Music History Events: Band Breakups
June 21, 1981 Walter Becker and Donald Fagen announce the split of Steely Dan and begin work on solo projects. They would re-form in 1993.
August 5, 1980 The Osmonds officially disband.
June 14, 1979 Little Feat announce their breakup; guitarist Lowell George dies of a heart attack just two weeks later.
December 30, 1978 Emerson, Lake And Palmer publicly announce their breakup.
August 13, 1977 Bachman-Turner Overdrive announce that the group is splitting up. They reunite five years later.
July 26, 1976 With endless touring and recording, as well as various addictions, tearing the band apart, Three Dog Night play their last concert tonight in San Francisco, California. (The group would reunite in 1981, but that reunion would prove short-lived.)
July 16, 1976 Driven by discord after Gregg Allman testified against the band's road manager, The Allman Brothers announce their breakup. Gregg records and album with his wife, Cher, and Dickey Betts forms Great Southern. The band reunites in 1978.
July 16, 1976 After six years, Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina decide to split up their partnership, which had three big hits in "Thinking Of You," "My Music," and "Your Mama Don't Dance."
March 15, 1976 Deep Purple, fronted by David Coverdale, wrap up their UK tour with a show at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, then break up. When they return in 1984, it's with the "Mark II" lineup of the band, which includes lead singer Ian Gillan and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.
December 27, 1975 The Faces announce their split. Rod Stewart devotes himself to his solo career and Ron Wood officially joins The Rolling Stones.
April 25, 1975 The original New York Dolls break up after Jerry Nolan and Johnny Thunders leave the band in the middle of a tour in Florida. They carry on with replacements into 1976, but disband that year, returning again in 2004.
April 19, 1975 The Raspberries split up.
June 21, 1973 The band Bread, already having decided to break up, play their last live gig ever in Salt Lake City after one of its tour trucks flips over and destroys most of its gear.
May 29, 1973 The Byrds break up when founding member Roger McGuinn performs his first solo concert at New York's Academy of Music. Use of "The Byrds" name gets sticky in ensuing years, and in 1989 McGuinn plays some shows with original members Chris Hillman and David Crosby to stake their legal claim to the name.
February 14, 1972 Blaming burnout, Steppenwolf break up for the first time, saying, "We were locked into an image and style of music and there was nothing for us to look forward to." The group, which released six albums from 1968-1971, get back together in 1974.
December 21, 1971 Martha and the Vandellas officially disband.
May 23, 1971 Iron Butterfly breaks up.
September 3, 1970 The Dave Clark Five call it quits after ten years.
December 30, 1969 Psychedelic rockers The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band announce they're breaking up.
July 19, 1969 The Spencer Davis Group breaks up. Steve and Muff Winwood left the band in 1967, but the band continued on with less success without them before calling it quits.
June 29, 1969 At the Denver Pop Festival, the Jimi Hendrix Experience play their last gig with their original lineup, as bass player Noel Redding leaves the band after the show over disagreements with Hendrix.
July 10, 1968 Eric Clapton announces the breakup of the supergroup Cream, currently finishing up its last tour.
July 7, 1968 The Yardbirds disband immediately after a gig in Luton, England. Jimmy Page begins forming what will become Led Zeppelin.
May 3, 1967 The Walker Brothers announce their split. Scott Walker goes on to become a highly influential solo artist in the late '60s.
February 8, 1967 The duo Peter and Gordon announce their split.
February 22, 2021 Daft Punk, the electronic music duo that formed in 1993, announce their split via a video called Epilogue, where we learn they have self-destruct buttons.
January 7, 2020 Rascal Flatts announce they are breaking up following a farewell tour slated for June. They don't get the chance, as the tour is cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
March 22, 2013 My Chemical Romance announce their breakup after 12 years as a band. They return to action in 2019.
May 29, 2012 Aaron Freeman tells Rolling Stone that he is retiring Gene Ween, the stage name under which he has performed with Ween for nearly two decades. This appears to be the end of Ween, and the members of the now-defunct band begin pursuing other projects.
February 13, 1996 After three albums and seven UK #1 singles, the boy band Take That announce their breakup. They return to action in 2005.
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