Supergroup (bands)

In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe music groups comprising members of great proficiency who had already achieved fame or respect in other groups or as individual artists. The term took its name from the 1968 album Super Session with Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield, and Stephen Stills. The coalition of Crosby, Stills and Nash (later Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) is another example.

With the success of Cream, the term also came to include groups that sold huge numbers of albums and headlined massive concerts, regardless of the previous fame of the individual members. However, the term as correctly applied refers to the architecture, not the achievements, of the group. By any standards, it is not a rigidly defined category and has become, more than anything, a marketing term.

Supergroups tend to be short-lived (often lasting only for an album or two), perhaps because of the natural conflict of egos between established stars. Also, some supergroups were formed as side projects that were never intended to be permanent.

Examples of supergroups:

• Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe is a strange case, because although all of the musicians were famous and respected, they were largely (but not entirely) so because of their earlier achievements together in Yes.
• Asia
• AudioSlave - formed by Chris Cornell from Soundgarden and ex-Rage Against The Machine members.
• Bachmann Turner Overdrive
• Beck Bogert Appice - power trio formed by guitarist Jeff Beck with Vanilla Fudge's Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice
• Blind Faith
• Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young: David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, Neil Young
• Cream: Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker
• Damn Yankees: formed by Ted Nugent, Jack Blades (Night Ranger), Tommy Shaw (Styx)
• Derek and the Dominos: among the members of this one-shot supergroup were Eric Clapton and Duane Allman
• Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
• Emerson, Lake, and Powell
• Faces: Rod Stewart, Ron Wood, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, Ian McLaglan
• The Firm (1980s rock music supergroup) - Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers, Chris Slade
• The Firm (1990s Rap supergroup) - Nas, Cormega, Foxy Brown and AZ
• The Highwaymen - Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, all with long solo careers behind them
• Jeff Beck Group: Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, Ron Wood, Mick Waller, Nicky Hopkins
• Led Zeppelin is a marginal case, because although Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were famous and respected when the band formed as The New Yardbirds, the other half of the group were relative unknowns at the time (albeit very competent unknowns). Page's original intention for the group was to include other well known musicians for the vocalist and drummers spots.
• Neurotic Outsiders: Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan of Guns 'n Roses, and John Taylor of Duran Duran
• Oysterhead: Trey Anastasio, Les Claypool, Stewart Copeland
• The Plastic Ono Band: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voorman, Alan White
• Power Station: Robert Palmer; John Taylor and Andy Taylor of Duran Duran; and Tony Thompson of Chic
• Reloaded, formed by Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots and the instrumentalists of Guns and Roses
• Sky
• TransAtlantic
• The Traveling Wilburys: Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, George Harrison, Bob Dylan and Jeff Lynne
• XYZ, ex-Yes and Led Zeppelin members who became a true supergroup on creation, despite the group not surviving long enough to produce any official albums.
• Yes, who began as a mere group but became a true supergroup with the members Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Alan White.

More supergroups should be added here from outside the progressive rock genre.