5 Short-Lived Supergroups We Should Be Talking About More

The Supergroup is one of music’s most interesting tropes. A band composed of musicians who had already achieved success in other groups or alone, supergroups often fall into one of three categories.

There are those who end up being more hype than substance, a collection of illustrious names who may not gel as well together as they did in their original groups.

Then, there are groups such as Cream that catapult their already established members to even greater heights.

Lastly, there are bands such as Crosby, Stills, and Nash who have become so successful that their time as a supergroup ends up eclipsing everything else they have done (and in some cases, will ever do).

In this article, we’ll be talking about supergroups that have fallen somewhat under the radar. Whether it was the short time they spent as a group or how little they may have done while they were together, these groups are more than deserving of greater recognition.

The Best

A classic rock supergroup, The Best was made up of Joe Walsh, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Simon Philips, Keith Emerson and John Entwistle. By the time they formed in 1990, each man was already a bona fide rock legend who could attract crowds wanting to hear them play their greatest hits.

However, with the exception of Walsh, none of The Best were prominent singers so the relatively unknown Rick Livingstone was brought in to take the mic. It was a smart choice to pick a less famous singer who was capable of singing all their hits as opposed to an already famous one who could only perform his own songs.

That formula worked and The Best were able to put on five successful shows to packed crowds in Hawaii and Japan. Although they all remained on good terms, The Best never got together again after these five shows as each member went back to focus on other endeavors.

In addition to the band’s imposing star power, the members gelled musically and put on stellar live performances. It’s a shame that we could not have seen more of them either live or in the studio before Entwistle and Emerson’s deaths. However, the few videos available of their shows always make for a welcomed treat worth checking out.

The Dirty Mac

The shortest tenured of all the groups on this list, The Dirty Mac was made up of John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell and Keith Richards. Unlike most other supergroups, The Dirty Mac was formed in the heyday of each of its members who were all still affiliated with their main groups.

Together for one night only and performing just two songs, The Dirty Mac’s performance did make its share of headlines during the extremely brief time they were together. It marked John Lennon’s first live performance with another band since joining the Beatles and showed the ability of each of its members to make music outside their normal confines.

Unlike the more conventional Rock sound we were used to seeing from its members, The Dirty Mac were far more Blues influenced and they were very good at it too. Once again, we could only dream about the great music that would have followed if these four icons continued to collaborate further.

The Dukes of September

Made up of Michael McDonald, Donald Fagen, and Boz Scaggs, the Dukes of September were active from 2010–2012. However, unlike many supergroups who draw attention to the often sudden and at times random decision to get together, The Dukes of September was the culmination of decades of collaboration between these three talented musicians.

McDonald and Fagen had initially worked together in the 70s while they were in Steely Dan and all three men had collaborated in the 90s as part of the New York Rock and Soul Revue. Despite small contributions and the occasional guest appearance here and there it took until 2010 for these three men to hit the road full time together.

With a perfectionist like Donald Fagen among their ranks, there was no doubt that their performances would be nothing short of excellent. In addition to their star power and chemistry, each member also brought along their own backing musicians and singers to add an even greater degree of authenticity to their performances.

It was nothing short of wonderful to see each member performing their own hits and covers of the various songs that they liked in common. However, one could not help but feel that there was a missed opportunity to create an album. For three men who so greatly excelled in the studio, a two year stint with only live performances did leave something more to be desired. That being said, all three men continue to occasionally collaborate and keep active performing schedules. Perhaps we cannot yet rule out the possibility of another full time collaboration.

BBM

Made up of Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Gary Moore, BBM was from the offset extremely reminiscent of Cream. Bruce and Baker, who themselves were two thirds of Cream, were essentially the innovators of both the supergroup and the power trio. Moore was an ideal third man and like Eric Clapton before him, was a renowned guitarist who could hold his own on the mic and had found success both individually and in groups.

Although quick to dismiss the notion that they were not just Cream without Eric Clapton, Bruce could not deny the similarities. Comparing BBM being to Cream as to what Oasis was to the Beatles at that time, BBM aimed to stand out as their own group while making use of the formula that launched Cream into the stratosphere decades earlier.

Despite the release of a moderately successful album and embarking on a subsequent tour, BBM disbanded just about a year later. The on again off again tension between Bruce and Baker likely contributed to the swift dissolution of this partnership. However, critics pointed out that BBM had the potential to step out of Cream’s looming shadow had they not disbanded so soon.

With all three men no longer alive, we could only speculate how differently things may have turned out if they stayed together just a while longer. With the talent of all three men involved, there was no doubt that they would have soon distinguished themselves from Cream just as Oasis had done from The Beatles in the years to follow.

The Traveling Wilburys

Arguably the most well-known and successful supergroup in this list, The Traveling Wilburys were made up of George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan. All legends in their own right — with Orbison in particular undergoing a resurgence in popularity — all four men were capable of selling out venues on their own. However, the group’s appeal came about from their more “humble” beginnings.

A spur-of-the-moment decision made over dinner one night, the five men decided to just get together to record one song. However, after enjoying themselves so much and feeling that their song was too good to be released alone, they decided to make an album. Recording an entire album in just 10 days in a friend’s house, the more Country influenced and “jam session” like nature of their songs made the album a success .

Successfully subverting the expectation of five rock legends getting together to make music, fans were drawn to each man’s name value only to be pleasantly met by an album that was more reminiscent of five friends having a good time. The Wilburys’ enjoyment resonated with fans and critics alike and their album was both a critical and commercial success, universally praised and even winning a Grammy.

Following Orbison’s death, the remaining members of the Wilburys got back together to make one more album in memory of him. After that, the group never performed again. With just two albums in their 3 years together, the Wilburys seemingly disbanded, having never performed live. There was no particular reason for their disbandment either, they remained good friends and continued to collaborate occasionally but have at times lamented the fact that they should have gone on tour.

With Harrison, Orbison and Petty no longer with us, all hopes of a full live Wilburys performance are forever lost. However, the music they have left behind from their short time together will always serve as a reminder that the only thing better than watching 5 icons collaborating is 5 friends having a great time doing what they love.

As the old saying goes, these bands may not have been around for a long time but when they were together, it sure was a good time for both them and their fans. While each individual has received their fair dues and recognition, let us take some time to pay tribute to these ambitious, eclectic and enjoyable collaborations as well.