Category: Music Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN-10: 1469992647
Pages: 68
Copyright: January 28, 2012
ISBN-13: 9781469992648
Fun rock & roll trivia book tells why performers chose their stage name--or had it chosen for them!
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, David Bowie, The Goo Goo Dolls, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, The Eagles, Dire Straits, and Jimi Hendrix all have one thing in common: Before they became famous, they had to choose a stage name.
In this book the author tells why bands and performers chose their names and shows that this is just as much a part of the path to fame as is the writing and performing of songs.
You will also be shown Rock Connections between groups and other famous people. How is David Bowie connected to The Monkees? What do Nirvana and Faith No More have in common? How is Elton John linked to Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx)?
Over 130 performers from around the world are featured in the book.
Excerpt
LED ZEPPELIN
It is rumored that Jimmy Page, formerly of The Yardbirds, wanted to keep that band name alive after the original group broke up for contractual reasons. So he recruited singer Robert Plant, keyboard player John Paul Jones, drummer John Bonham, and then began touring under the name of The New Yardbirds. They changed their name only after the late Keith Moon, of The Who (see their Rock Connection in section W), observed, “With that lineup you'll go down like a lead balloon.” Later, The Who’s bass player, John Entwhistle, claimed that it was he who made this observation so let’s give them both credit. Another rumor is that this observation was made by a newspaper, but that may have just been a reporter quoting either of these men. Incidentally, the band does know how to spell the word “lead”. They just dropped the “a” to avoid having people mispronounce their new name; they did not want it pronounced in the way you would pronounce Jimmy Page’s role in the band as the “lead guitarist”.
