SoulAlive said:

At the risk of going all (king)krazy, Bobby was a big hit. "Humpin' Around," "Get Away," "Good Enough," and "Something in Common" were all hits. "That's the Way Love Is" was the only one that didn't perform.

I'm one of the 5 who bought that Dawn Robinson album! Maybe I should get around to listening to it one of these days...

My list would include:

Fergie (yes, I said it!)

That guy from Savage Garden
Dave Stewart from Eurythmics
Kevin Rowlands of Dexy's Midnight Runners
Men At Work's Colin Hay
Kathy Sledge
Thelma Hopkins (part of Dawn)
Rosie Gaines
Kim Appleby
Pete Burns
Where are the Expose' girls???
Jo-Jo (from Mary Jane Girls, now touring "solo")
Each member of the Manhattan Transfer
Naomi Judd (I had hopes...)
That girl from The Jets
Howard Hewitt
Nick Lachey
Lindsay Buckingham
Mick Jones of Foreigner
Brian May
Both girls from Taste of Honey
Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet
The surviving member of Milli Vanilli
Colton Ford
Belinda Carlisle
Donny Osmond
Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block
Ann Nesby of Sounds of Blackness
Boy George
Dale Bozzio

SoulAlive said:

This makes no sense, just like Lionel Richie makes no sense, at all Bobby Brown has over 12 top ten hits,had three platinim LP's, Lionel Richie from 1980 - 1987 had a song top the Billboard hot 100, yet they had bad solo careers, shit most people in the industry wish to even have a 1/10 the solo careers Bobby and Lionel had. and your wrong, if Bobby doesn't marry Whitney he would probably be still big in the rnb world and pop world. Whitney killed half his fanbase, cuz women found other acts like jodeci and r. kelly and Bobby lost his hunger and started listening to whitney, cuz look at that bobby LP, why would bobby do a gospel song, a song with debra winans, that was all whitney
[Edited 1/22/07 20:09pm]

How is Lionel Richie "disappointing?" . Dude sold millions of records after he left the 'Dores. B-Brown was successful as well. Maybe some of you have unrealistic views of what's "successful" in the record industry.

As far as others that didn't have a successful solo career:

Big Bub - Today
Melvin Riley - Ready For The World
Dennis Edwards - The Temptations
Terry Ellis - En Vogue
St. Paul - The Family
Morris Day - The Time
Brownmark - Prince & The Revolution
Eric Leeds - The Family
Dez Dickerson - Prince & The Revolution
Andre Cymone - (See the trend here, guys? )
Q-Tip - ATCQ
Phife - ATCQ
Brother J - X-Clan
Chuck D - P.E.
Flavor Flav - P.E.
Professor Griff - P.E.
Large Professor - Main Source

AlexdeParis said:

Me too It was alright, but still kinda dull.

Harlepolis said:

i blame it on the crack.

CosmicTalk said:

Bobby Z too

heartbeatocean said:

Also:

Ren - NWA
Praz - The Fugees

CosmicTalk said:

I disagree. Morris STILL kept it funky with Oak Tree, The Colors Of Success, and the Jam/Lewis produced Fishnet.

heartbeatocean said:

what, his rap album didn't win you over?

John Lennon
Paul McCartney

VinnyM27 said:

the sad thing is,EnVogue could have lasted a little while longer if Dawn had not left.I think they could have had a few more hits.Dawn left in 1997,not too longer after they had that excellent rock-flavored hit "What's It Gonna Be" from the movie 'Set It Off'.But she went her way and the group went their way,and neither side experienced much success.If they try to reunite now (as has been rumored),it won't work.It's too late.

KingKrazy said:

Bobby Brown had one hugely successful album ('Don't Be Cruel' in 1988),but the follow-ups were disappointing.He did not have this great,big successful solo career.A successful solo career consists of more than one big album.It consists of longevity and an impressive body of work.When Diana Ross left the Supremes,she had a successful solo career that consists of movies,hit records,sold-out tours,Grammys,even an Oscar nomination for "Lady Sings The Blues".That's how I define "successful solo career".

Harlepolis said:

I think she did OK as a solo artist,but I prefer the Rufus albums to her solo albums.

SoulAlive said:

I heard an interview with Dawn recently (last 2 months) and it really sounds like EnVogue with the originally members will never be. She said when she last met with them they were still stuck in the past business-wise. She made it sound like they hadn't mentally moved anywhere it terms of how to deal with the business and getting what they wanted and that she had moved on from that. That's why she was able to do Lucy Pearl. She said she tried [to work with them] but it wasn't happening. She still comes across a bit shady, and talks as if she's on a whole different level.

Roger Waters (Pink Floyd)

SoulAlive said:

At the same time, you can't call Bobby Brown's solo career a disappointment. After all, when he left New Edition in 1985 he was known for little more than being the other guy besides Ralph Tresvant to sing lead on a song ("Mr. Telephone Man"). It's not like Brown had these massive expectations, a significant fan base or an inherently high profile when he left his situation (see Diana Ross).

Brown racked up chart-topping songs before ("Girlfriend") and after ("Humpin' Around," "Good Enough," "Get Away") "Don't Be Cruel," so his career was a little more than one album. Quite frankly, if Brown went away after the release of his first album (1986's "King of Stage") no one would have labeled his career a disappointment -- because a whole lot wasn't expected from him. The fact he was able to garner a string of hit songs and two platinum albums that sold a combined 10-plus million units (plus "King of Stage" eventually going gold) was way more than what most people thought he could produce.

Again, you're describing a case where "disappointment" is defined not in absolute, concrete terms (namely, an inability to have or maintain even a moderate amount of success) but in relative, subjective terms (namely, what a certain person thought an artist should have been and/or maintaining a very high level of success). Acts like Bobby Brown and Lionel Richie aren't disappointments in the former sense.
[Edited 1/23/07 15:07pm]

purpleunderground said:

Most of these people are De VOID of TALENT.

damosuzuki said:

add George Harrison
and Ringo

TonyVanDam said:

Yeah, they were mild hits but I wouldn't necessarily call Mo'iss' solo career successful.

CosmicTalk said:

I have to agree. Given Morris Day's profile and success as the lead singer of The Time, you have to consider his solo career a disappointment -- he generated only two Top 10 hits; in contrast, former bandmate Jesse Johnson (who had a lesser profile than Day while in The Time) produced five Top 5 hits.
[Edited 1/24/07 20:47pm]

JackieBlue said:

I would like to visit that reality Dawn Robinson lives in, because apparently she's had a very successful career there.

Paul Weller. Having split The Jam in 82 and then The Style Council in 89 I have found his solo career to be dull.
I loved the new wave edginess of The Jam, I even loved the different styles and musical experimentation of TSC but Weller's solo career has left me cold. It started well with his Acid Jazz influenced solo debut album and Wild Wood was a change of direction but since Stanley Road onward he has been flogging the same turgid muso rock with lumpy production by Brendan Lynch. The only exception to this was the single It's Written In The Stars which was a collaboration with Noonday Underground.
Unfortunately the record buying public seem to prefer the more leaden efforts of Weller and his solo career goes from strength to strength, last year he won a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution To British Music. He is now rock aristocracy in the UK and was considered to recieve a CBE from the Queen (he thenkfully declined the honor).

Najee said:

Graycap23 said:

Oh. THAT'S why!!!

FuNkeNsteiN said:

His wasn't THAT disappointing. His first 2 solos were huge. Thing went south during Dancing on the Ceiling and even WOrse the tepid Se La. He just came out with another solo album recently.

I still laugh at the video for Hello though

Ringo Starr's solo efforts weren't that successful

Andrew Ridgely anyone?

How about David Lee Roth of Van Halen? Yeah I think "I'm Just A Gigolo" was a hit, But other then that, his career tanked after he left VH

purpleunderground said: