Musicians become the breakout star of their bands all the time, and then they decide to go it alone and often get even more popular — look at Beyoncé departing Destiny’s Child, or Michael Jackson breaking away from the Jackson 5. But there are plenty of other members of famous groups who tried to go it alone… and surprisingly landed just one hit single.  

Michael Nesmith

The Monkees: a producer-assembled group of four young guys who sang along to songs recorded by studio musicians and stared in a zany ‘60s sitcom, the American answer to the Beatles. After the show and band fell apart, a split brought on by the cast’s insistence that they get to play and record for real, each Monkee pursued music in their own way. The sole Monkee with a sole solo hit was Michael Nesmith, who’d had a respectable musical career before the Monkees. He wrote “Different Drum” for Linda Ronstadt’s band the Stone Poneys, and as the frontman for Michael Nesmith and the First National Band, he took the country rock tune “Joanne” to No. 21 in 1970. 

Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr

The Cars had two co-frontmen: Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr. After the band went on hiatus in 1985 (which would turn into an official breakup in 1988), both Ocasek and Orr recorded solo albums, and both singers could only manage a single hit. In 1986, Ocasek hit the Top 40 for the first and last time when “Emotion in Motion” peaked at No. 15. Later that year, Orr had his shot at the chart, and his synth-pop ballad “Stay the Night” would prove to be his only real hit, reaching No. 24.

John Taylor

In the early 1980s, Duran Duran earned the attention of enthusiastic young fans in a way not seen since Beatlemania in the 1960s. Telegenic like a boy band, but one who played its instruments for real, Duran Duran and MTV helped each other become household names. Big fans picked a favorite member, and for many, that was bassist John Taylor. In 1985, Duran Duran took a break and split into factions. Some formed Arcadia, some joined Power Station, and Taylor launched a solo career. He contributed the tune “I Do What I Do” to the soundtrack of the 1986 erotic drama 9 1/2 Weeks. It made it up to No. 23 on the Hot 100. 

Roger Daltrey

The Who’s Roger Daltrey possessed one of the strongest, loudest, and most identifiable voices in rock. But to be his most successful Daltrey really needed the shredding and songwriting of guitarist Pete Townshend. Between 1973 and 2018, he recorded a slew of solo albums, and the only time that any of his singles resonated with a large American audience was in 1980 when “Without Your Love,” part of Daltrey’s soundtrack for the prison drama McVicar, peaked at No. 20.

Frida

ABBA was the biggest act on the planet in the 1970s, so when the group broke up in the early 1980s, its most frequent lead singer went on to a wildly successful solo career, right? Wrong. Anni-Frid Lynstad, performing under the name Frida, struck with the 1982 single “I Know There’s Something Going On.” That track rose to No. 13 on the Hot 100 in the U.S. When 1983 rolled around, Frida released another album, the experimental Here We’ll Stay. Her hit-making days were over, and Frida waited 12 years to record another album, the Swedish-language Djupa andetag.