History Main / RevolvingDoorBand

* The '''Music/DoobieBrothers''' is probably one of the most infamous examples of this. The only member to stay throughout the band's history is Patrick Simmons, with Tom Johnston taking a brief hiatus for health reasons in the late '70s. They cycle through touring members quite a bit, and even the number of principal members that recorded studio albums is a staggering ''14''.

* The only member of '''Music/FleetwoodMac''' to remain in the band for its entire history was drummer Mick Fleetwood. The band was named after him and bassist John [=McVie=], the latter of whom initially declined membership and Bob Brunning became the band's original bass player...for a few weeks before [=McVie=] changed his mind. Things got [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Fleetwood_Mac_members even more complicated]] over the next few decades with members coming and going and coming back only to leave again.

* When founding guitarist Gary Rossington died in March 2023, '''Music/LynyrdSkynyrd''' has no founding band members left.

* '''Music/TheOakRidgeBoys''' originally played this straight. The group formed all the way back in 1947 and had had several members pass through their ranks from there until the most familiar lineup (lead singer Duane Allen, tenor Joe Bonsall, baritone William Lee Golden, and BassoProfundo Richard Sterban) came to be in 1973. That's long enough into their existence that one of those members (Bonsall) wasn't even alive when the band originally formed. Golden was replaced by Steve Sanders from 1987 to 1995 when he returned.

* '''Music/{{Iron Butterfly|Band}}''' went through 59 lineups (Arguably 60, but the Doug Ingle/Ron Bushy/Erik Braunn/Lee Dorman happened twice) in 46 years--including hiatuses. None of these members, not even relative constants Ingle and Bushy, have been in the band consistently since its formation.

** British journalist Dave Simpson wrote a book, ''The Fallen: Life In and Out of Britain's Most Insane Group'', about trying to find all of the ex-members (there were fifty). That said, the dynamic duo of Craig Scanlon and Steve Hanley held down the fort from 1979 'til 1995, which is ''damn'' impressive. Not coincidentally, they're also the only members of the band that Smith ever regretted firing (he asked them both come back at different points, and both declined).

** Although '''Nachtmystium''' is usually described as a band, the project is in reality just [[IAmTheBand founding member Blake Judd]] and whatever additional members he has managed to recruit to provide additional instrumentation at any given line. The band's lineup from one album to the next is hardly ever the same. It has been rumored over the years that this is due to Judd being difficult to work with and perhaps a contemptible person in general (as many ex-members of Nachtmystium have ind claimed; Charlie Fell even stated that the best thing that he ever did in his time with that band was smashing Judd's head through a tour bus window). In light of recent drug, theft, and fraud scandals surrounding Judd, this is not difficult to believe.

* '''Music/NoDoubt''' up until 1995. Music/GwenStefani is the only stable member since its formation in 1986, and even she was promoted from backing vocals after original lead singer and co-founder John Spence died by suicide in 1987. The band's lineup, apart from the horn section, was mostly stable by 1990 after the additions of classic members Tony Kanal (joined in 1987 shortly after the band started playing live), Tom Dumont (1988), and Adrian Young (1989). Stefani's brother Eric, who had co-founded the band with Gwen and Spence, left the band in 1995; The remaining quartet just missed out on being a LongRunnerLineup by staying together for nine years before they went on hiatus in 2004

* '''Music/NoDoubt''' up until 1995. Music/GwenStefani is the only stable member, and even she was promoted from backing vocals after the original lead vocalist left.

* '''Music/TheSmashingPumpkins'''. Not so much the first line-up, which only had a couple changes (drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was fired in 1996 and returned in 1999. The same year, bassist D'Arcy Wretzky left the band and was replaced by Melissa Auf der Maur). The second incarnation on the other hand? Upon the band's 2006 reunion, it had a completely different lineup from the original apart from Chamberlin and frontman Billy Corgan. And then by the time they released their next album ''Oceania'' in 2010, everyone but Corgan and guitarist Jeff Schroeder had been replaced. The entire band lineup had changed ''again'' by the time they released ''Monuments to an Elegy'' just two years later, with Corgan and Schroeder once again the only returnees. Currently, the band is comprised of Corgan, Jeff Schroeder, Chamberlain (who rejoined in 2015), and James Iha (another original member, who returned after an 18-year absence in 2018).

* '''Music/TakingBackSunday''' started off with Antonio Longo (vocals) John Nolan (vocals/guitar) Eddie Reyes (guitar) [[Music/BrandNew Jesse Lacey]] (bass) and Stephen [=DeJoseph=] (drums) By their first album, Lacey, Longo and [=DeJoseph=] had left and were replaced by Adam Lazzara (vocals), Shaun Cooper (bass) and Mark O'Connell (drums). After ''Tell All Your Friends'' (2002) Nolan and Cooper departed to form Straylight Run and were replaced by Fred Mascherino (vocals/guitar) and Matt Rubano (bass). This line up lasted a lengthy (by TBS standards) two albums before Mascherino left after ''Louder Now'', eventually being replaced by Matt Fazzi for ''New Again''. Following ''New Again''. Fazzi and Rubano departed and Nolan and Cooper rejoined, restoring the band to its breakthrough line-up for its past three albums.

* '''Music/AgainstMe''' initially started as an acoustic solo act by Laura Jane Grace, who then recruited Kevin Mahon to play drums. This duo recorded a few demo cassettes together. Then Kevin was fired, and bassist Dustin Fridkin came into the fold. Grace and Fridkin then recorded together before guitarist James Bowman and drummer Warren Oakes were hired. The lineup of Grace, Bowman, Fridkin, and Oakes recorded the band's first full-length album, ''Reinventing Axl Rose''. Fridkin then left and was replaced by Andrew Seward. The Grace-Bowman-Seward-Oakes era remained constant until Oakes left (or was fired, depending on whom one talks to) after their major-label debut ''New Wave''. George Rebelo of fellow punk band Hot Water Music recorded their next album ''White Crosses'' as drummer before leaving to return to Hot Water Music. He was then replaced by Jay Weinberg, son of [[Music/BruceSpringsteen Max]]. The lineup of Grace-Bowman-Seward-Weinberg managed to record a single, "Russian Spies / Occult Enemies" together. This lineup also attempted to record the band's next full-length album ''Transgender Dysphoria Blues'' together, but this didn't materialize. Weinberg quit via Twitter, and Seward left amicably. The album was recorded with Atom Willard on drums, with Grace handling bass herself on the album save for two songs, which were recorded by Fat Mike of NOFX. After a few years of Inge Johansson of The (International) Noise Conspiracy handling bass duties, Seward returned in 2018. The current lineup is now Grace, Bowman, Seward, and Willard, or about 3/4 of the band's classic lineup.

* '''Music/FairportConvention''' has had almost 30 members, earning the nickname "Fairport Confusion." None have been with the band for its entire 50-year career, and only a couple have been members for more than half of its existence. For example, the band's two most famous members, singer Sandy Denny and guitarist Music/RichardThompson, were both gone by 1971. [[note]]Denny would return in 1974 but would be gone again in a year. Although Thompson hasn't been a member since 1971, he's continued to be associated with the band, and occasionally appears as a guest on their albums and at their concerts.[[/note]] Several musicians were Fairport members for less than a year. Even the band's only more-or-less constant member, guitarist Simon Nicol, left the band for a period (1971 to 1976) before returning. Bassist Dave Pegg has remained with the band since he joined it in 1969, but unlike Nicol, he wasn't an original member. Their occasional reunions tend to be advertised with a complete list of the musicians participating, so people can't complain about being cheated.

* '''Music/{{The Fall|Band}}''' were well known for line-up changes, the only constant being Mark E Smith, who once said of the ever-changing line-up "if it's me and your granny on bongos, it's a Fall gig."