Have you ever wondered where the name of your favourite band comes from?
Why did The Rolling Stones call themselves The Rolling Stones?
Did they sit around, having a few beers, desperately trying to come up with a name?
In fact, it appears most of the world's most famous bands acquired their names unintentionally, or they were given the name by somebody else.
Here's a list of some famous bands and how they acquired their famous monickers.
The Boll Weevils, the Beatals, The Arkansas Rollers - now that's what I call music!
By Claire Cohen
04th June 2009
Where did the name The Kinks come from and just what is a Bay City Roller? A new book reveals the bizarre stories behind some of the most famous band names. Here, CLAIRE COHEN picks the best...
BAY CITY ROLLERS
FORMED: 1967
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG:Bye Bye Baby
Dressed in their trademark tartan outfits, the Bay City Rollers had teenage girls screaming at their every move. Perhaps they might not have achieved such success with their original names of The Longmuir Brothers and The Saxons. Wanting to appeal to American audiences, the Scottish group decided to take a map of the United States, randomly stick a pin in it and take the name of the city or state where it landed. The last part of the name would be 'Rollers', which they understood to mean 'waves' to surfers. The pin was placed and the band very nearly became. . .The Arkansas Rollers. Which didn't sound right to anyone. Trying again, they hit Bay City in Michigan. Henceforth, they were known as the Bay City Rollers.
Bye Bye Baby: The Bay City Rollers were originally the Longmuir Brothers
GENESIS
FORMED: 1967
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Invisible Touch
Formed by pupils at Charterhouse School, Genesis were a songwriting cooperative, with no intention of ever playing live. But as the best band in the school, they soon started to crave a record deal. Charterhouse old boy and novelty hitmaker Jonathan King took them under his wing. It was he who suggested the name Genesis - which was simply an allusion to the genesis of King's career as a music producer. He was later quoted as suggesting the name signified the 'beginning of a new sound and feeling'. There was already an American group with the same name, but King rejected all other suggestions such as Gabriel's Angels and Champagne Meadow, returning instead to his original choice.
Beats all: Originally called the Quarrymen, the Beatles also changed their name to Johnny And The Moondogs
THE BEATLES
FORMED: 1960
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Hey Jude (and many more)
Originally called the Quarrymen, but changed their name to Johnny And The Moondogs when Paul McCartney and George Harrison joined in the late 1950s. Lennon's art school friend and bass-player Stuart Sutcliffe first suggested the name the Beatals, claiming it was a subtle reference to the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club in Marlon Brando's film The Wild One, which confronted - and beat - authority. Lennon also liked the thought of the name sounding like 'beats all'. Later they became the Silver Beetles, then The Beatles in 1961.
THE ROLLING STONES
FORMED: 1963
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
One of rock's most enduringly popular and notoriously wild groups have a name with mundane origins. According to Keith Richards, original band leader Brian Jones was on the phone to music paper Jazz News to publicise the group. When asked their name he was stumped, as the band had never formally agreed on one. The phone call was long distance and every second was costing precious mone so, in haste, Jones looked around and saw a record by Muddy Waters face down in front of him. The first song on the album was Rollin' Stone Blues and he blurted out: 'I don't know. . .The Rollin' Stones.' Mick Jagger later confirmed this story, but thought he himself had come up with the name.
THE KINKS
FORMED: 1963
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: You Really Got Me
Originally called The Ramrods (after a 1958 Duane Eddy instrumental hit), then The Ravens (after the 1963 Boris Karloff horror movie of the same name) and later yet the Boll Weevils (after an Eddie Cochran B-side). One night in the pub, a fellow customer made a comment about the band's unusual attire. According to Ray Davies, they were all 'wearing kinky boots, similar to those worn by Honor Blackman in The Avengers' and the new drummer looked 'a little like a police identikit version of a pervert'. The group's agent, Arthur Howes, suggested the group call themselves The Kinks - encouraging them to appear on stage wearing leather and holding whips - as the phrase 'kinky sex' regularly appeared in the tabloids. Ray Davies hated the idea, but put his faith in Howes - thinking that they could change the name later if the first record flopped. They are still playing under the same name today.
Kinky boots: The Kinks were originally called The Ramrods, then The Ravens and later yet the Boll Weevils
OASIS
FORMED: 1991
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Wonderwall
NOEL GALLAGHER was a guitar technician for 'Madchester' band Inspiral Carpets when they were touring the U.S., when his brother, Liam, formed a band in their native Manchester. Noel immediately returned home, determined to join. By coincidence, both brothers had the same Inspiral Carpets promotional poster tacked to their bedroom walls. One of the venues listed on it was Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon and from this the band name was taken
MEAT LOAF
BORN: Marvin Lee Aday on September 27, 1951, in Dallas, Texas
NATIONALITY: American
BEST KNOWN SONG: Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf has given various accounts of his name's origin - including that it was a school nickname and that he bet a friend he could endure his head being run over by a Volkswagen, causing the kid to remark that he was as dumb as a piece of meat loaf. Although this anecdote is indeed true, the name was coined by his father, who was jealous of the attention his wife lavished on their small son and came up with the less-than-flattering nickname.
THE BEE GEES
FORMED: 1959
NATIONALTY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Stayin' Alive
Not taken from the initials of the 'Brothers Gibb', as often assumed. When young in Brisbane, Australia, the Gibb brothers - Barry, Robin and Maurice - sold soft drinks to the patrons at the local speedway track and would sing to get their attention. Speedway owner Bill Goode heard them singing and played them on the public address system. Local DJ and race driver Bill Gates offered to play their songs on his radio show. The brothers called themselves the BGs after the two men who helped discover them - changing the meaning to the Brothers Gibb once they had achieved success.
STING
BORN: Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner on October 2, 1951, in Wallsend, Tyne & Wear
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Every Breath You Take
Gordon Sumner started out in the music business playing bass for a band called the Phoenix Jazzmen. One night on stage he wore a black and yellow striped sweater which lead singer Gordon Solomon joked made him look like a bumblebee. From then on, he was nicknamed Sting - a title he now goes by almost exclusively, except on official documents. Even his children call him Sting; however, his wife still calls him Gordon.
Idle: Billy Idol was born William Michael Albert Broad
BILLY IDOL
BORN: William Michael Albert Broad on November 30, 1955, in Stanmore, Middlesex
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: White Wedding
William Broad's stage name stems from his school days. A smart but not highly motivated pupil, he had a reputation for being mischievous. Broad claims to have been kicked out of the Boy Scouts for 'snogging' a girl. In school, his inattentiveness frayed the nerves of his teachers. One test paper from school would prove to be particularly memorable for Broad, as his teacher wrote on it: 'William is I-D-L-E.' The name immediately stuck, but was too similar to Monty Python's Eric Idle. A quick spelling alteration and William Broad became Billy Idol.
LYNYRD SKYNYRD
FORMED: 1965
NATIONALITY: American
BEST KNOWN SONG: Sweet Home Alabama
A back-handed homage to a gym coach, Leonard Skinner, who terrorised the band members during their school days at Robert E. Lee High School in Florida. Repeatedly warned to cut their hair by Skinner, the band attempted to skirt the rules by greasing it down with Vaseline. The plan backfired and one member was suspended for two weeks, but chose to quit school rather than submit to punishment. One night, the band introduced themselves as their nemesis 'Leonard Skinner'. The local crowd roared with laughter - knowing the meaning - and the name stuck. In order to avoid a lawsuit, the spelling was changed to Lynard Skynard, and shortly after was again changed to the name we know today.
Rotten: Nancy Spungen with Sex Pistol Sid Vicious
SEX PISTOLS
FORMED: 1975
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: God Save The Queen
Known for their attitude as much as their music, the Sex Pistols brought punk rock to the UK. Manager Malcolm McClaren suggested the name Sex Pistols to include a reference to his shop 'Sex'. The group liked the obvious connotation with sex and violence. Band member John Lydon's nickname, Johnny Rotten, also has an interesting story behind it. Having been in the group for three months, secretive Lydon hadn't told the others his surname. He had disgusting habits - spitting, blowing his nose and inspecting his rotten teeth. Guitarist Steve Jones once said to Lydon 'You're f****** rotten!', partly because of his attitude and partly because of his hygiene - and so Johnny Rotten was born.
TALKING HEADS
FORMED: 1977
NATIONALITY: American
BEST KNOWN SONG: Psycho Killer
A 'talking head' is a technical term for a head-and-shoulder shot of an interviewer or interviewee on television. One account has it that two band members were walking down the street wearing matching T-shirts bearing the logo 'Talking Heads', when someone stopped them and asked: 'Is that the name of a band? That's a terrible name.' Just before their opening number while supporting The Ramones in June 1975, in front of a small crowd of about 20 people, the band's leader David Byrne said 'We're Talking Heads' and the name became official.
Wild things: The Troggs were referred to as 'grotty troggs' after two hitch-hikers commented on the condition of their bus
THE TROGGS
FORMED: 1964
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Wild Thing
En route to a music shop to help frontman Reg Presley buy a bass guitar, the group picked up two hitch-hikers. On noticing the dilapidated condition of the bus, the freeloaders referred to the band members as 'grotty troggs'. 'Grotty', as in grotesque, 'troggs' as in troglodytes (prehistoric cave dwellers). They dropped the grotty, but kept the troggs.
LED ZEPPELIN
FORMED: 1968
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Stairway To Heaven
When Jimmy Page recruited John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and John Bonham to his new band, he initially decided to keep the name of his former group - the Yardbirds. However, legal threats at the continued use of the name followed and change was unavoidable. Page wanted a name that reflected a combination of heaviness and lightness. He recalled that a previous band had been derided as being as likely to succeed as a 'lead Zeppelin', after the German airships. Page liked the image and with a slight spelling modification decided it was a perfect band name.
German influence: Led Zeppelin were formerly known as The Yardbirds
NEW ORDER
FORMED: 1980
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Blue Monday
FOLLOWING the suicide of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis in 1980, the rest of the band decided to continue, albeit with a change of name. The controversial name is often thought to be a reference to Hitler's New Order of the Third Reich, from Mein Kampf. However, the band have denied that the name has anything to do with Nazi Germany and claim that their manager came up with it after reading an article in The Guardian entitled 'The People's New Order of Kampuchea'.
PROCOL HARUM
FORMED: 1966
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Named after a pedigree Burmese cat - belonging to a friend of band manager Guy Stevens - which was called Procol Harun. One letter was changed and that was it.
Taken from Rock Band Name Origins: The Stories Of 240 Groups And Performers by Greg Metzer, published by McFarland and co.
dailymail.co.uk
dailymail.co.uk
Why did The Rolling Stones call themselves The Rolling Stones?
Did they sit around, having a few beers, desperately trying to come up with a name?
In fact, it appears most of the world's most famous bands acquired their names unintentionally, or they were given the name by somebody else.
Here's a list of some famous bands and how they acquired their famous monickers.
The Boll Weevils, the Beatals, The Arkansas Rollers - now that's what I call music!
By Claire Cohen
04th June 2009
Where did the name The Kinks come from and just what is a Bay City Roller? A new book reveals the bizarre stories behind some of the most famous band names. Here, CLAIRE COHEN picks the best...
BAY CITY ROLLERS
FORMED: 1967
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG:Bye Bye Baby
Dressed in their trademark tartan outfits, the Bay City Rollers had teenage girls screaming at their every move. Perhaps they might not have achieved such success with their original names of The Longmuir Brothers and The Saxons. Wanting to appeal to American audiences, the Scottish group decided to take a map of the United States, randomly stick a pin in it and take the name of the city or state where it landed. The last part of the name would be 'Rollers', which they understood to mean 'waves' to surfers. The pin was placed and the band very nearly became. . .The Arkansas Rollers. Which didn't sound right to anyone. Trying again, they hit Bay City in Michigan. Henceforth, they were known as the Bay City Rollers.
Bye Bye Baby: The Bay City Rollers were originally the Longmuir Brothers
GENESIS
FORMED: 1967
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Invisible Touch
Formed by pupils at Charterhouse School, Genesis were a songwriting cooperative, with no intention of ever playing live. But as the best band in the school, they soon started to crave a record deal. Charterhouse old boy and novelty hitmaker Jonathan King took them under his wing. It was he who suggested the name Genesis - which was simply an allusion to the genesis of King's career as a music producer. He was later quoted as suggesting the name signified the 'beginning of a new sound and feeling'. There was already an American group with the same name, but King rejected all other suggestions such as Gabriel's Angels and Champagne Meadow, returning instead to his original choice.
Beats all: Originally called the Quarrymen, the Beatles also changed their name to Johnny And The Moondogs
THE BEATLES
FORMED: 1960
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Hey Jude (and many more)
Originally called the Quarrymen, but changed their name to Johnny And The Moondogs when Paul McCartney and George Harrison joined in the late 1950s. Lennon's art school friend and bass-player Stuart Sutcliffe first suggested the name the Beatals, claiming it was a subtle reference to the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club in Marlon Brando's film The Wild One, which confronted - and beat - authority. Lennon also liked the thought of the name sounding like 'beats all'. Later they became the Silver Beetles, then The Beatles in 1961.
THE ROLLING STONES
FORMED: 1963
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
One of rock's most enduringly popular and notoriously wild groups have a name with mundane origins. According to Keith Richards, original band leader Brian Jones was on the phone to music paper Jazz News to publicise the group. When asked their name he was stumped, as the band had never formally agreed on one. The phone call was long distance and every second was costing precious mone so, in haste, Jones looked around and saw a record by Muddy Waters face down in front of him. The first song on the album was Rollin' Stone Blues and he blurted out: 'I don't know. . .The Rollin' Stones.' Mick Jagger later confirmed this story, but thought he himself had come up with the name.
THE KINKS
FORMED: 1963
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: You Really Got Me
Originally called The Ramrods (after a 1958 Duane Eddy instrumental hit), then The Ravens (after the 1963 Boris Karloff horror movie of the same name) and later yet the Boll Weevils (after an Eddie Cochran B-side). One night in the pub, a fellow customer made a comment about the band's unusual attire. According to Ray Davies, they were all 'wearing kinky boots, similar to those worn by Honor Blackman in The Avengers' and the new drummer looked 'a little like a police identikit version of a pervert'. The group's agent, Arthur Howes, suggested the group call themselves The Kinks - encouraging them to appear on stage wearing leather and holding whips - as the phrase 'kinky sex' regularly appeared in the tabloids. Ray Davies hated the idea, but put his faith in Howes - thinking that they could change the name later if the first record flopped. They are still playing under the same name today.
Kinky boots: The Kinks were originally called The Ramrods, then The Ravens and later yet the Boll Weevils
OASIS
FORMED: 1991
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Wonderwall
NOEL GALLAGHER was a guitar technician for 'Madchester' band Inspiral Carpets when they were touring the U.S., when his brother, Liam, formed a band in their native Manchester. Noel immediately returned home, determined to join. By coincidence, both brothers had the same Inspiral Carpets promotional poster tacked to their bedroom walls. One of the venues listed on it was Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon and from this the band name was taken
MEAT LOAF
BORN: Marvin Lee Aday on September 27, 1951, in Dallas, Texas
NATIONALITY: American
BEST KNOWN SONG: Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf has given various accounts of his name's origin - including that it was a school nickname and that he bet a friend he could endure his head being run over by a Volkswagen, causing the kid to remark that he was as dumb as a piece of meat loaf. Although this anecdote is indeed true, the name was coined by his father, who was jealous of the attention his wife lavished on their small son and came up with the less-than-flattering nickname.
THE BEE GEES
FORMED: 1959
NATIONALTY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Stayin' Alive
Not taken from the initials of the 'Brothers Gibb', as often assumed. When young in Brisbane, Australia, the Gibb brothers - Barry, Robin and Maurice - sold soft drinks to the patrons at the local speedway track and would sing to get their attention. Speedway owner Bill Goode heard them singing and played them on the public address system. Local DJ and race driver Bill Gates offered to play their songs on his radio show. The brothers called themselves the BGs after the two men who helped discover them - changing the meaning to the Brothers Gibb once they had achieved success.
STING
BORN: Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner on October 2, 1951, in Wallsend, Tyne & Wear
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Every Breath You Take
Gordon Sumner started out in the music business playing bass for a band called the Phoenix Jazzmen. One night on stage he wore a black and yellow striped sweater which lead singer Gordon Solomon joked made him look like a bumblebee. From then on, he was nicknamed Sting - a title he now goes by almost exclusively, except on official documents. Even his children call him Sting; however, his wife still calls him Gordon.
Idle: Billy Idol was born William Michael Albert Broad
BILLY IDOL
BORN: William Michael Albert Broad on November 30, 1955, in Stanmore, Middlesex
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: White Wedding
William Broad's stage name stems from his school days. A smart but not highly motivated pupil, he had a reputation for being mischievous. Broad claims to have been kicked out of the Boy Scouts for 'snogging' a girl. In school, his inattentiveness frayed the nerves of his teachers. One test paper from school would prove to be particularly memorable for Broad, as his teacher wrote on it: 'William is I-D-L-E.' The name immediately stuck, but was too similar to Monty Python's Eric Idle. A quick spelling alteration and William Broad became Billy Idol.
LYNYRD SKYNYRD
FORMED: 1965
NATIONALITY: American
BEST KNOWN SONG: Sweet Home Alabama
A back-handed homage to a gym coach, Leonard Skinner, who terrorised the band members during their school days at Robert E. Lee High School in Florida. Repeatedly warned to cut their hair by Skinner, the band attempted to skirt the rules by greasing it down with Vaseline. The plan backfired and one member was suspended for two weeks, but chose to quit school rather than submit to punishment. One night, the band introduced themselves as their nemesis 'Leonard Skinner'. The local crowd roared with laughter - knowing the meaning - and the name stuck. In order to avoid a lawsuit, the spelling was changed to Lynard Skynard, and shortly after was again changed to the name we know today.
Rotten: Nancy Spungen with Sex Pistol Sid Vicious
SEX PISTOLS
FORMED: 1975
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: God Save The Queen
Known for their attitude as much as their music, the Sex Pistols brought punk rock to the UK. Manager Malcolm McClaren suggested the name Sex Pistols to include a reference to his shop 'Sex'. The group liked the obvious connotation with sex and violence. Band member John Lydon's nickname, Johnny Rotten, also has an interesting story behind it. Having been in the group for three months, secretive Lydon hadn't told the others his surname. He had disgusting habits - spitting, blowing his nose and inspecting his rotten teeth. Guitarist Steve Jones once said to Lydon 'You're f****** rotten!', partly because of his attitude and partly because of his hygiene - and so Johnny Rotten was born.
TALKING HEADS
FORMED: 1977
NATIONALITY: American
BEST KNOWN SONG: Psycho Killer
A 'talking head' is a technical term for a head-and-shoulder shot of an interviewer or interviewee on television. One account has it that two band members were walking down the street wearing matching T-shirts bearing the logo 'Talking Heads', when someone stopped them and asked: 'Is that the name of a band? That's a terrible name.' Just before their opening number while supporting The Ramones in June 1975, in front of a small crowd of about 20 people, the band's leader David Byrne said 'We're Talking Heads' and the name became official.
Wild things: The Troggs were referred to as 'grotty troggs' after two hitch-hikers commented on the condition of their bus
THE TROGGS
FORMED: 1964
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Wild Thing
En route to a music shop to help frontman Reg Presley buy a bass guitar, the group picked up two hitch-hikers. On noticing the dilapidated condition of the bus, the freeloaders referred to the band members as 'grotty troggs'. 'Grotty', as in grotesque, 'troggs' as in troglodytes (prehistoric cave dwellers). They dropped the grotty, but kept the troggs.
LED ZEPPELIN
FORMED: 1968
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Stairway To Heaven
When Jimmy Page recruited John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and John Bonham to his new band, he initially decided to keep the name of his former group - the Yardbirds. However, legal threats at the continued use of the name followed and change was unavoidable. Page wanted a name that reflected a combination of heaviness and lightness. He recalled that a previous band had been derided as being as likely to succeed as a 'lead Zeppelin', after the German airships. Page liked the image and with a slight spelling modification decided it was a perfect band name.
German influence: Led Zeppelin were formerly known as The Yardbirds
NEW ORDER
FORMED: 1980
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: Blue Monday
FOLLOWING the suicide of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis in 1980, the rest of the band decided to continue, albeit with a change of name. The controversial name is often thought to be a reference to Hitler's New Order of the Third Reich, from Mein Kampf. However, the band have denied that the name has anything to do with Nazi Germany and claim that their manager came up with it after reading an article in The Guardian entitled 'The People's New Order of Kampuchea'.
PROCOL HARUM
FORMED: 1966
NATIONALITY: British
BEST KNOWN SONG: A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Named after a pedigree Burmese cat - belonging to a friend of band manager Guy Stevens - which was called Procol Harun. One letter was changed and that was it.
Taken from Rock Band Name Origins: The Stories Of 240 Groups And Performers by Greg Metzer, published by McFarland and co.
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