Artist List

Every once and a while I think back to one of my favorite concerts, 2001’s Tour of Brotherly Love. The premise: three bands that feature brothers in the lineup. The catch: two of the three bands were notorious for their sibling in-fighting. While I’m sure the rigors of touring life can be immense, I would think it would be that much more difficult when you are on the road with your brother. As an only child, I never had to contend with sibling rivalry but I can’t help but imagine it is intensified in such a creatively-charged setting.

Since seeing that tour many years ago, I’ve often wondered how many bands feature siblings in their midst. I finally gave in and started researching bands with siblings, never realizing how many there were! While this is not an exhaustive list, I’ve tried to include the most obvious ones. Let me know if I missed anyone!

TOUR OF BROTHERLY LOVE

Black Crowes – Chris and Rich Robinson – The Crowes are at their best when the Brothers Robinson are harmonizing – think “Wiser Time,” “Locust Street” or “Oh Josephine.” Although the band’s gone through a hiatus, solo projects and more lineup changes than George Clinton’s various bands combined, the Brothers Robinson (despite their notorious in-fighting) are two of the three band members that have weathered the storm.

Oasis – Noel and Liam Gallagher – Formed in Manchester in 1991, Oasis is the band that opened the floodgates for the Brit Pop/Rock sound in America. Known for a suitcaseful of hits, including “Champagne Supernova” and “Wonderwall,” the band is also closely tied to its sibling fighting thanks to Liam and Noel.

Much like the Crowes, the band has undergone several lineup changes and features only the brothers as the remaining original members.

Spacehog – Royston and Antony Langdon – Releasing three albums in the 1990s and early 2000s, Spacehog was most known for their 1996 hit “In the Meantime.”

Calling it quits in 2002, the band members all went on to work on new projects. Joined by Johnny Cragg, and keeping the brotherly vibe going, Royston, Antony and brother Christian formed Arckid in 2006. Rumors are swirling that Spacehog may reunite later this year.

OTHER BROTHERS: While their brotherly relationships weren’t immortalized in tour form, these bands still rocked their brotherly bonds:

AC/DC – Angus and Malcolm Young – Formed by the Youngs in 1973, the hard rock pioneers persevered through lead singer Bon Scott’s death, several lineup changes and, more than 30 years later, still continue to rock.

On top of Angus and Malcolm in the band, older brother George Young produced one of their albums and younger brother Stevie briefly filled in for Malcolm when he took some time off during a tour. The band’s new album, not produced by brother George, is set to be released later this year, exclusively through Wal-Mart.

The Allman Brothers - Duane and Gregg Allman – One of the founding groups of true Southern rock, the band got its start in 1969. Despite the tragic loss of Duane Allman, considered to be the band’s leader, in 1971, the group carried on and continues to draw huge amphitheater crowds to this day.

The Beach Boys – Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson – Initially known for their smooth California surfing melodies, The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds broke barriers with its inventive arrangements and instrumentation. The album is considered to be one of the most influential albums of all time.

Collective Soul – Ed and Dean Roland – Formed in the early 1990s in Stockbridge, Georgia, Collective Soul let it “Shine” when the song began getting airplay from lead singer Ed Roland’s songwriting demo. It was around this time that Roland tapped brother Dean and some friends to form the band. Their sophomore album, the self-titled Collective Soul, saw the most hits for the band (“December,” “The World I Know,” “Gel,” etc.) and was considered by the band to be their first real album.

The Kinks – Ray and Dave Davies – Although they are considered to be one of the most influential rock bands of all time, The Kinks never achieved the commercial success of the other British Invasion bands.

Since the breakup of the band in the 1990s, both of the Davies brothers have gone on to form solo careers.

Pantera - Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell (Abbott) – Formed in 1981 by the Abbott brothers and initially influenced by the 1980s glam metal sound, Pantera found its voice and fan base by focusing more strongly on thrash and traditional metal influences.

Although the band took a hiatus in 2001 and eventually disbanded in 2003 due to lead singer Phil Anselmo’s mounting drug addictions, all hopes for a reunion were shattered in 2004 when Dimebag Darrell was shot on stage by an obsessed fan while performing with his brother’s new band, Damageplan.

Stone Temple Pilots – Robert and Dean DeLeo – While not nearly as recognizable as lead singer Scott Weiland, the DeLeos are an integral part of the STP sound.

The band broke up in 2003 after their fifth studio album Shangri-La Dee Da. After the break up, the DeLeos focused on their new project, Army of Anyone, and Weiland fronted “supergroup” Velvet Revolver. Good new for STP fans though, the band is back with a tour and plans for a new album this year.

Van Halen – Eddie and Alex Van Halen – Although they have been fronted by several lead singers over the years, the explosive combination of Eddie’s guitar and Alex’s drums have led the group to more than 56 million album sales in the U.S. alone.

Keeping the band in the family, Eddie’s son Wolfgang Van Halen joined in 2006, replacing longtime bassist Michael Anthony.

REPRESENTIN’ THE LADIES: We can’t give all the credit to the men in music! Sometimes sisters can rock just as hard:

Heart – Ann and Nancy Wilson – From the early days, when the band moved to Canada to help Mike Fisher (the band’s producer and Ann Wilson’s “Magic Man”) dodge the draft, to the present day, the Wilsons have consistently found their voice in the music scene.

Known for their 70s hits (the above-mentioned “Magic Man,” “Barracuda” and more), their 80s power ballads (“These Dreams” and “What About Love?”) and their tremendous success all around, the duo has also had much luck in the solo arena: Nancy has scored several of her husband, Cameron Crowe’s films and Ann has staged successful solo tours and released her first solo album in 2007.

Tegan and Sara – Tegan and Sara Quin – The identical Canadian twins recorded their first demo albums in their high school recording studio at 17.

SIBLINGS IN THE 70s WERE GOLD: If you wanted to make it on television in the 70s, you apparently needed a sibling… or several. These acts translated their musical careers into an empire:

The Carpenters – Karen and Richard Carpenter – During a time when rock was hard, fast and loud, the Carpenters struck a chord with their mellow, melodic music. The duo was brought to a tragic end when Karen passed away on Feb. 4, 1983, from cardiac arrest due to complications from anorexia.

Donnie and Marie/The Osmonds – The entire Osmond brood – They’re a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll and a large part entertainment success. Members of the Osmond clan in various groupings ruled the airwaves and television sets in the 1970s. From an Osmonds cartoon in the early 70s to the Donnie & Marie show in the late 70s, the Osmonds were inescapable.

The entire Osmond clan appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show in 2007 to celebrate the life of patriarch, George Osmond, and the family’s 50th anniversary in show business.

Hudson Brothers – Bill, Brett and Mark Hudson – Taking their place on the charts with “So You are a Star,” “Rendezvous” and “Lonely School Year,” the trio also saw their fame translate into television with the variety hour, The Hudson Brothers Show, and the Saturday morning The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show.

Brother Bill was married to Goldie Hawn from 1976 to 1980 and is the father of Kate and Oliver Hudson. Mark Hudson, known as Weird Beard to fans of the British TV show X Factor, is a successful songwriter and producer and has worked with the likes of Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne and Ringo Starr.

The Jackson 5 - Technically getting their start in the 1960s, the Jackson 5 not only spawned a monster radio, TV and marketing franchise, but also the solo career of the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson.

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