>>Quite a lot of the "group" names are owned by someone other than any of the original performers
In an interesting situation, Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman of the Turtles got into some legal wrangling with the manager of their record label and for awhile they were prevented from
using their REAL NAMES (well, Howard's real last name is
Kaplan technically) when touring so they became Flo and
Eddie, for awhile. These days they still appear as the Turtles; for all practical purposes they were the Turtles
(though we can't totally discount the members of the band...
and I saw the two of them, with some indescript backup
musicians, at a state fair as The Turtles).
But if you took a couple of the real ex-Turtles and had
different lead singers, would it really be the Turtles?
Ex-Creedence Clearwater Revival members went on tour
sans John Fogerty and used the name Creedence Clearwater
Revisited. (And Fogerty got into hot water when one of his original songs, The Old Man Down the Road, sounded a little
too much like Run Through the Jungle. He plagiarized himself! But the rights to his old songs were held by
Saul Zaentz of Fantasy Records...There was a lawsuit.
Fogerty's comeback album, Centerfield, jabbed at Saul
with a song: "Zanz can't dance but he'll steal your
money/Watch him or he'll rob you blind". He had to chance THAT to "Vanz" Can't Dance.)
Ex-Electric Light Orchestra members did the same, sans Jeff Lynne, as "ELO II"
correction: had to CHANGE that
Don't forget such Folk groups as the Limelighters, Lamplighters, New Christy Minstrels, and the Kingston Trio, one of my alltime favorites.
I still have good memories of John Fogerty's appearance on the 1986 HBO "Welcome Home" Special for Vietnam Veterans. John said: "You got the shaft. You know it and we know it. But at some point you have to say: "Well, that's what happened." He talked about how he brooded about the way he was cheated and robbed, and finally said "Well, that's what happened..."