3 Really Old Bands That Had Future Rock Icons As Members

A rock star’s beginnings are always fascinating—especially when it comes to the legends. Were they always destined for greatness? Did they stand out right away? It’s like watching young Wayne Gretzky on the ice—everyone else seems to be in a different league.

This list explores three early bands that featured future rock icons. What’s clear from the start is just how much they stood out, even before they became legends.

The Castiles featuring Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen once said he was kicked out of his first band because his guitar was “too cheap.” That $60 Christmas gift from his mother didn’t stop him, though. After leaving The Rogues, he joined The Castiles, a band started by neighborhood friend George Theiss.

In his memoir Born to Run, Springsteen recalled their first gig: “We set up in the shade under the overhang of a little garage and stood in front of an audience of maybe fifty souls.” By 1967, they had booked his first studio session and played a youth center show—his earliest known live recording. But after three years, internal drama and a marijuana bust ended The Castiles’ run.

Bad Radio featuring Eddie Vedder

In 1990, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, and Mike McCready were looking for a drummer and a singer to complete their new band. Gossard and Ament were still reeling from the loss of their previous group, Mother Love Bone, after frontman Andrew Wood died of a heroin overdose. They reached out to ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons, who passed on joining but suggested a singer he knew—Eddie Vedder.

At the time, Vedder was fronting a San Diego funk rock band called Bad Radio, whose sound leaned more toward the Chili Peppers than grunge. Early clips show Vedder’s stage presence still developing, but when he performed “Better Man,” his future as a defining voice of ’90s alt-rock was already taking shape.

Band of Joy featuring Robert Plant and John Bonham

Before Robert Plant formed Band of Joy, he had already played in several groups and even recorded solo singles for CBS Records. Drummer John Bonham had been in one of those earlier bands, the Crawling King Snakes, before reuniting with Plant in Band of Joy.

The two shared a love for ’60s British R&B, but even in those early recordings, their talent was undeniable—they were destined for something bigger. While they were making noise in Band of Joy, Jimmy Page was trying to keep The “New” Yardbirds going and needed a singer. Terry Reid passed on the offer but pointed Page to Plant. Soon after, Led Zeppelin was born, and the raw energy of Band of Joy exploded into rock history.