Bands That Currently Have No Original Members Left

Unmistakable heavy metal band Judas Priest got their start back in 1969 with vocalist Al Atkins, guitarist John Perry, bassist Bruno Stapenhill, and drummer John Partridge. Months after forming, the band would lose Perry and Partridge before disbanding for a short time in 1970. Later that year, the band Freight (consisting of guitarist Kenneth ‘K.K.’ Downing, bassist Ian Hill and drummer John Ellis) were in search of a singer and recruited Atkins, who rechristened the band as Judas Priest. Ellis would leave the band soon after. In 1973, Atkins left the band he named, with Rob Halford replacing him as Judas Priest's new vocalist. Notably, Atkins never appeared on a Judas Priest album; as the band didn't get a record deal until after he left.

The Pointer Sisters are one of the most iconic girl groups of all time with a slew of Top 10 hits and Grammys to their name. The group started in 1969 with youngest sisters Bonnie and June Pointer performing as a duo called Pointers Au Pair. In 1970 their older sister Anita joined the group, making them a trio. After doing backing vocals for acts such as Betty Davis and Grace Slick, the trio gained the attention of Atlantic Records. Under their deal with Atlantic Records, the trio released a handful of singles that didn't make an impact on the charts. The group became a quartet with the addition of their eldest sister Ruth, and they signed a new record deal with Blue Thumb Records. With the release of their 1973 self-titled debut album, the Pointer Sisters saw immense fame from all directions. In 1977, Bonnie and June left the act, but June returned a year later. June left the group for good in 2002 while Anita bowed out in 2015. Though she was the last sister to join, Ruth still performs as part of the Pointer Sisters. The group remains a family act, but now it's multi-generational, with Ruth performing alongside her daughter Issa, and granddaughter Sadako.

R&B group the Spinners dominated the '70s with several Top 40 hits, including "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love?" and "Then Came You." Forming in 1954 as The Domingos, the group's original lineup included Billy Henderson, Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson, C. P. Spencer, and James Edwards. Over time, Edwards and Spencer left the group and were replaced by George Dixon and Bobby Smith. Following the release of their debut single, “That's What Girls Are Made For,” the Spinners saw the departure of Dixon. A few years after Dixon's departure, the Spinners found constant success on the Billboard charts. In due time, the original members exited the band as they got older; Henderson left in 2004 and Jackson died in 2008. Fambrough outlived most of the other original members of the Spinners before retiring from the group after 50 years in 2023.

Gwar has seen multiple changes over their nearly 40-year history with one constant for most of it being co-founder/vocalist Dave Brockie. Brockie started the band as a guitarist with bassist Chris Bopst, vocalist Ben Eubanks, drummer Sean Sumner, and guitarists Russ Bahorsky and Steve Douglas. Unfortunately, the original lineup fell apart after a couple live shows with Sumner, Eubanks, Bahorsky, and Douglas leaving the band. After several member changes along with Brockie taking over as lead vocalist, Gwar found a somewhat stable lineup with Brockie, drummer Brad Roberts, and guitarist Mike Derks from 1989 until Brockie's death in 2014. Following Brockie's death, Mike Bishop (who played bass for GWAR from 1987 to 1993 and 1998 to 1999) took over as lead vocalist.

Swedish progressive metal band Opeth managed to have their whole original lineup change due to one person joining the fray. The band formed in 1990 with vocalist David Isberg, guitarists Micke Bargström and Dan Nilsson, bassist Martin Persson, and drummer Rille Even. Isberg wasn't fond of Persson's playing skill, so he asked Mikael Åkerfeldt to replace him. When Åkerfeldt showed up to rehearsal, the remaining band members were angry at Isberg for bringing in a new person. After some arguing, Isberg and Åkerfeldt were the only two members of Opeth left as the remaining original members exited the band. In 1992, Isberg became the last original member to depart from Opeth. Åkerfeldt decided to step up as the band's new vocalist and helped bring them success worldwide, starting with their 1995 debut album Orchid.

Influential groove metal band Sepultura was co-founded by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera in 1984. The brothers watched numerous people come and go from the band until the release of their 1987 album Schizophrenia, which featured bassist Paulo Jr and guitarist Andreas Kisser. The four members played on numerous Sepultura albums until Max exited the band in 1996. Igor would follow suit in 2006, leaving the band without any original members. The Cavalera brothers would reunite with their thrash metal project Cavalera Conspiracy in 2007.

The Ohio Players delivered countless funky hits, such as "Funky Worm" and "Love Rollercoaster," to the radio in the ‘70s and ’80s. Formed in 1959 as the Ohio Untouchables, the original lineup featured guitarist/vocalist Robert Ward, bassist Marshall "Rock" Jones, saxophonist Clarence Satchell, drummer Cornelius Johnson, and trumpeter/trombonist Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks. Due to a physical altercation between Ward and Jones, the band broke up in 1964. In the following year, the band would reunite without Ward and Johnson and bring a new lineup and name. Now known as the Ohio Players, the band would find superstardom in the music world. The remaining original members would exit the band on their own terms, which would eventually leave the Ohio Players without any founding members. The current lineup features longtime members Diamond Williams (drums) and Billy Beck (keyboardist).

Ukrainian metalcore band Jinjer has become one of the hottest acts in metal, but as a surprise to many, Tetiana Shmailyuk wasn't the band's original vocalist. Formed in 2008, the original lineup featured vocalist Maksym Fatullaiev, bassist Oleksiy Svynar, guitarist Dmytro Oksen, and drummer Vyacheslav Okhrimenko. This lineup only released the Objects in Mirror Are Closer than They Appear EP in 2009 before a lineup change featuring Shmailyuk replacing Fatullaiev as their new vocalist and Roman Ibramkhalilov joining as their second guitarist. Two years later, Okhrimenko and Svynar were replaced by Oleksandr Koziychuk (drummer) and Eugene Abdukhanov (bassist). Oksen, who was the last remaining original member of the band, left the group in 2015.

Psychedelic rock band Gong began in Paris in 1967 as a musical project between romantic partners Daevid Allen (an Australian) and Gilli Smyth (an Englishwoman) While the original lineup consisted of Allen, Smyth, flutist Loren Standlee, and vocalists Ziska Baum; the lineup would change rapidly with the exception of founding members Allen and Smyth. In 2015, Allen passed away, followed by Smyth's death the following year. In a letter written before his passing, Allen suggested the current members of Gong continue the band's massive legacy.

Co-founded by Peter Furler and George Perdikis in 1985, Christian rock band Newsboys have churned out several hits on the Christian charts in their career, including "God's Not Dead (Like a Lion)" and "We Believe." While the original band included Furler, Perdikis, vocalist John James, and bassist Sean Taylor, things changed over time. Perdikis exited the band before the release of Newsboys's 1988 debut album, Taylor bid farewell in 1992 for a new career path, and James departed in 1997 due to problems with addiction. Furler, who was originally the drummer and co-vocalist, stepped from behind the drumkit to be the sole vocalist and last original member of Newsboys. In 2009, however, Furler stepped away from the role but returned in 2018 before leaving again in 2021. Since 2009, Michael Tait, who is best known as part of DC Talk, has been the vocalist of Newsboys.

Influential goth rock band Christian Death was founded by vocalist Rozz Williams in 1979 with the addition of guitarist Rikk Agnew, bassist James McGearty, and drummer George Belanger. This original lineup only stuck around for the band's debut album, Only Theatre of Pain, which introduced deathrock to the masses. Before the release of Christian Death's sophomore album, Catastrophe Ballet, Williams introduced guitarist Valor Kand, keyboardist Gitane DeMone, bassist Constance Smith, and drummer David Glass to the group. Following the release of Ashes in 1985, Williams would exit Christian Death leaving no original members left. Kand would take over as lead vocalist and helped bring in a new era for Christian Death. Although, confusingly Williams also released a few albums under the Christian Death moniker in the 90s. Kand and Co. continue to tour and release albums to this day.

Disco act Odyssey was formed in 1977 by Lillian, Louise, and Carmen Lopez under the original name Lopez Sisters. Before taking on the Odyssey moniker, Carmen exited the group and was replaced by Tony Reynolds. As Odyssey, the group found success with hit singles such as "Native New Yorker" and “Use It Up and Wear It Out.” While promoting their debut album, Lillian's son Steven joined them as their musical director and live keyboardist. By 1982, the lineup for Odyssey featured Lillian, Steven, and Al Jackson. While Lillian and Jackson retired from the music industry in 2003, Steven has been keeping the Odyssey name alive with live shows alongside vocalists KayJay Sutherland and Michelle John.