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Formerly Known As: Mammoth After discarding Mammoth, the band temporarily adopted the name Genesis, only to discover it was already taken by Phil Collins and company. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Dave Hogan, Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Close CallsStarfish? Wicked Lester? The Golliwogs? Some of the biggest bands in music history almost built their legacies under very different – and in some cases, very stupid – names. See which famous band initially named itself after an NBA player and which switched to its now-famous name in the middle of a concert. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
BadfingerFormerly Known As: The Iveys The band changed its name in 1969 prior to releasing its first hit on the Beatles’ Apple Records. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Apple Records)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
The BandFormerly Known As: The Hawks The members originally gathered as the backing group for rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins. After setting out on their own in 1964, they performed under the names Levon and the Hawks and Canadian Squires before settling on their permanent moniker. —Jeff Royer (Photo: John Storey, AP Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Beach BoysFormerly Known As: The Pendletones The name was taken from the classic Pendleton wool plaid shirt. Nicknamed “board shirts,” they were popular at the time among surfers. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Beastie BoysFormerly Known As: The Young Aborigines Mike D and MCA got their start in 1978 with this experimental hardcore outfit. They switched their name just prior to recruiting Ad-Rock in 1982. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Frank Micelotta, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
The BeatlesFormerly Known As: Johnny and the Moondogs, The Silver Beatles The band’s ultimate name was a derivation of The Beetles, which original bassist Stu Sutcliffe suggested as an homage to The Crickets. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Keystone, Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Bee GeesFormerly Known As: Rattlesnakes The Brothers Gibb were rechristened the Bee Gees in reference not to their own initials, but those of the men who helped them get their start: Radio DJ Bill Gates and racetrack promoter Bill Goode. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Sydney O'Meara, Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
The Black CrowesFormerly Known As: Mr. Crowe’s Garden The inspiration for the band’s original name was a book by British children’s author Leonard Leslie Brooke titled “Johnny Crow’s Garden.” —Jeff Royer (Photo: Cory Schwartz, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Black SabbathFormerly Known As: Polka Tulk Blues Band, Earth The name Polka Tulk was reportedly taken from a brand of talcum powder used by Ozzy Osbourne’s mother. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Dave Hogan, Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
BlondieFormerly Known As: Angel and the Snakes Deborah Harry and Christ Stein briefly settled on this unfortunate name after uniting in the band The Stilettoes. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
The ByrdsFormerly Known As: The Jet Set, The Beefeaters The band used the latter name for just one release in an effort to cash in on the British Invasion craze. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Keystone, Hulton Archives, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
ColdplayFormerly Known As: Starfish The band nicked its new name from another band called Coldplay that broke up and no longer needed the title. “Cold Play” was taken from a book of poetry titled “Child's Reflections.” —Jeff Royer (Photo: Ian Gavan, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Creedence Clearw...Formerly Known As: The Golliwogs Originally called The Blue Velvets, the band was rechristened as The Golliwogs by their record label head in an apparent effort to make them sound British. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Evening Standard, Hulton Archive, Getty Images, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Def LeppardFormerly Known As: Atomic Mass The band changed its name shortly after recruiting new lead singer Joe Elliott, who coined “Deaf Leopard” in homage to Led Zeppelin. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Goo Goo DollsFormerly Known As: The Sex Maggots After promoters refused to book them based on their wild name, the band settled on Goo Goo Dolls, which they found in an issue of True Detective magazine. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Michael Buckner, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Grateful DeadFormerly Known As: The Warlocks The band was forced to change its name after another band called The Warlocks landed a record deal. Meanwhile, a third Warlocks was gigging on the East Coast. That band became Velvet Underground. —Jeff Royer (Photo: AP Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Green DayFormerly Known As: Sweet Children To avoid confusion with another California punk band named Sweet Baby, Green Day switched its name to reflect the members’ affinity for a certain psychedelic herb. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Roger Kisby, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
KissFormerly Known As: Wicked Lester Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley recorded one record under this unfortunate name before changing their sound, image and name in 1972. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Led ZeppelinFormerly Known As: New Yardbirds After the dissolution of the “old” Yardbirds, guitarist Jimmy Page recruited new musicians Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones to fulfill contractual obligations. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Evening Standard, Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
NirvanaFormerly Known As: Pen Cap Chew, Skid Row The band plowed through a series of names (also including Bliss and Ted Ed Fred) before Kurt Cobain landed on the perfect contradiction for his band’s abrasive sound. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Frank Micelotta, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Pearl JamFormerly Known As: Mookie Blaylock The band initially named itself after NBA player Blaylock, and named its debut album, “Ten,” after Blaylock’s jersey number. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Gareth Cattermole, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Pink FloydFormerly Known As: The Tea Set, The Megadeaths The band picked its permanent name after another band called The Tea Set was booked for the same show. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Keystone Features, Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
QueenFormerly Known As: Smile The band switched monikers after recruiting a flamboyant new frontman named Freddie Mercury. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Rogers, Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
R.E.M.Formerly Known As: Twisted Kites After sorting through a grab-bag of names that also included Can of Piss and Negro Wives, Michael Stipe picked R.E.M. at random from a dictionary. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Carlos Alvarez, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
RadioheadFormerly Known As: On a Friday The band’s original name was a reference to the day of the week the members usually congregated in their school’s music room. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Simone Joyner, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Red Hot Chili Pe...Formerly Known As: Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem The band’s first name was intended for a one-night-only performance consisting of improvised music underneath Anthony Keidis’ rap poetry. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Frank Micelotta, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Stone Temple Pil...Formerly Known As: Mighty Joe Young STP was forced to abandon its original name after learning a bluesman had already claimed Mighty Joe Young. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Kevin Winter, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
U2Formerly Known As: Feedback, The Hype The band changed its name from The Hype to U2 in the middle of a concert after the departure of guitarist Dik Evans, the older brother of The Edge. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Dave Hogan, Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Van HalenFormerly Known As: Mammoth After discarding Mammoth, the band temporarily adopted the name Genesis, only to discover it was already taken by Phil Collins and company. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Dave Hogan, Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
The WhoFormerly Known As: The Detours, The High Numbers The band swapped The Detours for the more striking The Who just months before finalizing their lineup with the addition of madman drummer Keith Moon. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Steve Wood, Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
