50 Fun Facts About Bands

Which pop group had to ask a Swedish fish-canning company for permission to share its name?

ABBA is also the name of a Swedish seafood canner, so the group negotiated for the rights to it. The firm agreed as long as the singers did nothing to make it feel ashamed.

Which hard rock band took its name from a label on the Young brothers' sister's sewing machine?

AC/DC was printed on the power adapter of Margaret Young's sewing machine. Her brothers Malcolm and Angus felt the electrical symbol captured the raw energy of their music.

Which Southern rock band's name mocks a Florida gym teacher who enforced a rule against long hair?

Lynyrd Skynyrd is a respelling of Leonard Skinner, the P.E. teacher at the band's Jacksonville high school. Years later he made peace with them and introduced the band at a hometown concert.

Which band's name is said to come from a quip by two members of the Who that a supergroup would flop?

Led Zeppelin reworks "lead balloon", the flop Keith Moon and John Entwistle are said to have predicted. The band dropped the "a" so nobody would say "leed", and swapped the balloon for an airship.

Which Canadian rock band's name came from the change its bassist handed customers at Starbucks?

Nickelback echoes Mike Kroeger's line at the till: "Here's your nickel back." The group had started out playing other people's songs under the name Village Idiot.

Which rock band is named after a World War II airmen's term for unidentified flying objects?

Foo Fighters was a name Dave Grohl chose to stay anonymous, hiding that he had made the first album mostly alone. He recorded it in about a week after Nirvana ended.

Which 1960s band was put together by television producers to star in its own NBC sitcom?

The Monkees were conceived in 1965 as actors playing a band, and at first session musicians performed on their records. From the album Headquarters on, the four mostly played as a real group.

Which school band instrument counts as a woodwind even though its body is made of brass?

The saxophone makes its sound with a single reed, and that is what puts it among the woodwinds. Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax invented it in the early 1840s.

Which South Korean group's full name translates literally as Bulletproof Boy Scouts?

BTS stands for Bangtan Sonyeondan, which is why fans also call the members the Bangtan Boys. The group was formed around the underground rapper RM and debuted in 2013.

Which band grew out of the Quarrymen, a skiffle group formed by Liverpool schoolboys in 1956?

The Beatles emerged in 1960, after Paul McCartney and George Harrison had joined John Lennon's group. The Quarrymen took their name from the school song of Quarry Bank High School.

Which British band did Brian Jones name after a track on a Muddy Waters LP lying on the floor?

The Rolling Stones got their name in a hurry: a journalist on the phone asked what the group was called, and Jones's eye fell on the song title "Rollin' Stone".

Which band did Syd Barrett name by joining the first names of two Piedmont blues musicians?

Pink Floyd honours Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, whose records Barrett owned. He is said to have invented the name on the spot when another band called the Tea Set turned up on the same bill.

Which Los Angeles band took its name from an Aldous Huxley book title that quotes William Blake?

The Doors borrowed from The Doors of Perception, a title Huxley took from Blake's line that if the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear infinite.

Which Birmingham band took its name from a Boris Karloff horror film showing across the street?

Black Sabbath was drawing a queue at the cinema, and bassist Geezer Butler found it strange that people paid so much to see scary movies. The band set out to make the musical equivalent of horror films.

Which folk rock duo scored a minor hit as teenagers under the cartoon-sounding name Tom & Jerry?

Simon & Garfunkel were 15 when they recorded "Hey, Schoolgirl" as Tom & Jerry. Art Garfunkel became Tom Graph, and Paul Simon became Jerry Landis after the surname of a girl he had dated.

Which rock band with horns cut its name short after a city's transit company threatened to sue?

Chicago began as the Big Thing, then released a debut album as Chicago Transit Authority. The real transit company objected, so the band dropped the last two words.

Which band did guitarist Peter Green name after the drummer and bass player he wanted in it?

Fleetwood Mac joins Mick Fleetwood's surname to "Mac" for John McVie. The name was bait: McVie at first stayed with John Mayall's band for the steady income.

Which hard rock band was formed in Los Angeles in 1985 from two groups, combining both their names?

Guns N' Roses came out of L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose, the earlier bands of guitarist Tracii Guns and singer Axl Rose. Guns soon left, and Slash took his place.

Which New York punk band took its name from an alias once used by Paul McCartney?

Ramones members were not related: bassist Douglas Colvin became Dee Dee Ramone first, copying McCartney's early stage name Paul Ramon, and his bandmates followed.

Which band rehearsed at school as On a Friday before renaming itself after a Talking Heads song?

Radiohead comes from "Radio Head", a track on the 1986 Talking Heads album True Stories. The record label EMI had asked the group to drop its old name.

Which band grew out of Smile, a London student group whose singer Tim Staffell quit in 1970?

Queen formed when Freddie Mercury, a fan of Smile, joined its guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Staffell had tired of the group's hard rock sound and its lack of success.

Which band's members took on the comic-book personas Starchild, Demon, Spaceman and Catman?

Kiss kept the face paint on until 1983, when the members began performing without makeup and costumes. The original four put it all back on for a reunion in 1996.

Which boy band was assembled from five solo auditionees on the 2010 series of the British X Factor?

One Direction's five members had each entered as soloists. Footage released in 2022 showed guest judge Nicole Scherzinger playing a significant part in putting them together.

Which girl group, first named Touch, was formed through an advert in the trade paper The Stage?

The Spice Girls were chosen from singers who answered the 1994 advert for an all-female pop band. Their nicknames came later, from an article in Top of the Pops magazine.

Which girl group lost on Star Search as Girl's Tyme before taking a name from the Book of Isaiah?

Destiny's Child lost that talent show, Beyoncé believed, because the girls rapped instead of singing. They adopted the name that made them famous in 1996.

Which boy band's name is a play on the last letters of its original members' first names?

NSYNC was coined after Justin Timberlake's mother remarked how "in sync" the singers' voices were. Newcomer Lance Bass was nicknamed Lansten so that the letters still fit.

Which virtual band's four fictional members are 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle and Russel Hobbs?

Gorillaz was created in 1998 by Blur's Damon Albarn and the comic artist Jamie Hewlett. Albarn himself provides the singing voice of 2-D.

Which band formed at Charterhouse School saw its drummer become lead singer after Peter Gabriel left?

Genesis was named by pop impresario Jonathan King, a former Charterhouse pupil. Phil Collins took over the microphone when Gabriel quit after the tour for a 1974 concept album.

Which Atlanta girl group was named for the first initials of its three founding members?

TLC first stood for Tionne, Lisa and Crystal. When Rozonda Thomas replaced Crystal Jones, the three became T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli so that the letters still fit.

Which band did Paul McCartney form in 1971 with wife Linda and Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine?

Wings is said to have got its name in a hospital: McCartney was praying during the difficult birth of his daughter Stella when the image came to him.

Which brass instrument changes pitch with a telescoping slide instead of valves?

The trombone takes its name from the Italian tromba, for trumpet, plus a suffix meaning large, so it is literally a large trumpet. In the Renaissance the English called it a sackbut.

Which Italian term, drawn as a hairpin opening to the right, tells a band to grow gradually louder?

Crescendo literally means growing in Italian. Its opposite is drawn the other way round, as a hairpin that starts open on the left and closes toward the right.

What title is given to the marching band leader who signals commands with a whistle, baton or mace?

A drum major usually marches at the head of the band and keeps the tempo for everyone behind. On the field, the same job is sometimes called field commander.

Which bandleader known as the March King composed the official national march of the United States?

John Philip Sousa composed "The Stars and Stripes Forever" in his head on Christmas Day 1896, aboard an ocean liner bringing him home from a holiday in Europe.

Which marching band section spins flags, mock rifles and sabres to add visual effect to a show?

The color guard carries equipment handed down from military units of the same name. Its rifles are wooden or plastic, and its sabres have no sharpened point.

Which woodwind sounds the A that a symphony orchestra tunes to before a concert?

The oboe gets the job because its pitch is secure and its penetrating sound carries across the whole ensemble.

Which bell-front brass instrument usually takes the place of the French horn in a marching band?

The mellophone points its bell forward, so its sound carries in the open air. A French horn's bell faces back or to the side, which lets the sound scatter outdoors.

Which drum rudiment is two single strokes followed by a double, played right-left-right-right?

A paradiddle starts on the opposite hand each time it repeats, which is why drummers use one to switch their lead hand in the middle of a phrase.

Which reggae band named itself after a British government form used to claim unemployment benefit?

UB40 stood for Unemployment Benefit, Form 40, a fitting name for eight friends without jobs. Their first album, Signing Off, marked the end of their benefit claims.

Which rock band did a booking agent's staff name after the 18th-century inventor of the seed drill?

Jethro Tull was one of many aliases the band tried, and it stuck because London's Marquee Club liked that night's show. Singer Ian Anderson assumed the agent had made the name up.

Which 1960s band featuring Neil Young and Stephen Stills was named after a brand of steamroller?

Buffalo Springfield was the maker's name on a steamroller parked outside the band's house. The group lasted only from 1966 to 1968 and is widely known for the song "For What It's Worth".

Which Scottish pop group chose its name by throwing a dart at a map of the United States?

Bay City Rollers came from the second throw, which landed near Bay City, Michigan. The first dart had hit Arkansas, a name nobody in the group liked.

Which Britpop band is named after a Swindon leisure centre that appeared on a bedroom tour poster?

Oasis replaced the band's first name, the Rain. The poster was for Inspiral Carpets, the group Noel Gallagher was working for as a roadie.

Which Seattle band first performed under the name of basketball player Mookie Blaylock?

Pearl Jam kept a nod to the player after changing its name: the debut album Ten is titled after Mookie Blaylock's jersey number.

Which French electronic duo took its name from a Melody Maker review mocking their earlier band?

Daft Punk turned an insult into a name: critic Dave Jennings had called the music of their band Darlin' "a daft punky thrash". The third member of Darlin' went on to play guitar in Phoenix.

Which Ohio duo took its name from the plot of Arthur Miller's play All My Sons?

Twenty One Pilots is the death toll when Miller's businessman knowingly ships faulty aircraft parts. Singer Tyler Joseph said the play's dilemma, the easy choice against the right one, inspired the band.

Which California band, first called the Warlocks, picked its lasting name out of a dictionary?

Grateful Dead is said to be the phrase Jerry Garcia's finger landed on in a Funk & Wagnalls dictionary during a word game. Another band called the Warlocks had already put out a record.

Which 1980s English pop band took its name from two bumbling detectives in The Adventures of Tintin?

Thompson Twins borrowed from Thomson and Thompson, who look alike but are not actually twins. Nor was the band a pair: its best-known line-up was a trio.

Which California group began as the Pendletones, a pun on a brand of woolen shirt surfers wore?

The Beach Boys got their final name from record distributor Russ Regan, after the label's first choice, the Surfers, turned out to be taken already.

Which Motown girl group began as the Primettes, a sister act to a male group called the Primes?

The Supremes had a successful brother act too: Primes singers Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks went on to form the Temptations.