round once every five years or so.
I've always been a Bee Gees and Carpenters fan. Always will be.
ReplyDeleteThat wasn't so cool in my teenage years of Def Leppard, Van Halen etc..
I don't know about the Osmonds, David. The only one I kind of liked was Ozzie... :P
ReplyDeleteYeah, the Ozzie and Marie show. I remember that.
ReplyDeleteOnly now they it they call it The Talk or The View or The Claptrap or somesuch.
Ozzie must be rolling over in his grave.
Or on his couch, anyway.
Jack White from the two-member White Stripes (they are broken up now) used to call his drummer Meg White his "sister", when she is/was actually his ex-wife. I love when stars screw with the media like that. MYOB, media!
ReplyDeletestarfoxxx