Ghost band

A ghost band is a legacy band that performs under the name of a deceased leader. In rock and roll, it is a band that performs under the name of the band whose founders are either deceased or have left the band. Use of the phrase may refer to a repertory jazz music ensemble, such as a Dixieland band, with a longstanding, historic name. But in the strictest sense, a ghost band is connected in some way to a deceased leader.

Origin of the phrase
Gene Lees, Woody Herman's biographer, and several other sources attribute the coining of the phrase to Woody Herman, who used it to refer to successors of dance bands from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is a ghost band with a twist: the name is new, but the band is closely identified as being the legacy of The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, and like the Mingus Band, is producing new works. Thad Jones, who had once been a trumpeter with the Count Basie Orchestra, led Count Basie's ghost band with critical acclaim.

Authorization
Ghost bands fall into three categories: (i) authorized, (ii) unauthorized, and (iii) unspecified. Authorized ghost bands fall into two sub-categories: (a) authorized under the will of the decedent and (b) authorized by agreement with the heirs, successors, and assigns to the rights of the name. Unauthorized ghost bands are those that exist in the face of opposition, or those that prevail in a legal challenge. Unspecified ghost bands subsist with no preference or will given. In this case, more than one band might subsist, and even remain unopposed if money is not an issue.

Ghost bands often do not have full access to unpublished, original music arrangements. In lieu of ghost bands, some leaders have opted to bestow their music and papers to academic institutions, in some cases, to music schools devoted to research, restoration, and repertory studies, and in other cases, to alma maters.

Connotation
The phrase "ghost band" is sometimes viewed as an underhanded way (, pejorative way) of saying that the ensemble is not the "real McCoy". Not being the "real McCoy" does not automatically mean "inferior." The current pool of virtuoso musicians, world-wide, is abundant. Moreover, ghost bands in recording studios are often composed of high-caliber musicians who might have otherwise been (a) unwilling to tour full-time, back in the day or (b) too expensive or (c) both. Willingness to embrace the phrase is mixed. Legacy bands – those that have grown new, distinct identities and have generated new works – value their roots; but they also appreciate recognition for their contributions to the art. From a branding perspective, some repertory big bands, such as the Glenn Miller Orchestra, embrace the phrase as a statement of commitment to the preservation of the original sound.

Dance bands and jazz
The Glenn Miller Orchestra has been performing for of the  years since Glenn Miller went missing. In dance band and big band jazz idioms, ghost bands typically perform the repertoire of the original band. Exceptions, however, include the Mingus Big Band, which performs and records new works in the creative spirit of its founder, Charles Mingus. The examples of Miller and Mingus are, in a sense, the same because both are striving to preserve the original models.

The estates of some notable band leaders, such as those of Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson, specifically forbid ghost bands in their names.

Popular music
In classic rock/pop/R&B, a ghost band may refer to a group composed of musicians from newer generations and perhaps owned or led offstage by a secondary founding member who may perform, or may not even perform with the group as is the case with Blood, Sweat & Tears and The Platters. Many classic rock/pop acts still tour with musicians who were in the last stages of their success and weren't founding or crucial members of those acts, such as Little River Band. Other acts such as The Grass Roots, The Guess Who, The Temptations, and others are now led by a drummer, bassist, or other background rhythm musician or backing vocalist who had little to do with the unique original sound (as compared to a lead instrumentalist or lead vocalist who made the sound identifiable to fans). These acts typically play at festivals, casinos, cruise ships, clubs, theaters and small venues, typically billed with other similar acts in "oldies packages", and are essentially tribute acts in all but name only.

Notable ghost bands
Jazz


 * Glenn Miller Orchestra
 * Mingus Big Band
 * Duke Ellington Orchestra
 * Count Basie Orchestra
 * The Modernaires
 * Harry James Orchestra
 * Les Elgart Orchestra
 * Hal Mcintyre Orchestra
 * Nelson Riddle Orchestra
 * Cab Calloway Orchestra
 * Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
 * Les Brown's Band of Renown
 * Russ Morgan Orchestra
 * Sammy Kaye Orchestra
 * Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra
 * Jan Garber Orchestra
 * Dick Jurgens Orchestra
 * Gene Krupa Orchestra
 * Guy Lombardo Orchestra
 * Xavier Cugat Orchestra
 * Artie Shaw Orchestra
 * Lester Lanin Orchestra
 * Woody Herman Orchestra
 * Chick Webb
 * Ted Heath
 * Sun Ra Arkestra

Classic rock, R&B, and pop


 * Animals and Friends (continuation by drummer John Steel without original lead singer Eric Burdon, who left in 1983)
 * April Wine (no original members following death of vocalist Myles Goodwyn in December 2023)
 * Asia featuring John Payne (version of Asia fronted by non-original member of band / original lead singer, John Wetton, died in 2017)
 * Bob Jackson's Badfinger (version of Badfinger fronted by non-original member of band / original lead singers Pete Ham and Tom Evans died in 1975 and 1983)
 * Blackfoot (no original members as of 2021)
 * Blood, Sweat & Tears (no original members as of 1977)
 * Brian Poole & The Tremeloes (Brian Poole left the original Tremeloes in 1966 / no original members of Tremeloes currently)
 * Canned Heat (no founding members as of 2019 / original lead singer Bob Hite died in 1981)
 * Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich (original lead singer Dave Dee died in 2009)
 * Dr. Feelgood (no original members following death of lead singer Lee Brilleaux died in 1994)
 * Foghat (original lead singer Dave Peverett died in 2000)
 * Foreigner (original lead singer Lou Gramm left in 2003 / sole original member Mick Jones isn't touring as of 2023)
 * The Fourmost (no original members following death of Brian O'Hara in 1999)
 * The Grass Roots (no original members following death of lead singer Rob Grill in 2011)
 * The Guess Who (original lead singer Burton Cummings left in 2003)
 * Herman's Hermits (original lead singer Peter "Herman" Noone left in 1971)
 * Jefferson Starship (spinoff of Jefferson Airplane / no Airplane members in band following death of Paul Kantner in 2016)
 * Little River Band (no original members as of 1996)
 * Lynyrd Skynyrd (no original members as of 2023 / original lead singer Ronnie Van Zant died in 1977 / last surviving original member, Gary Rossington, died in 2023)
 * Mahavishnu Project
 * The Manfreds (version of Manfred Mann started up without the bands name sake member)
 * Molly Hatchet (no original members following death of Dave Hlubek in 2017 / original lead singer Danny Joe Brown died in 2005 / last surviving original member, Steve Holland, died in 2020)
 * Nazareth (original lead singer Dan McCafferty left in 2013 and died in 2022)
 * The Orchestra (formerly known as "ELO Part II" not including Jeff Lynne)
 * The Platters (no original members)
 * Quiet Riot (no original members following death of original lead singer Kevin DuBrow)
 * The Swinging Blue Jeans (no original members following retirement of original lead singer Ray Ennis in 2010)
 * Three Dog Night (2/3 original lead singers, Chuck Negron and Cory Wells, aren't in band as of 2015; Negron left in 1985, Wells died in 2015)
 * Vanity Fare (no original members as of 1979)
 * The Yardbirds (original lead singer Keith Relf died in 1976)

Related musical terminology

 * Tribute band – Tribute bands can also be ghost bands. Three fundamental distinctions: (1) tribute bands can play music of living artists, (2) tribute bands can be a one-time concert or recording by any group of musicians, and (3) tribute bands can showcase other subjects, such as a particular composer or arranger.  This category can also refer to ad hoc groups that appear occasionally with a big-name leader, a number of star soloists and arrangers from the big-band era. Leaders who did this included Illinois Jacquet, Gerry Mulligan, and Louis Bellson.
 * Cover band – Cover bands can also be ghost bands. A distinction is that cover bands can play music of living artists and are usually not confined to one artist.
 * There are several well-known bands that have endured for decades – bands that are promoted and perceived to be continuations of the original. These types of bands are analogous to franchises, except, instead of multiple bands touring under the same name, only one band performs, but with a turnover of musicians.  Examples include Tower of Power (currently in its  year).