Is it possible to be a rock star without a full head of hair? Long, luscious, light-reflecting hair annoys the establishment and embarrasses dear old mum and dad?
Growing out one’s hair was undoubtedly a defining characteristic of early rock & roll rebellion. However, shifting fashions and the harsh reality of ageing celebrities have gradually softened biases, allowing this limited group of Famous Bald Musicians to not only survive but prosper.
Famous musicians include boulder, punk, solo artists, singers, and well-known bald singers in the music industry with glossy heads.
Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan is an American musician best reputed as the lead singer, principal songwriter, and guitarist for the Smashing Pumpkins band. Corgan is primarily famous as a solo artist and for the time spent with the band.
Corgan, one of the famous bald singers, is a poet, producer, and professional wrestling magnate, among other things. Corgan had a difficult childhood which turned him to music for solace, eventually becoming ‘The Smashing Pumpkins.’
His band debuted with the album “Gish,” which Corgan describes as a spiritual ascension album.
Billy Joel
Born in New York, Billy Joel rebounded from a disastrous first album. Streetlife Serenade, The Strange, and 52nd Street were some of his famous albums that added to his successful career.
The year Joel married supermodel Christie Brinkley, his songs “Uptown Girl” and “We Didn’t Start the Fire” made it to the top of the charts.
He was chosen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 after his worldwide song sales surpassed $100 million. Later in 2013, Joel was graced with the Kennedy Center Honor.
Phil Collins
Phil Collins rose to stardom when he became the face of Genesis and was considered amongst the most successful musicians during the eighties. Collins had a fantastic breakthrough in his career between 1984 and 1990 when he hit the United States charts with thirteen top ten hits.
“In the Air Tonight,” “I Don’t Give A shit,” and “You Can’t Hurry Love” are some of his biggest hits. Over the years, the band’s sound developed and shifted away from the cerebral, nuanced sounds that distinguished their early aesthetic and toward a more transmitter sound.
Chris Slade
Chris Slade is a rock bassist from Pontypridd, Wales, who has had a long and varied career. Chris started his musical career when he moved to the same area as fellow Welshman Tom Jones and joined the singer’s support band, The Squires, where he stuck around for seven years.
Going on the roster of bald singers, he went on to tour with Tom Jones before leaving in 1969 to join a band called “Tomorrow,” whose lead singer was an Australian blonde named Olivia Newton-John.
James Taylor
In the 1970s, musician James Taylor rose to prominence as a writer and performer of delicate, moving songs. Taylor has received five Grammy Awards and had many of his albums certified platinum throughout his long career.
With his successful career, Taylor made it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2011.
Ed Cassidy
Inspired by “Mr. Skin,” Ed Cassidy attained this nickname because of his shaved head. With his massive drum kit and all-black wardrobe, Cassidy was considered an influential personality among the drummer’s community, especially in the sixties.
Before entering the music world professionally, Cassidy also served in the Navy during World War 2. He had exposed himself to different jobs before he decided on settling as a full-time musician. He slowly and steadily worked his way up from playing small bands to performing with big bands.
He died of cancer in 2012, he was 89 years old.
Michael Stipe
Multifaceted Michael Stipe is an American singer-songwriter, visual artist, and activist renowned for his career as the frontman of the rock band R.E.M.
R.E.M. became one of the greatest post-punk bands under the charismatic leadership of such a talented artist. Stipe is widely regarded as one of popular music’s most celebrated characters because of his cryptic lyrics and muttered vocal style.
Brian Eno
St. John the Baptist de la Salle, Brian Peter George Eno, R.D.I. is famously known for his work as a record producer, theorist and visual artist.
Brian has had a commendable career where he is appreciated for his contributions to rock, pop, and electronic music.
Eno, a conscious mind “non-musician,” has helped shape modern music’s novel conceptual visions and recording procedures. He has been referred to as “one of the most important and inventive artists in popular music.”
Paul Shaffer
Paul Shaffer was David Letterman’s musical director and a sidekick for thirty-three years.
In 1974, he made his onstage debut in “The Magic Show,” continued by five years with a first “Saturday Night Live.” He played keyboards, composed unique musical content, and eventually became a featured performer in 1980.
Peter Garrett
Peter Garrett’s life has been a magnificent experience as a man who was passionate about singing and then turned his attention to the benefit of society. Garrett has had a keen interest in both music and politics since his days in the university as an undergrad student.
Gaining popularity among the bald singers, his work with the band “Midnight Oil” was marked as a turning point for him to be classified among famous and prominent personalities.
Bob Mould
Bob Mould has quietly carved out a reputation as an alternative rock hero, and his work continues to inspire new songs.
Popularly known for his loud guitar playing and introspective lyrics, this volume obsessed guitarist is also a known personality among the famous bald singers.
His solid and flamboyant characteristic guitar approach was admired – and imitated – by bands such as The Pixies and Nirvana, among others. And a variety of his tracks have been named “greatest recordings of all time” by critics.
Moby
Richard Melville Hall is famous for his professional nickname Moby. Selling over twenty million records, this bald singer has gained fame as a singer, songwriter, producer and musician.
According to AllMusic, Moby is considered the nineties’ most significant dance music personality. He is also known for his contributions to bringing dance music to the mainstream audience in the UK and the US.
Seal
Professionally known by the nickname Seal, Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel is a British songwriter, singer, record producer and musician.
Selling more than twenty million records, this African American has become a world-class sensation in the music industry. “Killer” and “Crazy” are considered amongst his hit songs repertoire. “Killer”, marking success, made it to number one in the UK charts.
Seal has a very mesmerizing voice that touches the soul, setting him apart from other musicians.
Rob Halford
Rob Halford (born on August 25, 1951) is an English singer and composer best renowned for his powerful, wide-ranging operatic voice as the main vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest.
In 2009, Planet Rock voters rated Rob Halford number thirty-three on their list of the greatest voices in rock. He has worked on several tasks, like Fight, 2wo, and Halford, in addition to its effects with Judas Priest.
In an interview with MTV News in 1998, he came out with his sexual orientation as gay, making him the first openly gay singer in popular heavy metal music.
Kenny Chesney
Having his roots back in Tennessee, Kenny Chesney is famous as a country music singer and songwriter. “All I Need to Know,” his sophomore album recorded in 1996, was his first start, playing a part in his success and popularity.
Once his career started, there was no stopping him. His famous numbers, including “Everywhere We Go,” “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems,” and “When the Sun Goes Down”, took him to the top, making him a top-selling musician.
To appreciate his contribution to the music industry, The Institute of Country Music and the Country Music Organization has awarded him numerous Entertainers of the Year awards.
Wrapping up
It was a myth to become a famous rock ‘n’ roll dude. The musician needs to have long hair to meet set standards for personalities. Well, the success stories in this article indeed prove that wrong.
Over decades, bald singers have impacted the music landscape immensely, from heavy metal giants like Anthrax’s Scott Ian and Judas Priest’s Rob Halford to not-so-hard guys like Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins.
Hair or No Hair! Eventually, it all comes down to talent and hard work! And how you’ve decided to steer your career and how you plan to fuel it with passion.
