A History of Band Names

 

Picking a band name is a difficult process that can put a lot of pressure on everyone involved. The name chosen has to promote the artist and represent their public identity. Sometimes it is pretty straight forward, such as Van Halen. The band was started with brothers Eddy and Alex Van Halen.  Sometimes it is inspired by others. In the case of The Beatles, their name was inspired by Buddy Holly and The Crickets. The name was slightly altered playing off the word beat, from beat music and rhythm. The name was an homage and it identified who The Beatles were. Sometimes bands get their inspiration from history. This is where we are going today. This article is about bands with names that are tied to history.

While not based on a specific person or event, The Traveling Wilburys invoke a sense of nostalgia that is based on a period of time when musicians traveled from town to town to make a living. Although this does sound similar to the modern version of touring, it differed in a number of ways. Early traveling musicians were often folk singers, vaudevillians, classical virtuosos, and medicine show musicians. They traveled by train, horse-drawn wagon, boat and sometimes by foot to bring their music to many people who had very limited or no access to music. The traveling was extremely local and limited to towns that had access to rivers or train routes. The Traveling Wilburys presented themselves in a traveling, storytelling way in the tradition of old folk and blues travellers. 

Turning more toward history, Franz Ferdinand, the Scottish post-punk band picked their name in reference to Archduke of Austria, whose assassination was a significant factor leading up to the First World War. The band, however, does not dwell on the connection too much. They believed he was an incredible figure whose murder was a catalyst for a complete transformation of the world and wanted their music to be the same. In the end, they believed a band name should sound good - like music. 

Jethro Tull, the English progressive rock band, received their moniker because their agent studied history in college. Jethro Tull, the person, was an English agriculturist who invented the seed drill and later developed the horse-drawn hoe. The devices, adopted by many farmers, helped revolutionize agriculture practices that are still being practiced today. 

Sometimes it is not an historical figure but an event in history that inspires a band name. With some band name choices, the name is an allusion, referencing something without actually directly connecting the name to the event. A great example is the Irish band U2. Over the years, the origin of the name has been speculated by fans of the band. One fan thought the name referred to an old term of D cell batteries, called U2 batteries. Another thought it was in reference to the Irish unemployment form U2. Most likely the name came into the consciousness of the young musicians when in 1960, a Lockheed U2 crashed in Russia. The pilot of the surveillance plane was captured and it resulted in an international incident during a tense time in the Cold War era. Although this has been accepted as the band name origin, over the years the band has downplayed the connection, saying the name name was picked from a list because it was a name they hated the least. Besides, their first manager, Paul McGuinnes thought the name would look great on a t-shirt. 

It does not have to be a specific event, but what is happening at the time that gives a band its name. One such example is Bad Religion. In 1980, at the time of the band's formation, there was a movement in the United States that saw the rise of religious groups that began to have a strong influence on politics. Jerry Falwell, a Baptist pastor and popular televangelist, founded the Moral Majority. This was a group of like-minded religious groups who believed their beliefs were going to be the salvation to what they saw as a degrading morality within America. This group had a strong influence on the presidential election between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. The members of the band saw the name as a direct conflict to a very polarizing subject. For them it was a double edged sword. It was a punk name that was a call against what followers of the Moral Majority believed in and it made a lot of people angry. They loved it.

Another band allusion to a time period is the Dead Kennedys. Although on the surface it would appear to be a direct satirical reference to the assassinated Kennedy brothers, John and Robert, it actually goes a little deeper. The Kennedy administration (1961-1963) was seen by many as youthful optimism with a sense of a new beginning. It was known as Camelot, a time and place where it was known for courage and wisdom within political circles. Oddly enough, the term was coined by Jacqueline Kennedy in an interview after the assassination of her husband on November 22, 1963 in Dallas Texas. The article appeared in Time Magazine and gave many people hope after the shock of the murder of Kennedy. In 1968, John Kenndys brother, Robert, was also assassinated shortly after finishing up a speech in a run up to the Democratic presidential nomination. Although these events occurred years apart, many saw this as the end of an era of great hope and promise. Dead Kennedys frontman named the group as a allusion to the end of the American Dream.

Literary references are popular when it comes to band names. These are names from literature or film that are important to our cultural history. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club took its name from Marlon Brando's gang in The Wild One , a 1953 outlaw biker film which became a cultural symbol of 1950s counterculture. Billy Talent, a Canadian rock group, took their moniker from a character from the 1996 Canadian mockumentary Hard Core Logo. Duran Duran got their name from a character named Dr. Durand - Durand from the 1968 cult science fiction film Barbarella. 

When a band decides to choose a name that is tied to history, it can signal a number of thoughts and emotions. The name reaches into the past and places a person, place or event front and center musically. A name can invoke nostalgia, curiosity, or shock and was often chosen that way purposely to help announce to the world what the band was about. Bands names that tie themselves to history can do this in a number of ways. They can use historical figures, events or eras, invoke political or revolutionary themes, use classical, mythology, and literature references as a way to brand themselves. Sometimes the reason is deeper. Other times, it just sounds cool. 

Sources included for this article include many Wikipedia articles.