By Megan Riedlinger
3:30 p.m. PDT, April 9, 2023
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The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree… or should we say that the pick doesn’t fall far from the guitar? After growing up with rock stars as parents, these celebrity descendants chose to follow in their mother’s musical or pop footsteps. We’re rounding up some of rock ‘n’ roll’s nepo babies who are now making their own music…
John Lennon’s two sons, Julian Lennon and Sean Lennon, make music like their late father. Julian, whose mother is John’s first wife Cynthia Powell, got his first taste of the music industry aged 11 when he played drums on his father’s album ‘Walls and Bridges’ . He then released his debut album, ‘Valotte’, in 1994 at age 21 and scored a Best New Artist Grammy in 1985. The Beatles’ youngest son Sean – whose mother is John’s second wife, Yoko Ono – made also music like her mom dad. Sean released two solo albums, ‘Into the Sun’ in 1998 and ‘Friendly Fire’ in 2006, and was a member of various bands including one with his mother – the Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band from 2009 to 2015.
Keep reading to meet more musicians with rock stars for parents…
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Elijah Hewson – the son of U2 singer Bono and his wife Ali Hewson – plays guitar and sings in Inhaler, which he and some classmates formed in 2012. The Dublin-based band have released a slew of singles before to release their full-length debut, ‘It Won’t Always Be Like That’ – which debuted at No. 1 on the UK and Irish music charts – in 2021. They have been touring ever since, performing at festivals such as Lollapalooza and Glastonbury in 2022.
MORE: Rock stars when they were young
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Is it any surprise that Metallica’s James Hetfield spawned another rock star? His son with his ex-wife Francesca, Castor Hetfield, is the drummer of the band Bastardane, a hard-rock trio with a heavy-metal influence as his pop band. He is seen here performing at the 2022 BottleRock Festival in Napa, California.
MORE: The most iconic rock couples over the years
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The middle child of legendary Mexican American rock musician Carlos Santana, daughter Stella Santana, inherited her father’s passion for music. (Perhaps his grandfather’s too: his mother is Carlos’ ex-wife, Deborah King, whose father was blues musician Saunders King.) 2016.
MORE: ’80s Rockers: Where Are They Now?
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Kaya Stewart auditioned on “American Idol” (her episode aired in March 2023) with an original song called “This Tattoo,” delivering a killer performance that led judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan to send her at Hollywood. Kaya’s father, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dave Stewart – who is best known for his work as one half of the Eurythmics – accompanied his daughter on guitar as she sang her heart out. But during Hollywood Week, which aired in April 2023, Kaya fell ill. “I tried to push myself and keep going… [but] I realized that I was not able to give myself 100%“, she explained before announcing that she was abandoning the competition.
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At just 15, Wolfgang Van Halen pulled off a pretty cool gig: he played bass for dad Eddie Van Halen’s rock band Van Halen. Wolf, whose mother is actress Valérie Bertinelli, performed with the band until 2020, the year her father died of cancer. He also played with heavy metal band Tremonti from 2012 to 2016 and more recently started a solo project, Mammoth WVH, in 2021.
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Lola Lennox is a singer-songwriter with an impressive pedigree: her mother is Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox. We listen to his music and we notice a resemblance in their strong voices. The talented singer, who is one of Annie’s two daughters with her second husband Uri Fruchtmann, released her first single in 2020 and has since released a duet with her mother.
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Creedence Clearwater Revival founder John Fogerty passed on his love of music to his sons. Tyler Fogerty and Shane Fogerty, from John’s second marriage to Julie Kramer, have a band called Hearty Har. In 2022, they hit the road with their father for the “Travelin’ Band Family Tour”.
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You couldn’t escape Wilson Phillips in the 90s. The band is made up of pure rock royalty: Chynna Phillips, who is the daughter of John Phillips and Michelle Phillips of Mamas & the Papas; and Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson, the daughters of Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson and his first wife, singer Marilyn Rovell of The Honeys. The trio dominated the airwaves following their 1990 debut album with hits like “Hold On” and garnered five Grammy nominations.
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Zak Starkey counts Beatles drummer Ringo Starr as his father – but instead of using the shortened version of their last name like his famous father does, he opted to use the full last name. Like Ringo, Zak – whose mother was Ringo’s first wife, hairstylist Maureen Cox – Zak found success as a drummer: he’s performed and recorded with The Who since 1996 and worked with other major artists like Oasis, Johnny Marr and the Waterboys.
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Jakob Dylan made a name for himself as the frontman of the Wallflowers, who released their debut album in 1992 and exploded in 1996 with the release of hits like ‘One Headlight’. They’ve won two Grammys and have continued to make music over the years, releasing their latest album, ‘Exit Wounds,’ in 2021. Jakob is music icon Bob Dylan’s youngest child with his first wife. , Sara Lownds.
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You can probably guess who James McCartney’s very famous father is just by looking at him! James bears a striking resemblance to his father Paul McCartney. He is the only son of the union of the Beatles with the late wife Linda McCartney, photographer and co-star of Paul in Wings. James has released two EPs and two albums since releasing his first offering in 2013 and has also contributed to some of his parents’ solo albums.
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Nicholas Collins’ father is the one and only Phil Collins and his mother is the third ex-wife of Genesis drummer-vocalist Orianne Cevey. Nicholas made his professional drumming debut when he filled in for his father on one of Phil’s tours and went on to form his own band, Better Strangers. Although his vibe is more alternative rock than Genesis work or Phil’s solo stuff, it’s obvious where he gets his talent from!
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Layla Brooklyn Allman has music in her blood – her father is the late Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band and her mother is former radio journalist Shelby Blackburn. Instead of following her father’s blues-rock style, Layla opted for a more metal path. His band, Picture Me Broken, formed in 2005 and featured one of its songs in the popular video game “Rock Band 2.”
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If your father is a Beatle, it’s natural to turn to music. Dhani Harrison – the only child of George Harrison and his second wife Olivia Arias, who worked for A&M Records in the 70s – was even named after the sixth and seventh notes of the Indian music scale! He has been part of several music groups – including indie rockers thenewno2 and rock trio Fistful of Mercy – and has collaborated with a wide range of artists. He was featured on a Wu-Tang Clan track, “The Heart Gently Weeps”, Perry Farrell’s solo album “Kind Heaven” and collaborated with Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Prince for a performance at the Rock & Roll Hall of Famous in 2004.
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Lucy Walsh’s father is none other than Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh. Joe had Lucy with his third wife, Jody Boyer. Lucy, who focuses on singing, songwriting and piano, released her first solo album in 2007. She then played piano for Ry Cuming which led to her touring with big bands like Maroon 5 and One Republic.
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