Rock Band Name Origins (A-Z)

I’ve decided to compile an A to Z list of famous Rock Band Name Origins.

While browsing StumbleUpon, I came across an extensive list of band names (link at bottom) and their origins. Here are my favorites.

AC/DC – In the vogue of other anti-everything bands it stands for Against Christ/Devil’s Children.

BLACK SABBATH – from a 1960′s cheap horror movie starring Boris Karloff , suggesting a holy day of witchcraft.

CHEAP TRICK – they say the band members asked a Ouija Board what they should call themselves.

THE DEFTONES – Because when they started out, people thought they were so bad
that they called them tone deaf – transposed to def tones.

THE EAGLES – originally called TEEN KING AND THE EMERGENCIES , they liked the American sound of Eagles and the way it was aligned with THE BYRDS who had a great influence on them.

FOO FIGHTERS – a term used by World War II pilots to describe strange flying fireballs they sometimes saw.

GUNS ‘N’ ROSES - originally two bands L.A. GUNNS and HOLLYWOOD  ROSES. Hollywood Roses was headed by Axl Rose, Tracii Guns headed the other band which also featured Slash. The two frequented clubs and played there and were friends.

HOOTIE AND THE BLOWFISH – from the nicknames of two friends of singer/guitarist Darius Rucker – one with owl-like eyes (Hootie), another with the puffy “Blowfish” cheeks.

JETHRO TULL – popular 70′s band that is named after the rather obscure inventor of the farmer’s seed drill.

KISS – According to Paul Stanley, Kiss just sounded dangerous (kiss of death) and sexy at the same time. Kiss denies the rumors that the name stands for “Kids In Service of Satan” or the saying “Keep It Simple Stupid.”(for Stew)

LED ZEPPELIN – Jimmy Page was drinking with Moon and Entwhistle, who were bitching about their band mates Daltrey and Townshend. They joked about the two of them starting a band with Jimmy, and one of them said “Yeah, that will go over like a lead balloon”. When Jimmy formed his own band, he remembered this and thought “Lead Zeppelin” would be good, both from that conversation and the heavy/light contradiction similar to the band named IRON BUTTERFLY. They decided to drop the “a” so Americans wouldn’t mispronounce it.

LYNYRD SKYNYRD – Named after Leonard Skinner, an annoying gym teacher/coach some of the members had in high school. Leonard is said to have moved on to sell real estate in Jacksonville, Florida.

MÖTLEY CRÜE – A friend said “What a Motley looking Crew” – motley meaning “of great variety” and once describing the appearance of a court jester. The re-spelling was their own invention using the umlauts (those funny dots over letters) came to them while they were partying & drinking Lowenbrau beer.

NIRVANA – In Buddhism it means the state of perfect blessedness attained through the annihilation of the self.

OASIS – local British origins: a Manchester cab company, a chain of women’s clothing stores, a local Indian restaurant and more likely a local club that The Beatles played in during their early years (the band are avowed Beatles fans)

PINK FLOYD – taken from the names of two Georgia bluesmen Pink Anderson and Floyd Council – from the early days when the band saw itself as a blues band.

RADIOHEAD – Named after a Talking Heads’ song called “Radio Head.”

STYX – named after the river of death found in Greek mythology and in Dante’s Inferno.

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS – named after the cult film favorite starring George C. Scott about “loonies.”  The film is also referencing Don Quixote, by Miguel Cervantes. In the book, the title character says “they might be giants” when referring to the windmills he attempts to fight.

U2

1. A type of spy plane used by the United States in the 1960′s – made famous when Gary Powers’ U2 plane was shot down over Russia and he was taken as a prisoner during the Cold War.
2. U2 as in “you too” referring to the audience and its role in the musical experience
   
3. 3)  a U2 is an unemployment form in Ireland (see UB40)

VAN HALEN – after Alex and Eddie Van Halen – suggested by David Lee Roth as being better than their original name “Mammoth.”  They might have been called  ‘Daddy Longlegs’ if Gene Simmons of KISS had gotten his way – he partially financed and produced one of their original demo records and suggested names and artwork.

WHITE ZOMBIE – An old horror “B” movie.

ZZ TOP – taken from the name of a Texas Blues man ZZ Hill.  Though a rumor is that they got their name by combining Zig Zag and Top, two well known brands of “cigarette” rolling papers.

Source: What’s in a Name?