Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.

Subject: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: marty D
Date: 26 May 01 - 12:08 PM

I've just been reading an article on the different names that musicians have used to disguise who they really are and it seems that there are thousands of examples. Two of the most prominent are John Lee Hooker and Elmore James. It seems that their reasons were strictly financial and allowed them to record the same song for several labels. Brownie McGhee and Lightnin Hopkins did it a number of times as well. Other reasons seemed to have been religious in nature (Josh White and Georgia Tom). Even Leadbelly called himself Walter Boyd, although I don't know if there are any recordings under that name.

Are there any examples from other forms of music? The article I'm reading is strictly about blues singers. I used to think that some names were too perfect to be real (Lightfoot, for example, but that IS his real name) and had to be an alias. Any other examples?

marty

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 26 May 01 - 12:11 PM

Grit Laskin was The Masked Luthier Of Dupont Street on Stan Rogers first album...

;-)

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: MarkS
Date: 26 May 01 - 12:44 PM

Bob Dylan once appeared on a record label as "Blind Boy Grunt."

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 26 May 01 - 02:45 PM

Hey good memory Clinton. So does anyone know who "Blind Girl Grunt" was?

Mudcatter Paul Mills has been known for years as "Curly Boy Stubbs". Does "Ringo Star" for Richard Starkey count? What's Bono's real name? Isn't Sting, Gordon something?

Rick

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 26 May 01 - 03:02 PM

Actually, I'm cheating Rick... An Unfinished Conversation, the 'official' Stan Rogers bio is one of my standard bathroom books...

;-)

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: kendall
Date: 26 May 01 - 03:13 PM

Montana Slim (Wilf Carter)
Vernon Dalhart (Marion Slaughter)
Fabian (???)

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: Tedham Porterhouse
Date: 26 May 01 - 03:22 PM

Rick,

Blind Girl Grunt was really Janis Ian.

Janis Ian was really Janis Fink.

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: okthen
Date: 26 May 01 - 03:53 PM

Bono= Paul Hewson (or close to that)

Sting= Gordon Sumner

The Phluorescent Leach and Eddie were Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman who used to be the Turtles and were still under contract when they sang with Frank Zappa

cheers

bill

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 26 May 01 - 05:05 PM

Paul McCartney and John Lennon recorded Michelle as David and Jonathan

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: DonMeixner
Date: 26 May 01 - 05:18 PM

Kendall I believe that Fabian is his real name.

Fabian Forte Len Slye = Roy Rogers

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 26 May 01 - 10:25 PM

john cougar mellencamp dropped the cougar later in his career anyone know why? some other guy did the same thing icant reember who.

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: raredance
Date: 26 May 01 - 11:51 PM

Going in the other direction, Michael Martin Murphey added the Martin later in his career.

rich r

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: catspaw49
Date: 27 May 01 - 12:06 AM

Actually, I think Cyril Martin Plubbenstorff gave up the "Martin" to Murphey, and picked up the "Cougar" that Mellencamp dropped, feeling it gave his name a more "manly" sound. Still he wasn't satisfied, so he changes it the whole thing to Gaylord Cougar Flimmilldick.......Of course he still hasn't landed a big recording contract so he's considering another change to incorporate the best of the others and will now be known as Flimmilldick Gaylord Plubbenstorff.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: catspaw49
Date: 27 May 01 - 12:08 AM

...........or possibly Joe.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: Terry K
Date: 27 May 01 - 02:47 AM

Wasn't Python Lee Jackson actually Rod Stewart?

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: DaveJ
Date: 27 May 01 - 07:22 AM

David Bowie's real name is actually David Jones...He didn't want to be confused with a monkey.

DaveJ(guess what the J stands for)

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: catspaw49
Date: 27 May 01 - 07:24 AM

Jablonski?

Spaw

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: kendall
Date: 27 May 01 - 07:54 AM

Years ago, a young actor went to try and hire an agent. He walked into this big plush office, the agent was impressed with his appearence etc. But, when he asked the young mans' name, he said "Penis van Lesbian. The agent said, "Whoa, that name has to go!" actor says, "No way, thats my name and I wont change it." Agent says "Goodby." Years later the agent got a letter from the young man, he told the agent that he had been right, and, that he came to realize that the name had to go. He signed the letter, Dick van Dyke.

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: raredance
Date: 27 May 01 - 10:50 AM

I always thought that names were relative, at least that's where the majority come from. But does it matter. Einstein was asked once, "What's the matter?" And he replied, "Energy is," and he had a constant to prove it. Applying that constant to the relativity of names means that if someone drops a name, someone else has to add one anc vice versa. Have you noticed how people who are name droppers usually have an inflated view of their own importance and a string of names. The term "name dropper" is used with sarcasm, because they are really name accruers par excellence (nome d'acruex) who have force some unknown poor soul to drop part of their appellation. Aaron Copland's "Appellation Spring" was really about how these constant number of names bounce around the universe. I hope this is clear. I took a physic in college, but it's been a long time traveling here below.

rich r

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: catspaw49
Date: 27 May 01 - 11:08 AM

BRAVO!!! BRAVO!!!

ARTHUR!!! ARTHUR!!!

Rich, it was "cute" until I got to "Appellation Spring" at which point I fell off the chair!!!!!

Spaw

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 27 May 01 - 11:11 AM

Kendall, sometimes you're worth the price of admission!

In the fifties, my Grandmother's favourite wrassler was PAT PATTERSON (Spaw, take note) who subdued his opponents with his "Irish mule kick"(!!) She'd have been mighty disappointed to find out that he wasn't Irish, and was really "Stefanofski" (or something like it)

I used several aliases in the "bad ol' days" when I played in between strippers at Bars of ill-repute. Was "Kent St. Clair", and "Lance Boyle".

Thanks Tedham. Wasn't sure if it was her or Buffy.

A bit esoteric, but William Bunch was Peatie Wheatstraw, and was so popular in the thirties that many other blues artists used "a connection" with his name, eg; Peatie Wheatstraw's Buddy, Peatie Wheatstraw Jr, etc.

Rick

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: GUEST,fat B****rd
Date: 27 May 01 - 03:20 PM

Wasn't the Sundance Kid or Butch Cassidy really called Harry Longbaugh or something and waht about the young Bob Dylan finding Ramblin' Jack Elliot's real name hilarious while taking great pains to conceal his own ?

Subject: RE: Musical Aliases. Fascinating stuff.
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 27 May 01 - 07:02 PM

And the same Bob Dylan also appeared on an album, I think it was Steve Goodman's "Somebody Else's Troubles" but can't swear to it, as "Robert Milkwood Thomas". Clever.

Aloha,
Noah Merck