10 Country Bands Whose Lineups Look Very Different Now
Being on the road with the same people for hundreds of days each year is bound to cause tension. Bandmates have to make life-altering decisions as a collective, even though they might not always agree. Then there's the added stress of group members with families back home, whom they rarely get to see thanks to life on the road. Add in the normal wear and tear of creative differences and the possibility of simply growing apart, and it's no wonder that, from time to time, musicians have to bid farewell to their musical families and embark on separate paths.
Plenty of country music fans remember that Sugarland was originally a trio, with Kristen Hall exiting after only one single, and recall Heidi Newfield's very public departure from Trick Pony to pursue a solo career. However, even longtime fans may not be able to guess which Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was an original member of a certain legendary country group.
Scroll through the gallery below for a flashback to some of country music's biggest bands as they once were:
This story was originally written by Erin Duvall, and revised by Liv Stecker and Carena Liptak.