How about “arrested” instead of “fired?” As a bonus, the story includes two musicians who became famous for playing very different music.
In the early 1960s, an American teen named James Johnson went to Canada to avoid being drafted and sent to Vietnam. At a bar in Toronto, he impulsively jumped on stage to sing with the band that was playing, who were impressed and asked him to join. As the band, eventually named the Mynah Birds, began to gain popularity, Johnson took the name Ricky James Matthews to avoid being noticed by the authorities. After a couple years, they were signed by Motown, who were looking to branch out into rock music. Just before recording, bassist Bruce Palmer invited a new guitarist to join – a young folksinger named Neil Young.
Unfortunately, the band’s manager stole the advance money, was fired, and in retribution, told Motown that Matthews was AWOL. He was arrested, and sentenced to five months hard labor. The tracks they recorded were lost, but eventually turned up in a garage. Only four songs by the Mynah Birds have been released.
Neil Young and Bruce Palmer left for LA to find Stephen Stills, which led to the formation of Buffalo Springfield. Neil went on to become one of the most respected rock artists, while Matthews did his time, returned to Motown, shortened his name to Rick James, and eventually became a star in the world of funk music with songs like “Super Freak.”
This was to be their first single. It’s pretty catchy; it might have been a hit in other circumstances, in which case the world of music could have been very different. But I find it fascinating that Neil Young and Rick James were once in the same band.