Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney and Sammy Hagar are highlighted in a retrospective piece as 1970s rock musicians who moved between solo careers and celebrated bands. The article traces how each artist balanced independent work with group membership during a pivotal decade for rock music, illustrating how collaboration shaped some of the era's most enduring music.

Clapton bounced between The Yardbirds, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Cream and Blind Faith before releasing his 1970 solo debut and then forming Derek and the Dominos. McCartney went solo after The Beatles split around 1970, releasing McCartney and Ram, before founding Wings, whose 1973 album Band on the Run became a major hit. Hagar left Montrose to pursue a solo career from 1976 before joining Van Halen as lead singer in 1985, a role he held until 1996 and briefly again in the early 2000s.