Seven singing brothers who were never in bands together
Music history is littered with brothers who get their act together, even if they sometimes fight along the way. Fortunately, most family acts have avoided publicized infighting, like the brother-sister tandem of the Carpenters, the brothers in Van Halen, and the Taylor brothers of Duran Duran.
There’s also a trio of brothers, the Finns, in the 1980s New Wave band Split Enz, who have hits like “One Step Ahead” and “I Got You.” Making hits around the same time were Heart’s sisters, Ann and Nancy Wilson.
Still, any musician aspiring to start a band with Sis or Bub should beware, as there are a number of family groups that have nearly torn each other apart physically or in litigation. The Beach Boys with the Wilson brothers might be the most famous example, along with the highly publicized feuds between the Davies brothers in the Kinks or the longstanding rivalry between Liam and Oasis’ Noah Gallagher.
If such family feuds scare you from going on stage with someone who shares your parents, you can always go for a separate career from him. Here are seven examples of musical brothers who haven’t played in a band together.
Jim’s Seals and Dan’s Seals
They each have a singing partner, the youngest (nicknamed England) with John Ford Coley and the oldest with Dash Croft.
Andy Gibb and the Bee Gees
Barry, Robin and Maurice had been around for a decade before peaking with Saturday Night Fever, and their little brother hit number one around the same time with “Thicker Than Water.”
crystal gale and loretta lynn
Coal Miner’s Daughter made her older sister a huge star, but Crystal topped the charts with “Half the Way.”
Julian Lennon and Sean Lennon
They shared a father who was the mastermind behind The Beatles, so it’s no surprise that the two sons have had diverse recording careers.
Rufus Wainwright and Martha Wainwright
Loudon, their folk-singing father, wrote tunes about these two sons before they each pursued careers in a variety of musical genres.
Shaun Cassidy and David Cassidy
In his role as Keith on The Partridge Family, David sang many hits before his little brother did his enduring cover of “Da Do Ron Ron.”
Johnny Van Zandt and Ronny Van Zandt
Lynyrd Sknyrd lost Ronny in a plane crash, only several years later to employ Johnny in the lead singer role.