Now you see them (or more precisely, hear them), now you don’t. A few decades ago, and particularly in the Sixties, with no Internet, social media, or streaming, it was so easy for artists who have made an impression, either on the music charts or with an audience (or both), to simply disappear from the scene, some even without a trace.
There could have been so many reasons for their disappearance, from personal problems to simply falling out of favor because the audiences went for something else.
Many had health or drug-related issues, burnout felt the pressure of the music industry, or simply wanted to do something else, musically or otherwise. And then, the audiences can be fickle-minded as the tastes in music (as in everything else) can change overnight.
These 1960s rock musicians disappeared (though some were found again)
All of the below artists did a disappearing act at some point, some coming back in one shape or form and some just remaining in the shadows for whatever reason.
Del Shannon
Shannon was a big name in the early sixties, mainly due to “Runaway,” an absolute single classic, with all the versions of it never doing Shannon’s version justice. He had another duo of hits (“Hats Off to Larry” and “Little Town Flirt”), but by the time Beatlemania and British Invasion swept in, Shannon’s career as a hitmaker was more or less over, for him becoming just a footnote in rock history.
Johnny Rivers
Rivers was considered one of the most exciting live acts in the mid-sixties, most of his hits (mainly albums) coming from his live recordings. On stage, he was able to shift from pop to rock and blues with real ease. Yet, as psychedelia moved in in the second part of the decade, Rivers was practically not seen or heard of again.
Barry McGuire
A huge hit song, and a protest one at that, could easily make or break an artist's career. In McGuire’s case, it did both. Echoes of his “Eve of Destruction” are heard up to this day, but by the 1970s, McGuire promptly disappeared, not even making a dent in the Christian rock music scene where he landed.
Syd Barrett
Barrett’s ousting from Pink Floyd due to his erratic behavior due to his drug use and mental health issues is the stuff of rock legends these days. Even though he reappeared briefly for two shambolic, but actually great solo albums, he turned into a recluse, devoting time to painting and gardening.
Brian Wilson
Another legendary disappearance, with Wilson suffering a nervous breakdown while trying to complete Smile, The Beach Boys masterpiece that never was. His contribution to the band’s albums from there on was scarce, with Wilson mainly remaining in his bedroom, other members often culling his unfinished Smile material from the archives. He did no live appearances with the band until the late seventies and kept appearing and disappearing as time passed.
Grace Slick
Slick was one of the most powerful vocalists in the sixties while Jefferson was still just an Airplane, and when the band became a Starship hits became even bigger. Yet after an Airplane reunion tour in 1989, Slick decided she had enough and decided to give up music completely, devoting her time to visual art.
The Association
When baroque and sunshine pop were in the vogue, this seven-piece band was huge with their equally huge vocal harmonies, their big hits like “Windy” and Cherish” staples of almost every baroque/sunshine pop collection, and they even opened the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
audiences lingering within the cult fandom.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
A lot of fans had fun with this band’s big hit “Kicks," and a few other chart successes followed, but as fancy American Revolution suits and their poppy rock went out of favor, these guys were never able to recover, and are more or less completely forgotten these days.
Skip Spence
Spence was the first drummer for Jefferson Airplane, moving on to Moby Grape, writing their only big hit “Omaha.” His overt drug use created serious mental health issues, landing him in an institution for six months. After his release, he recorded the album, considered as one of the lo-fi classics, never entering a recording studio after that.
The Beau Brummels
Some label these guys, and particularly their huge debut hit “Laugh, Laugh” (produced by one Sylvester Stewart, aka Sly Stone) as the creators of San Francisco's sixties sound. A few other hits followed, but as they turned to folk and country (two great albums in TFrancisco'sand Bradley’s Barn) they became a thing of a cult following.
The Lovin’ Spoonful
Not many sixties bands could boast of having seven consecutive top 10 hits like Lovin’ Spoonful, their “Sumer In The City” becoming one of the 1960s signature singles. Yet the success didn’t keep the band together and only John Sebastian made a bit of a solo name for himself, particularly with his Woodstock performance, but that didn’t last long either.
Arthur Lee
Lee was the main man of legendary Love, who started out as one of the first proto-punk bands, transformed into psych rock masters, creating a classic rock album with Forever Changes. When he started turning to prog rock, he fell into obscurity for two decades or so, also troubled with legal problems.
As the audiences rediscovered Forever Changes in the nineties and into the new century his fortunes changed again, cut short by his premature death.
Peter Green
Green was the man behind the original version of Fleetwood Mac that, at his time, favored its blues sound but came up with big hits in “Oh Well,” “Albatross,” and a few others. Green also quit the band due to heavy drug use and mental health problems, only to reappear in the nineties, albeit with a low-key Splinter Group.
Sly Stone
Sly and his Family Stone were one of the hottest studio and live acts of the late sixties and very early seventies, but heavy drug use did its thing, and Stone was not to be heard of until the new century, but erratic behavior took over again, landing him in a trailer, practically forgotten until the most recent Questlove documentary.