This newly revised edition includes the origins of the names of the such contemporary bands as Chumbwamba, Savage Garden, Smash Mouth, and others. Illustrations.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1873.

The Big Book of Rock & Roll Names tells the behind-the-scenes stories of how the world’s most popular and influential rock and pop acts got their names. By turns fascinating, funny, and bizarre, the pages offer insight into the peculiar choices and idiosyncratic psychologies of hundreds of top musicians from the 1960s to the present. Originally published more than two decades ago to great success, it’s been out of print for years and has now been completely updated and expanded to feature dozens of exclusive interviews including conversations with groups like The Black Keys, The Killers, Twenty One Pilots, Coldplay, Cage the Elephant, and Vampire Weekend. From Arcade Fire to ZZ Top, this diverting and handsome collection reveals the often overlooked but defining histories of hundreds of the biggest names in rock and pop.

Mark Beechs 1998 predecessor, The A-Z of Names in Rock generated over 50 radio interviews, 15 articles, 7 features in nationals and two serializations. This extended and updated version covers more genres than just rock (e.g. pop, punk, indie, reggae, soul, country, blues, folk, jazz, heavy metal, grunge and rap artists and bands) and will appeal to music fans internationally, as well as being the must-buy book for pub quiz fans. With almost 3,000 entries, its a chance to discover why artists chose their names and which ones shouldnt have. An informative and often humorous read, the worlds leading expert on music names (BBC), Mark Beech, is guaranteed another best-seller.

This book details the origins of the names of 240 musical acts, focusing on the most popular groups (and a few individual performers) from the 1960s through today. Even casual music fans will recognize almost all of the acts discussed. A few one-hit wonders are included simply because their name is so unusual (Mungo Jerry, for example) that they warrant a place in the study. Each entry focuses on the meaning and/or origin of the act's name, what it had been called previously, and any other names that were considered and rejected during the naming process. Also included are facts and figures about the act's history and place in the rock music pantheon, the year the act was formed, the names of original members and later members of note and the act's best known hit. The book lists bands alphabetically to give the casual reader the opportunity to open it to any page and read at leisure, the historian the ability to easily pinpoint the subject of his or her research, or the die-hard rock fan the chance to learn from A to Z the name origins of the biggest acts in rock and pop music history.

This definitive encyclopedia explores rock bands and how they got their names. Comprehensively covering everything from AC/DC to ZZ Top, the volume spans four decades of the rock 'n' roll name game. Illustrations.