Photo by mrmoorey
Recently, the rock band Aerosmith announced that it was “positively” seeking a new lead singer to replace Steven Tyler. Immediately following the news, sites like Yahoo! and Twitter saw a spike in searches for Steven Tyler, Aerosmith, and their hits. Joe Perry, lead guitarist for Aerosmith, vows to continue the band and is considering replacing Tyler with another lead vocalist. Then, a few days later, Tyler and Perry announced that Tyler was simply going on a two-year break.
Whatever Steven Tyler and Aerosmith’s future holds, for many bands, replacing the lead singer is the “kiss of death”—a sign that the end is near, because the lead singer often lends his soul to the band. Without him, the band often falters. But for some bands, changing the lead singer can signal the start of something new.
What do you think the future holds for Aerosmith? And can you think of a band that succeeded after the lead singer left? What about one that failed? Please be sure to tell us why you think they failed (or succeeded) when leaving your comment!