# Who walked away from music far too early?



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

I'm not talking about untimely deaths, but those that voluntarily left the music business, seemingly with a lot more to offer?
i was reading this article the other day that made me think about it:
Journeyâ€™s Steve Perry, At 64: The Hardest-Retiring Man in Show Business? | Stop The Presses! (NEW) - Yahoo! Music
As a child of the 70's/80's, Steve Perry definitely comes to mind....absolutely huge in their time, hit after hit...and then vanished.

from the guitar perspective, I'd also say Vito bratta, one of the best shredders IMO of the '80s who apparently just hung it all up. And Chris Degarmo, of Quensryche who apparently left the band and guitars to become an airline pilot full time ?!

any other intersting stories?


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## ledfloyd (Apr 1, 2011)

Anthrax's singer Frank Bello [?] is a watchmaker now.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

ledfloyd said:


> Anthrax's singer Frank Bello [?] is a watchmaker now.


Seriously?
lol..."got the time ticking..."


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I think this question leads to a much larger group. How about "how many talented players left music because of changes in our society, most notably the perception that music is free for the taking via downloadable files on the internet, and the wholesale abandonment of live club music by the new generation?"

I'm not talking about stars, but about those journeyman players who just couldn't make a decent living playing the music they loved, because society in general decided music was of little value.


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## Guest (Feb 11, 2013)

Milkman said:


> .. the wholesale abandonment of live club music ..


I think the ban on smoking in bars has more to do with this.


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## Morkolo (Dec 9, 2010)

laristotle said:


> I think the ban on smoking in bars has more to do with this.


Yup, I came of drinking age just before the ban came into effect here on the island and the difference in the amount of people at the bars before and after the ban was astonishing. Certainly had to be hard on the pockets of bar owners at the time.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Cripes, about half the guitar players in Fleetwood Mac over the years! Though some of them came back...eventually.

Thirty years ago, I have the pleasure of interviewing eminent jazz historian Leonard Feather, when he was in town for the Edmonton Jazz festival. I asked him a very similar question to what diablo originally asked, and what blew me away was that he came back with a name in a heartbeat. A guy named Billy Moore, whom he felt could have had a brilliant career, but moved to Scandinavia, stayed pretty much in the background. The Jazz Years: Ear Witness to an Era - Leonard Feather - Google Books


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## J S Moore (Feb 18, 2006)

I had read or heard somewhere that Steve Perry has serious performance issues that just became overwhelming. It just became impossible for him to perform. I think the perfectionism mentioned in the article is probably part of that.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

So,were not talking flash in the pan types, but people who had serious and acclaimed careers but quit. I was thinking of Bill Wyman, but he quit the stones, not music. Vanilla Ice maybe?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Remember Mendelson Joe? I think he plays now and then, but mostly he paints.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

maybe they only used music as a way to get what they were really after. if that's the case, good for them, i say.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

cheezyridr said:


> maybe they only used music as a way to get what they were really after. if that's the case, good for them, i say.


do you mean "take the money and run"?
ya, maybe some. Hard to imagine though, putting so much time into it just to make a "fast" buck.

I could see maybe becoming disenchanted with the business aspect of it, or parts of the fame, or maybe just running out of (marketable) ideas and realizing it.

Ohh.....just thought of another....Cant remember his name, but the guitarist from Platinum Blonde is an architect now, and building a 5000sq ft mcmansion in my neighborhood for a client.

Maybe Gil Moore as well? Not necessarily out of music, but when I saw him a couple yrs ago it was clear that the studio and the recording school he has are where his heart is.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

Cat Stevens


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## NB_Terry (Feb 2, 2006)

ledfloyd said:


> Anthrax's singer Frank Bello [?] is a watchmaker now.


That's Dan Spitz.


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## dodgechargerfan (Mar 22, 2006)

John Rutsey.

Maybe.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

dodgechargerfan said:


> John Rutsey.
> 
> Maybe.


Rutsey died in 2008, but he didn't really walk away from music as far as I know. He was let go from Rush because his health was poor and they didn't think he would survive the ongoing tours.

At least, that's what they said in the documentary.


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## J-75 (Jul 29, 2010)

Zal Yanovsky (RIP) _- a home-grown boy_


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## Intrepid (Oct 9, 2008)

Zal had a great time out of the music Biz. Was a Chef, and then opened up Chez Piggy and later a Bakery. He really enjoyed his life out of the limelight.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

laristotle said:


> I think the ban on smoking in bars has more to do with this.


That may have some merit but I know that when the smoking ban came in, most singers were very happy that their throats wouldn't be burning and eyes wouldn't be burning at gigs. In fact, prior to the smoking ban, there was one night per week at some clubs that had no smoking and everyone wanted to play that night. Smoky places was one thing I was happy to leave behind when I stopped playing out.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

ledfloyd said:


> Anthrax's singer Frank Bello [?] is a watchmaker now.


Frank's a Bassman..


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

mrmatt1972 said:


> So,were not talking flash in the pan types, but people who had serious and acclaimed careers but quit. I was thinking of Bill Wyman, but he quit the stones, not music. Vanilla Ice maybe?


Vanilla Ice got totally BURNED by his manager and Record Company...but he still walked away with 30 millions in his pockets. So...left music and went crazy on his second love...Dirt Bick extrem racing. But now he still peforms, but a tad more heavy stuff.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

al3d said:


> Vanilla Ice got totally BURNED by his manager and Record Company...but he still walked away with 30 millions in his pockets. So...left music and went crazy on his second love...*Drugs* and Dirt Bick extrem racing. But now he still peforms, but a tad more heavy stuff.


Fixed... 
Oh ya, i think he raced jetskis for awhile too...and now renovates houses and had a show doing it on DIY network.
I wont use the term Renaissance man, but hes kind of a jack of all trades and master of none.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

Diablo said:


> do you mean "take the money and run"?



sorta, but not in sentiment. i mean, successful people are usually people with a good work ethic. that they would succeed in more than one field is not uncommon. but maybe some folks looked at it and said, _i could that for a while, and when i have enough money/time/clout/whatever, i'll do this other thing i love even more than tha_t. or maybe they just wanted to try it out. i've known several really good sheetmetal workers that went on to be really good at some completely different line of work.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

I watched this great doc the other night on Klaus Voormann....... he couldn't take the partying and the leeches

http://ww3.tvo.org/video/162784/all-you-need-klaus


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## captainbrew (Feb 5, 2010)

Remy Shand.


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

shoretyus said:


> I watched this great doc the other night on Klaus Voormann....... he couldn't take the partying and the leeches
> 
> http://ww3.tvo.org/video/162784/all-you-need-klaus


Thanks for posting this!


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

laristotle said:


> Milkman said:
> 
> 
> > .. the wholesale abandonment of live club music ..
> ...


Although the smoking ban doesn't seem to have had an effect on club DJs.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

hardasmum said:


> Although the smoking ban doesn't seem to have had an effect on club DJs.


If all it took was banning smoking in bars, clearly live music was not a priority.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

captainbrew said:


> Remy Shand.


Wow I just googled that ...gone.......


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

Bass player Peter Quaife walked away from The Kinks in 1969 and walked away from music in 1970.


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## Morkolo (Dec 9, 2010)

hardasmum said:


> Although the smoking ban doesn't seem to have had an effect on club DJs.


That could have a lot to do with the fact that most DJs work for half the price of a band, around here anyway.


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

Morkolo said:


> hardasmum said:
> 
> 
> > Although the smoking ban doesn't seem to have had an effect on club DJs.
> ...


Sadly I've made more money DJing in the last five years than I have playing in "original" rock bands over the last twenty.


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