Rock Band Redos: 10 Rock Band Lead Singer Replacements That Were Actually Successful

It's risky business to mess with an established rock band's lead singer, but sometimes it can prove to be a smart move. Here's a look back at 10 of the most successful rock band lead singer re-dos -- even if you didn't like them!

AC/DC- When lead singer Bon Scott died in 1980, this Australian rock band could have called it a day but they sprung into action. They immediately hired singer Brian Johnson and went on to record the band's most successful album, "Back in Black," which was released less than six months after Scott's death. "Back in Black" remains one of the best-selling rock albums of all time.

Van Halen- Van Halen or Van Hagar? Diehard David Lee Roth fans may have hated this lead singer switcheroo, but by the mid-1980s the original Van Halen lineup was at a breaking point. Enter former Montrose lead singer, Sammy Hagar, who brought the band a new following with the love song-heavy album "5150," as well as the band's first #1 album on the Billboard charts.

Genesis- In the minds of some Genesis fans, Peter Gabriel was the band's only lead singer and his replacement, Phil Collins, should have stayed behind the drums. But there's no denying that Genesis' most commercially successful years were when Phil Collins fronted the band. Collins' solo success in the mid-1980s coincided with Genesis' most successful album ever, "Invisible Touch."

Black Sabbath '" When Black Sabbath founding member Tony Iommi decided that he'd had enough of lead singer Ozzy Osbourne, he hired former Rainbow front man Ronnie James Dio to replace him. Dio's Black Sabbath went on to record the successful album "Heaven and Hell." And as a bonus, Ozzy went on to solo superstardom and gave us albums like "Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman." It was a win win for everyone!

The Drifters '"This R&B group has had enough lineup changes to make your head spin, with over 65 vocalists performing as part of the group. And while the group's first hit single back in 1953, "Money Honey", featured lead singer and founding member Clyde McPhatter, the group's real commercial success came during the later, Ben E. King years with songs like "There Goes My Baby" and "Save the Last Dance for Me."

Fleetwood Mac- While this band was never known for having just one lead singer, the original lineup of drummer Mick Fleetwood's band featured Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer on vocals. Later Danny Irwin, Bob Welch and Christine McVie would all be vocalists for Fleetwood Mac, but it wasn't until the 1975 incarnation of the band'"and the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks-- that the band hit rock solid gold. The 1977 album "Rumours" made the bandmates bona fide megastars.

Lynyrd Skynyrd- After a horrific 1977 plane crash killed lead singer Ronnie Van Zant as well as two other members of this southern rock band, the group went on a decade-long hiatus. But in 1987, in what started out as a one-time tribute tour, Van Zant's brother, Johnny, took over as lead vocalist. Johnny Van Zant'"who sounds remarkably like his brother'"continues to forge ahead with the band even though nearly all of the original members are gone.

Pantera- Back in Pantera's early days they started out as a glam metal band that featured lead singer Terry Glaze. But when front man Glaze was replaced with Phil Anselmo, the band went for a heavier metal sound. The 1990 album "Cowboys From Hell" showcased their new thrash metal style and by 1994, their album "Far Beyond Driven" soared to the top of the Billboard charts and earned the band Grammy nomination status.

Faith No More- This San Francisco rock band went through a slew of lead singer changes (even Courtney Love once fronted the band) before settling on singer Mike Patton. With Patton as the new front man, the band received a Grammy nod and hit MTV heavy rotation with videos from their epic 1989 album, "The Real Thing."

Alice in Chains- The death of lead singer Layne Staley in 2002 was a huge blow to this 1990s grunge band but, sadly, in Staley's final years he wasn't performing much and the band was running out of steam. When hardcore punk rocker William DuVall was approached a few years later to sing on an Alice in Chains tribute tour, he agreed. But DuVall thought the tour would be one and done and later said, "If there had been that one formal discussion saying, 'Would you like to help us resurrect Alice in Chains?' I would have thought twice. But we were just playing for the fans who care about it and hadn't seen it in a long time. For all we knew it was going to be one more victory lap and goodbye."
DuVall's Alice in Chains has spawned the Grammy nominated songs "Check My Brain" and "A Looking in View." Alice fans are glad he stuck around.