Which Musicians Have Famous Parents?

Do you ever catch yourself staring at somebody on TV and think to yourself: ‘there is something REALLY familiar about them’!? Sometimes it’s because they look an awful lot like their famous parents, and once you make the connection, you can’t unsee it.

In fact, even if you don’t get that ‘uncanny stare’ moment occurring, once you learn about an individual’s famous paternity, it  always becomes a part of how you subsequently see them, doesn’t it? 

Whether they are supremely talented in their own right, or are perhaps happy to ride on the coattails of their parents, these kids of famous people are all over the world of entertainment. Today, I’ll gather together some well known musical performers whose parentage is of the ‘really quite famous’ variety. On a few occasions, these kids will actually have become better-known than their folks! Check out the full list below…

There’s a lot of myth surrounding the enigmatic, tragic Jeff Buckley. His music is as ethereal as it is impressive, and his accidental drowning at the age of 30 has been theorised and over thought since it occurred back in 1997.

One thing that isn’t the stuff of myth, though, is his famous parentage. Jeff’s dad was folk troubadour Tim Buckley, a tragic figure himself who died at the age of 28 from a heroin overdose. He’s the one who wrote Song to the Siren, covered amazingly by This Mortal Coil.

Is it fair to say that more people are aware of Jeff than his dad?

I don’t imagine it's difficult to see that surname and make a correct guess about Ziggy’s dad, right? Ziggy followed in his father’s illustrious footsteps and is a successful musician. His real name is David, and he’s a huge Bowie fan, which explains his nickname! Ziggy has made music all of his life, both as bandleader for the Marley Family band and as a solo artist.

This is a pretty well-known one, but chart-topper Miley Cyrus’ old dad is none other than ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ country singer - and prime mullet aficionado - Billy Ray Cyrus. He may have been a one-hit wonder who inexplicably also showed up as an actor in David Lynch’s Mullholland Drive, but we all remember the guy regardless! Must be that luxurious coiffe.

Anyway, his daughter has sung a few tunes, too. You might have heard of her.

You may know about Zoe Kravitz due to her acting roles in movies like The Batman and Mad Max: Fury Road, or you may know her better for her electronic R&B music with the band Lolawolf. 

You are likely to know her mum Lisa Bonet from either The Cosby Show or the movies Angel Heart and High Fidelity. You have definitely learned some of her dad’s guitar riffs because he is Lenny Kravitz. Nuff said.

What came first: the boy or the guitar? The boy, of course! And Wolfie Van Halen may or may not have been named after Austrian genius composer Mozart (I reckon he was), but with a family name like Van Halen, there is only one man who could be his dad.

Drummer Alex Van Halen.

No, wait! That’s his uncle! Wolfgang’s dad is of course genuine music legend Eddie Van Halen, and I know I don’t need to tell you about him. Wolfie keeps the family business going with his band, Mammoth.

The Osbournes TV show feels like it was in another lifetime now, but this seminal reality show introduced us to Ozzy’s entire family: wife Sharon (band manager/businesswoman), daughter Kelly (often upset back then) and son Jack (often up to no good back then). A lot of water has passed under the bridge since The Osbournes was a media sensation, but we all remember the family just fine. We also remember Kelly’s decent enough stab at a music career, so that qualifies her for this list!

Elijah Hewson is an Irish musician, and frontman of indie rockers Inhaler. He’s also Bono’s wee boy. Did being the son of the U2 singer help his career? I honestly don’t know, but it would be rubbish for him if it didn’t open a few doors!

Continuing the family business was apparently not something his ‘auld da’ was massively happy for him to be doing, but Elijah has proven that he’s in it for the long run. Who’s waiting for the collab song?

As you’ll have surmised from his roman numerals, there are no less than three Hank Williamses in the annals of showbiz. The OG Hank Williams of course, then his son Hank Williams Jr, and now Hank Williams III. All of them are cowboy hat-wearing country singers, though Hank III often shakes things up by performing a live set of country and then another set of hardcore, which makes him alright in my book!

His nephew, half-brother and half-sister are also gigging musicians, as is his son, so the musical genes are obviously strong in the Williams line!

When you play drums and your surname is Bonham, you really have some big shoes to fill. When those shoes belong to your old man, that’s a whole different box of rock.

Jason lost this dad at the age of 13, when he was already well on his way to becoming an accomplished drummer himself. 

He was touring with Jimmy Page in his early 20s and sat in the drum throne for the Led Zep reunion, so if anybody out there can follow in those illustrious footsteps, it's John’s own boy.

Enrique Iglesias was a worldwide sensation back in 2001 with his huge hit Hero. He’s actually sold over 100 million records worldwide, so he’s far more than a one-hit wonder! Enrique is obviously a chip off the old block, because his dad is none other than smooth Spanish pop legend Julio Iglesias, who has amassed over 300 million records in 14 languages. Catch up, son!

Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me album was inescapable in 2002. Indeed, it was the biggest selling debut record of this millennium, scoring 27 million sales. Not bad! Her dad would have been proud of her, since he was known to move around in a musical circle or two. He was, in fact, sitar master Ravi Shankar, an artist who directly influenced The Beatles! Norah’s sister Anoushka is a gifted sitarist, too.

Having a handy parent in the industry you want to conquer is what this blog is all about. But what about those privileged kiddies whose power-parents hold sway over a completely different domain?

So it is with singer Gracie Abrams, whose dad has not only created TV sensation Lost, but has (mostly) successfully rebooted both Star Trek and Star Wars on the big screen! Yes, of course, it’s JJ Abrams, and although he is a film director, I’m 100% certain he and producer wife Katie McGrath have all sorts of music industry connections. Such worlds do not exist in isolation!

What? Morrissey and Johnny Marr had famous and powerful entertainment industry parents?

No, not those Smiths: I’m talking about the kids of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith. Although better known for acting and slapping folk, Will Smith was a hip hop artist first as one half of Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. Jada, an actor first, has also fronted a hard rock band Wicked Wisdom in recent years, so they both have skin in the music game.

Step forward Willow and Jaden, the couple’s two kids. Willow has released music in a neo-soul style, and co-hosts a talk show on Facebook with her mum. Jaden acted in a couple of movies with his dad and has released his own hip hop music as well as collaborating with Justin Bieber.

I suspect you’ve heard most of these artists, haven’t you? Do you think their family connections proved useful in their careers? Could it have been a hindrance? I don’t know, and in fact, in some cases there was no real connection at all. Jeff Buckley, for example, never knew his father: Tim died when Jeff was 8 years old, and the two had only met once. 

This maybe isn’t the case for the other people in today’s list, but I do know one thing: powerful parents don’t mean that their kids can make decent art. That has to come from the individual, regardless of their upbringing or social circumstances. In that regard, everyone on the list deserves respect for their own careers. It also means that your parents don’t have to be rockstars themselves in order for you to have a swing at it, so what are you waiting for?