Most bands/artists do cover songs - and almost all will try and “make it their own”… put their own twist to it. Which makes total sense, because recreating the song “exactly” like the original is close to impossible to do. Heck even the original bands themselves have a difficult time reproducing live on stage the exact sound they produced in the studio version.
A lot of songs, perhaps most songs, are written with the intention that the songwriters themselves may not ever record the material… it’s written for others to record and perform. Truly original artists and bands who have written and recorded 100% their own, original compositions… is some cool stuff. It took on a life of its own when Rock and Roll came on the scene. The bands and groups from the late 1950’s through the 1990’s embraced that model.
But playing cover songs can get you gigs and can pay the bills.
How many know that Santana did not write “Black Magic Woman” (Written by Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac); Santana also did not compose “Evil Ways” (written by Clarence “Sonny” Henry); Finally, Santana didn’t write “ Oye Como Va” (Written by Tito Puente). So here you have a great band from Northern Cali, who became an overnight sensation nation-wide after performing at Woodstock, with 3 of their greatest hits as cover songs. I’ll admit, I bought their first albums back in the early 1970’s, and it was decades before realizing that Carlos did NOT compose any of those 3 songs. I just KNEW they were originals.