10 Rock Bands That Survived Key Members Leaving
8. Stuart Cable - Stereophonics
Raised in Cwmaman, a tiny village in Wales, Kelly Jones, Richard Jones and Stuart Cable had been playing music at local clubs and bars for years together before they formed Stereophonics in 1995. In fact, Stuart and Kelly had lived on the same street in Cwmaman and it was only through hearing him playing the drums in his dad's garage that led to Kelly inviting Stuart to jam with him.
Stereophonics would break the UK market with their debut album Word Gets Around in 1997, commencing a world tour and winning a BRIT Award as best new band. With Stuart in the lineup, Stereophonics would release four acclaimed albums and score some big chart hits with songs like The Bartender and the Thief, Just Looking and Have A Nice Day.
However, by 2003 it was clear that Stuart was losing interest in the group. He routinely missed practice rehearsals and live shows and openly stated that he couldn't see the band getting much bigger. He was fired on the eve of Stereophonics releasing their best ever song Dakota and they remain heavily active to this day.