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Great Comebacks In Music

Don't call it a comeback, they've been here for years. But even music's most influential artists have succumb to their share of career setbacks. In a world full of fickle ears, a comeback or two is often a necessity to cement cultural relevance. Many have tried, but in the ongoing quest for longevity, these artists did it best.

Tell us who think made some of the greatest comebacks!

 

 Photo Courtesy: skyarts.co.uk

The Mississippi-born boy with the golden voice, better known as “The King,” may have left a larger than life legacy in his wake, but his career wasn’t always filled with success.  Following a frenzy of hit songs and television appearances in the 1950s, Elvis Presley fell into a rut of cheesy movies and even cheesier soundtracks in the following decade.  But in 1968, all that changed when Presley returned to his adopted home of Memphis to stage a comeback performance simply titled “Elvis: the ’68 Comeback Special.”

Donning black leather and looking every bit like The King of Rock ‘N Roll, Presley returned to his roots, giving the audience a wild reminder of the bluesy, gospel, rockabilly roots that earned him the crown.  “There is something magical about watching a man who has lost himself find his way back home,” remarked famed music critic Jon Landau.  “He sang with the kind of power people no longer expect of rock 'n' roll singers. He moved his body with a lack of pretension and effort that must have made Jim Morrison green with envy.”

 

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Early in their career, Australian hard rock act AC/DC underwent several lineup changes, but none as severe as in 1980 when their then-lead singer Bon Scott passed away within months of recording their mega-hit album, Highway to Hell.  Scott had an unmistakable voice—gruff and gritty, with remarkable range that made way for a snarly scream of mammoth proportion.  Replacing such a signature talent was no small feat.  But like clockwork the band was able to rebound.

Meet Brian Johnson, a young Australian lad with a voice so similar fans could barely tell the difference.  Johnson was hired within days of his audition and the band went on to record Back in Black, their biggest-selling album to date and one that issued memorable singles like “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Hell's Bells” and of course, the hard-hitting title track.

The album was certified platinum within months of its release, eventually selling over 45 million copies worldwide and ranking in as the second highest selling album of all time, coming in behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller.  Johnson and the band continued to ride the wave of fame for years to come and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

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In the late 60s, Tina Turner rose to fame alongside her husband Ike Turner who, while equally talented, was also a wildly abusive drug addict.  The duo hit big with hits like “River Deep Mountain High” and “Proud Mary, eventually nabbing a Grammy for Best Performance by a Duo or Group before slowly fading from the limelight years later.

But following her split from Ike and their subsequent divorce in 1978, Tina kept her eye on the prize, longing to make it on her own…and she did.  Releasing Private Dancer, her first solo effort, in 1984 the singer went on to achieve success as a solo artist, proving that when it came to the Ike & Tina Revue, she was the real star of the show.

Private Dancer went on to achieve insurmountable success, selling more than 11 million copies worldwide, winning multiple Grammy and American Music Awards and resulting in Turner’s only solo career #1 hit in the U.S., the poignant “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” a title was used years later for a movie about her life.

 

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As one half of the immensely popular ‘60s folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, Paul Simon enjoyed a fair amount of success following the group’s split in 1970.  But with the decade in his rearview, Simon’s career began to nosedive, namely after the commercial failure of 1983’s Hearts and Bones, an album originally intended to mark the reunion with his former band mate.

Then, following a trip to South Africa where he recorded his seventh studio album, Graceland, the talented Queens-bred musician found himself back in the throes of stardom, only this time at the seasoned age of 45.  Incorporating a large variety of musical styles including rock, pop, and even South African mbaqanga and zydeco, 1986’s Graceland not only shot up the charts, but also became the second best-selling album in 1987, moving 5 million copies in a single year.

Today, Graceland is not only Simon’s most successful solo album to date, but it continues to gain praise from critics and fans alike, proving that even as a solo artist Simon was never and never will be just another flash in the pan.

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