15 Lesser-Known Members of Famous Bands Who Deserve Their Flowers

Bands are often made up of a collective of mercurial musicians vying for their time in the spotlight. As these things are often wont to happen, the lead singer gets the lion’s share of the attention from the record labels, the press, and the ladies (and gentlemen). But what about the lesser-known musicians who deserve more recognition than they often get?

These 15 musicians may not have gotten the headlines — or the groupies — that their more famous bandmates got, but they’re still just as important to the structure, and the success, of the bands that made them famous (or, perhaps, vice versa). As the old hip-hop song by the Ultramagnetic MCs goes, “Give the drummer some!”

But don’t just stop at the drummer, of course. Give the bassist, the guitarist, and even the keyboardist some, too.

1. Ringo Starr (The Beatles)

Paul was the cute one, John was the popular one, and George was the talented one. But which one was Ringo?

Ringo Starr (real name Richard Starkey) became a punchline after The Beatles disbanded in 1970, but that razzing was nothing if not unfair. In addition to being one of the most influential drummers of all time, Starr is also an accomplished songwriter, actor, and all-around nice guy. His posts on X, formerly Twitter, have also earned him a whole new legion of fans.

2. Robby Krieger (The Doors)

Frontman Jim Morrison single-handedly crafted The Doors’ image as the jagged, weird, and libertine bad boys of the 1960s counterculture. The band might have remained unknown forever if guitarist Robbie Krieger had not crafted and written the super-smash hit “Light My Fire”, which propelled them out of obscurity.

Krieger also either fully wrote, or co-wrote, the band’s other mainstream hits, including “Touch Me,” “Love Me Two Times,” and “Love Her Madly.” What’s more, he’s still performing to this day: in 2024, Krieger announced his new role as the “frontman” of the all-instrumental band, The Soul Savages.

3. Charlie Watts (The Rolling Stones)

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards — “The Glimmer Twins” — commanded all the attention in the Rolling Stones’ heyday. Charlie Watts, who passed away in 2021, simply played the drums. But in that simplicity, he provided the blues inspiration that turned the Stones into rock mainstays.

Mick Jagger waxed poetic about Watts’ influence after his death. “It’s a couple of years now, and I still think about Charlie a lot,” he told The Guardian in 2023. “I miss his laconic humor. His taste in music. [Charlie’s] elegance. His don’t-care attitude – he didn’t get intense. Keith and I get a bit intense. But Charlie wouldn’t, and it rubs off a bit – I’m not as intense as I used to be. I think about him when I’m playing, and what he would have played; whether he’d have liked this song because I’d always bounce things off him.”

4. Krist Novoselic (Nirvana)

Kurt Cobain is now immortal, and Dave Grohl is screaming about “making lasagna” in SiriuxXM commercials while touring with The Foo Fighters. But while Krist Novoselic isn’t as popular in the mainstream as his erstwhile Nirvana bandmates, he’s still making waves in the political world as the leader of the Forward Party…just like a good Gen Xer would.

In 2024, Novoselic’s new band, The Bona Fide Band, made headlines after covering “Love Buzz,” a classic Nirvana track, in concert.

5. Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)

Soundgarden’s signature sound was defined by two elements: the wailing vocals of Chris Cornell, and the pioneering guitar work of Kim Thayil. Alongside Stone Gossard, Thayil is all but single-handedly responsible for crafting the Seattle sound that later became known as grunge.

Thayil’s unconventional guitar playing has been criticized as “sloppy,” a claim Thayil dismisses. “I’ve recently read this online review, and it’s like, ‘I don’t know, I’ve seen Kim live, he is just kind of sloppy,’” he said. “I started thinking, ‘I played about eight different guitar tunings.’ At some point, 30 years ago or more, the idea of patterns and box patterns and scales, I just threw it out the window.”

6. Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam)

Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder commands the lion’s share of attention because of his intense thousand-yard stare, movie star good looks, and signature warbling baritone. But Vedder, who goes by “Ed” these days, would still be drifting in and out of garage bands were it not for the efforts of rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard. In addition to being a pioneer of the Seattle sound in bands like Green River and Mother Love Bone, Gossard wrote the legendary melodies of such songs as “Alive,” “Daughter,” “Black,” “Yellow Ledbetter,” and “Even Flow.”

Gossard, however, downplays his importance in the rock pantheon, claiming it was just about having a good time with some friends. “There was a really fun time at the beginning where we were just all drunk all the time and that was part of the unhinged joy of being onstage,” he said. “We’re crappy and we’re just… drunk and this is great and everybody’s having a good time and isn’t that great? That Mudhoney era was a lot of fun. People were sloppy.”

7. Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains)

Alice in Chains’ signature sound was driven, in no small part, by the haunting screams of the late Layne Staley. But the true talent of the band was guitarist, and principal songwriter, Jerry Cantrell. Throughout his career, Cantrell has written over 125 songs for himself, Alice in Chains, and bands like Damageplan and Circus of Power. “Man in a Box,” “I Stay Away,” and “Rooster” all feature Cantrell’s handiwork.

Interestingly, Cantrell’s biggest influence on his guitar playing came from an unlikely source: Elton John. Cantrell once said that John was a “big thread in my musical fabric.”

8. Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath)

John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne, the legendary but slightly off-kilter vocalist, brought Black Sabbath to mainstream prominence. But the groundbreaking heavy metal band would have been just another ordinary English rock band were it not for the efforts of bassist Terence Michael “Geezer” Butler.

In a 2024 interview with Michigan rock radio station WRKR, Butler — a devout vegan — explained that he was influenced by The Beatles, and they had a stronger influence on Black Sabbath’s music than fans previously realized. He also claimed that Black Sabbath’s alleged “Satanic” influences were greatly exaggerated, as all the members are “believers.”

9. Mick Mars (Motley Crue)

Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, and Vince Neil all take turns vying for the maddening headlines brought by being a part of the terror collective that is Motley Crue. Mick Mars, the longtime bassist, often balances out the toxic trio’s tabloid tendencies with his steady stalwart presence.

Mars (real name Robert Alan Deal) sparked Motley Crue’s initial formation by placing an ad in The Recycler. Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee answered the ad, with Tommy Lee bringing his longtime friend Vince Neil on board. Unfortunately, Mars and the rest of the Crue have fallen out with one another after the bassist won a lawsuit against the rest of the band in January 2024.

10. Artimus Pyle (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Ronnie Van Zant achieving near-godlike status upon his death in a plane crash in 1977 has led to much ado being made of the Van Zant boys in Lynyrd Skynyrd. Longtime drummer Artimus Pyle, though, doesn’t get the credit he deserves for his contributions to the band.

In addition to being one of only a few members that survived the tragic plane crash, Pyle played a partial role in creating the signature sound heard on songs such as “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home Alabama.” What’s more, Pyle is the only living Lynyrd Skynyrd member enshrined in the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame, following Gary Rossington’s tragic passing in 2023. He is also the only living Lynyrd Skynyrd member who survived the 1977 plane crash.

11. Dickey Betts (The Allman Brothers Band)

The titular Allman brothers often found themselves in tabloid headlines because of the drugs they took (too many), the women they dated (Cher), and the motorcycles they crashed (rest in peace, Duane Allman). But the Allman Brothers Band’s best-known hits were almost singularly due to the efforts of Forrest Richard “Dickey” Betts, whose signature sound was heard on “Ramblin’ Man” and “Jessica.”

Matt Mitchell of Paste Magazine noted that Betts’ work on Eat a Peach and Brothers & Sisters was “one of the coolest creative peaks in rock’n’roll history.”

12. Steve Stevens (Billy Idol, Michael Jackson)

Guitarist Steve Stevens has played with a large number of musicians, overshadowing his own steady session guitar work. He’s the lead guitarist of rock critical darlings Bullets and Octane, but he’s best known for his work with Billy Idol and Michael Jackson.

Stevens (real name: Steven Bruce Schneider) gave Jackson his more hard rockin’ sound on the Bad album. Fans can hear his guitar work on songs like “Dirty Diana.”

13. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)

Lead singer Robert Plant, and guitarist Jimmy Page, were the sun and the moon to the world that was Led Zeppelin. But despite Plant and Page’s public personas and near-godlike status in the rock world, it was bassist John Paul Jones who catalyzed the formation of Led Zeppelin.

According to Jones, he was working as a session musician when he learned Page was tinkering with the idea of forming a new band. “And she [Jones’ wife] said: ‘Well, look, Jimmy Page is forming a group’; I think it was in Disc magazine. ‘Why don’t you give him a ring?’ “So I rang him up and said: ‘Jim, how you doing? Have you got a group yet?’ [He hadn’t.] And I said: ‘Well if you want a bass player, give me a ring.’ And he said: ‘All right. I’m going up [to Birmingham] to see this singer that Terry Reid told me about, and he might know a drummer as well,” he said.

14. Andy Summers (The Police)

During The Police’s heyday, lead singer Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland took turns making headlines in the press. The dueling musicians often left little, if any, quarter for guitarist Andy Summers. Yet, Summers deserves his flowers well, as he wrote the guitar riff for “Every Breath You Take” and recorded it in one take.

Despite the band’s constant bickering with one another, Stewart Copeland praised Summers’ contribution to the hit track. “That guitar riff was Andy’s. That track was our biggest hit. That started out as a Hammond organ piece but Andy went off and figured out those chords, f*ngering, and that harmony. That’s all Andy,” he said.

15. Kirk Hammett (Metallica)

When Metallica made headlines outside of their music, it was either because lead singer James Hetfield was going in and out of rehab, or because drummer Lars Ulrich was fighting with Napster. (In fairness to Lars, he was nothing if not prescient.) But Metallica’s musical prowess is, in no small part, thanks to the melodic contributions of the quiet, steady Kirk Hammett, who has written some of the band’s most blistering riffs including “Ride the Lightning” and “Enter Sandman.”

In 2017, Hetfield himself sang his bandmate’s praises. “Kirk’s an amazing lead player with a great lead sound. And I wish I could play like him, but I can’t. So I become the best rhythm player I can,” he said.