Rock Stars' Best Friends (Not In Their Band)

It could be in the music business, another art-form, or completely away from it.

Harry Nilsson seemed like John Lennon's best friend, although John by even his accounts was a loner and hermits, at least post-Beatles with the exception of "The Lost Weekend", where John would hang out with Harry, Keith Moon, and Ringo.

 

ABC/Dunhill label mates Rob Grill of the Grass Roots and Cory Wells of Three Dog Night were close friends. They shared a common love of fishing, and would get together whenever possible to do that together. I know they did an episode one of the sports television shows together, I think it was ABC's Wide World of Sports, which would make sense given the label connection. Anybody who knew Cory or Rob would know of their passion for fishing. They had something more in common than being in the top 2 singles acts on Dunhill Records during the '60s and '70s.

 

Keith Moon was best-ish friends with Stan Griffin. A local cop and Mini rally privateer. Keith was a big rally fan. The Who sponsored his mk1 Ford Escort in ‘73.

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Keith Moon and Rick Nelson

 

George Harrison and Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Eric Clapton.

Geez. for a guy who so many on the forum state had an inferiority complex and was a second-tier Beatle, he sure didn't seem intimidated by these guys.

And the fact that these guys hung out and were eager to record with him together for decades makes it appear that they felt confident that he could play guitar without being told note-for-note what to play by a certain Beatle don't seem well-founded.

 

Johnny Marr and Billy Duffy.

 

Ringo and Moon the Loon

 

Most of them qualify

 

Seems like Mama Cass was a great friend to many, many people in the Laurel Canyon scene. David Crosby speaks very lovingly of her.

 

Until recently Elton John and Rod Stewart were thick as thieves.

 

Always seemed like Warren Zevon and David Letterman had a genuine bond.

 

Okay, I’m going to add to Moon’s friends. We may as well just get a comprehensive list going for that guy. In addition to the friends of Moon listed so far, there’s also:

• John Lennon
• Alice Cooper
• Harry Nilsson (yeah, Keith was friends with him, too, part of that whole Hollywood vampires/Lennon’s lost weekend crew)
• Vivian Stanshall (Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band)
• “Legs” Larry Smith (Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band)
• Jerry Garcia
• John Bonham
• Jimmy Page
• Brian Wilson
• Keith Richards
• Ronnie Wood
• Ronnie Lane
• Bill Wyman
• Charlie Watts
• Mick Jagger
• Paul McCartney
• Linda McCartney
• Olivia Newton-John
• Micky Dolenz
• Kenny Jones (really!)
• Billy Idol (yeah, really!)
• Melanie (again, yeah, really!)
• Iggy Pop
• Members of Aerosmith including definitely...
• ...Steven Tyler...
• ...and Joe Perry
• Marc Bolan
• Joe Cocker
• Arthur Brown
• And all the members of ABBA
• Non-musicians but also friends...
• Oliver Reed
• Twiggy
• Steve McQueen — okay, not friends, but neighbors and definitely well acquainted

 

George Harrison and Maureen Starkey.
Eric Clapton and Patti Boyd.

 

Not a question of "band," and ISTR he played on at least one early track.

But certainly in his formative years at least, Gypsy Dave was Donovan's closest friend. See the lyrics to "To Try for the Sun."

This photo is taken from a page on Donovan's website that also has a note penned at the time of Gypsy's death, so the friendship must have endured.

 

Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson (usually not band mates)
Elvis Costello and T Bone Burnett

 

Ringo & Joe Walsh

 

jackson browne and david crosby

stephen stills and judy collins

michael mcdonald and donald fagen

jackson browne and warren zevon

j.d. souther and the eagles

joe walsh and michael stanley

 

Robbie Robertson & Martin Scorsese

 

Martin Fry and Nick Beggs are pretty good pals - in one of the Bands Reunited shows they were out for a meal with their respectives Mrs.

Guy Pratt and Martin Kemp are buddies - although it might not count as they're now in a band together, now I think about it.

 

I guess everyone except me is a best friend of Keith Moon.

 

I don't know if they're best friends, but Henry Rollins and Ian MacKaye have been good friends since they were 11 years old.

 

Keith Richards and Gram Parsons. I know that Keith loved his music with the Byrds and they hung out together frequently up until Gram’s untimely death in 1973.

 

I'm trying to avoid generic answers. So...
How about Eric Clapton and Richard Manuel?

 

George Harrison and Peter Sellers were good friends. I believe they met after Ringo starred with Peter in the movie “The Magic Christian” (1969)

 

Paul McCartney and David Gilmour seemed to get along.