Backup band

The Eagles are the backup band to Linda Rondstat. From left to right, they are: Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit (behind them is touring drummer Scott F. Crago)

A backup band or backing band is a musical ensemble that accompanies a lead singer at a live performance or on a recording. A backup band can also accompany an instrumental soloist, such as a lead guitarist or solo fiddler, though all-instrumental performances, with no singing, are not common in popular music and traditional music. This can either be an established, long-standing group that has little or no change in membership, or it may be an ad hoc group assembled for a single show or a single recording. Ad hoc or "pickup" groups are often made up of session musicians.

Examples

Notable backing bands (with lead artist) include:

• Ace in the Hole (George Strait)
• Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Otis Redding)
• Bluesbreakers (John Mayall)
• Crazy Horse (Neil Young)
• Double Trouble (Stevie Ray Vaughan)
• Drifting Cowboys (Hank Williams)
• Full Tilt Boogie Band (Janis Joplin)
• Manassas (Stephen Stills)
• Miami Sound Machine (Gloria Estefan)
• Mink DeVille (Willy Deville)
• New Bohemians (Edie Brickell)
• Parliament Funkadelic (George Clinton)
• Scarlet Fever (CeeLo Green)
• Spearhead (Michael Franti)
• The Aces (Desmond Dekker)
• The Attractions (Elvis Costello)
• The Bad Seeds (Nick Cave)
• The Belmonts (Dion DiMucci)
• The Blackhearts (Joan Jett)
• The Blockheads (Ian Dury)
• The Bluebelles (Patti LaBelle)
• The Cardinals (Ryan Adams)
• The Crickets (Buddy Holly)
• The Dakotas (Billy J. Kramer)
• The Delaware Destroyers (George Thorogood)
• The Detroit Wheels (Mitch Ryder)
• The E Street Band (Bruce Springsteen)
• The F.C.C. (Serj Tankian)
• The First National Band (Michael Nesmith)
• The Flecktones (Bela Fleck)
• The Four Seasons (Frankie Valli)
• The Funky Bunch (Marky Mark)
• The Heartbreakers (Tom Petty)
• The Hooligans (Bruno Mars)
• The Impressions (Curtis Mayfield)
• The J.B.'s (James Brown)
• The Jordanaires (Elvis Presley)
• The Magic Band (Captain Beefheart)
• The Maytals (Toots Hibbert)
• The Miracles (Smokey Robinson)
• The Modern Lovers (Jonathan Richman)
• The Mothers of Invention (Frank Zappa)
• The New Power Generation (Prince)
• The News (Huey Lewis)
• The Nice (P.P. Arnold)
• The Pips (Gladys Knight)
• The Raelettes (Ray Charles)
• The Raiders (Paul Revere)
• The Range (Bruce Hornsby)
• The Revolution (Prince)
• The Rides (Stephen Stills)
• The Rumour (Graham Parker)
• The Scene (Selena Gomez)
• The Section (Jackson Browne, James Taylor)
• The SFA (Jonathan Davis)
• The Shadows (Cliff Richard)
• The Shondells (Tommy James)
• The Silver Bullet Band (Bob Seger)
• The Sixers (Stephen Kellogg)
• The Spiders from Mars (David Bowie)
• The Steep Canyon Rangers (Steve Martin)
• The Stooges (Iggy Pop)
• The Strangers (Merle Haggard)
• The Stray Gators (Neil Young)
• The Sunshine Band (Harry Wayne "KC" Casey)
• The Supremes (Diana Ross)
• The Tennessee Three (Johnny Cash)
• The Vandellas (Martha Reeves)
• The Voidoids (Richard Hell)
• The Wailers (Bob Marley)
• The Waves (Katrina Leskanich)
• Tupper Ware Remix Party (Ninja Sex Party, Starbomb)
• Twisted Brown Trucker (Kid Rock)
• Union Station (Alison Krauss)