Former Rainbow singer Joe Lynn Turner recently shared his thoughts on the current state of rock music, changing band lineups, and why he believes there are no true rock headliners left during an appearance on Cassius Morris Official.
Turner discussed how frequent lineup changes and the constant shifting of frontmen between bands have impacted the rock scene.
“But I mean, if you look at what’s happening nowadays where you have Sebastian Bach and Twisted Sister, right? Where you have five or six lead singers in, you know, Skid Row,” Turner said. “I mean, every these singers are like playing, what would you say, like chess or something, you know? They’re showing it all over the different squares with bands, you know. One minute Erik Grönwall is in this band, now he’s in this band, then he’s or somebody’s in that band, and then and it’s incestuous, you know. Will people accept that? And now they’re more accepting. I think of that. It’s almost as if you want to play musical chairs.”
He went on to explain that while audiences might be more accepting of these changes now, he does not believe the approach is always sustainable.
“And you know, maybe that’s a graduation, you know, a level, they’re getting to a higher level to respect that,” Turner continued. “I personally don’t think that that’s necessarily always going to work. I think it becomes more of a circus, you know, when that starts to happen. Not that you can’t have a new singer or anything, but sometimes they’re after like a month. It’s like, what are you guys doing? Write an album, you know, do something together, collaborate, and make a product. And if it doesn’t work out, okay, fine.”
Turner also criticized bands that hire and dismiss singers in rapid succession, pointing to The Dead Daisies as an example.
“But, you know, to create personality or whatever, it just sounds so immature to me that these guys hire and fire so quickly,” he said. “It’s strange. I mean, John Corabi, you know, he’s in Dead Daisies, he’s out of Dead Daisies. He’s, you know, Glenn’s in Dead Daisies. Glenn’s out of Dead Daisies. I mean, what the hell’s going on there?”
The singer acknowledged that he has also worked in a number of different bands, but argued that the current industry has made lineup changes feel increasingly calculated.
“Hey, look, I’ve jumped around in bands, you know. I’m a hired gun,” Turner said. “I’m not suggesting that this is wrong in that sense, but I am suggesting why not accept it? You know, when I did it, it should have been accepted like it is now.”
Turner’s criticism comes from the perspective of a singer with extensive experience moving between major rock projects. He is best known for his work with Rainbow and Deep Purple, while he also recorded and performed with Yngwie Malmsteen.
Turner joined Rainbow in 1980 and remained with the band until 1984, appearing on albums including Difficult to Cure, Straight Between the Eyes, and Bent Out of Shape. He later worked with Malmsteen before joining Deep Purple, where he contributed to the 1990 album Slaves and Masters.
That history helps explain Turner’s description of himself as a “hired gun.” His career has involved working within established acts while adapting to different musicians, writing styles, and audiences. However, he distinguished those long-term collaborations from what he sees as the increasingly rapid singer changes in modern rock.
Erik Grönwall’s recent career illustrates the kind of movement Turner was discussing. Grönwall moved from the Swedish band H.E.A.T. to Skid Row in 2022, replacing former DragonForce singer ZP Theart. Grönwall later left Skid Row in 2024, citing health issues.
Skid Row has experienced several major changes behind the microphone since Sebastian Bach’s departure. Johnny Solinger fronted the group from 1999 to 2015, followed briefly by former TNT singer Tony Harnell. ZP Theart then handled vocals before Grönwall joined the band.
The succession of singers has made Skid Row one of the clearest examples of the lineup instability Turner described. Solinger remained with the band for 16 years, while the singers who followed him had considerably shorter tenures.
Turner also suggested that the broader problem may be connected to the shrinking number of major rock headliners.
“I remember what some promoter said to me recently,” he said. “He said, you know, there are no headliners left. So the B-class bands start to become the headliners. And that’s sort of the same thing as personnel in the bands.”
He concluded by saying that the rock industry now feels more corporate and manufactured, but added that the quality of the music remains the most important consideration.
“You know, I think rock and roll has changed. The whole industry has changed so much from when I started that it starts to become a bit fabricated, almost like corporate,” Turner said. “But you know what it is, and I wish everybody blessings on it, because as long as you’re putting out great music, that’s really all that matters.”
