Writing about some of the best supergroups is always going to be contentious. Lots of great musicians took that as a career step. Before we even get to the debate of which was the best amongst the many that were formed over the years, there is a deeper controversy to overcome. What exactly is a supergroup?
Definitions may vary widely but at the heart of it, a supergroup is where several highly successful artists come together to form a new group. That’s the easy part we can likely all agree on. That new group should then have released at least one album and probably have toured together too.
Otherwise, a concert by say Eric Clapton as an example, where he invites a few of his guitar mates onstage to play a couple of songs, could be labeled as a supergroup. Or a charity record like “We Are The World” makes USA For Africa into a supergroup. I'm aiming the term here at new groups that were formed, not as one-offs or for a specific purpose, other than being a group and doing what groups do.
Five great 1970s supergroups
I’m also excluding where one or two members of a band leave and are replaced by top musicians to continue under the same band name. If not then we have The Rolling Stones as a supergroup. They are pretty super, have plenty of albums released and it’s amazing they are still going strong and touring, but adding Ronnie Wood to the ranks of a long-established band doesn't earn them supergroup status.
Supergroups also needed to perform well, to have hit records and a high level of success. That helps define them and fits the ones I have listed here. Let's take a look at five that were formed in the 1970s. If there are others you think are missing, maybe they formed before that decade or just didn't meet the criteria above.
Journey
Journey formed in 1973 and like many bands went through several lineup changes over the years. The original band was made up of two musicians from Santana, lead singer and keyboard player Gregg Rollie, and guitarist Neal Schon. They added in Steve Miller Band bass player Ross Valory and George Tickner from the Californian psychedelic rockers Frumious Bandersnatch, Valory was also a band member there.
The Tubes drummer Prairie Prince also joined for the early part of the journey. He was replaced soon after by Aynsley Dunbar who had drummed for Frank Zappa’s Mothers Of Invention and also for David Bowie. Decent credentials all around with the band being managed by Santana’s manager Herbie Herbert.
The original plan was for a roving backing band but that changed and they hit the road as Journey. Initially, they focused on a jazz-rock style but that developed into a more rock-based set after their first three albums. In 1978 they released Infinity, with a new singer, Steve Perry joining. Then Steve Smith replaced Dunbar before their 1979 album Evolution. Both those albums are now ranked as triple platinum.
That kicked off even more success in the years afterward. Over 50 million sales in the US. Of those their Greatest Hits album in 1998 accounts for 25m, a pretty hefty share. The band certainly grew into major performers and stars from that original plan for a roving backing band.
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