# Bands named after real people that weren’t members of the band **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 13, 2026, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635 "2026-01-13T10:27:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/21 "2026-01-13T14:27:50Z")
The rap duo [Bob Vylan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Vylan) (named for Robert Zimmerman of Hibbing, Minnesota). That’s not all: the guitarist’s stage name is “Bobby Vylan” and the drummer goes by “Bobbie Vylan.” ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/22 "2026-01-13T14:31:13Z")
Not a band, but British singer Gerry Dorsey took the name of a 19th-century German composer and became famous as Englebert Humperdinck. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yjaRR4ofudA/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-A4ACkAOKAgwIABABGH8gEygmMA8=&rs=AOn4CLCpYFOhXT44bQBKBwmANKimCR-jKA "Eddie Izzard - Engelbert Humperdinck") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjaRR4ofudA) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/23 "2026-01-13T14:32:30Z")
Oddly enough, Kurt Vile and the Violators is **not** an example - the lead singer’s name (since birth) is actually Kurt Vile. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/24 "2026-01-13T14:46:39Z")
What about “The Dead Kennedys”? ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/25 "2026-01-13T14:48:07Z")
Calling yourself Uriah Heep sounds like something the Uriah Heep character would do. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/26 "2026-01-13T14:51:02Z")
[H. P. Lovecraft](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft_(band)) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/27 "2026-01-13T15:47:29Z")
[Garfunkel and Oates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfunkel_and_Oates) ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/28 "2026-01-13T15:53:03Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > Pink Floyd? > > “Which one is Pink?” Beat me to it, including the line from “Have a Cigar.” ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/29 "2026-01-13T15:59:03Z")
Crazy Horse ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/30 "2026-01-13T16:07:31Z")
Maryann Cotton has no one by that name in the band, but is named for a 19th century murderer. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/31 "2026-01-13T16:12:49Z")
“Pearl Jam” started as “Mookie Blaylock”, a pro basketball player, but changed their name prior to their first album. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/32 "2026-01-13T16:12:58Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > Pink Floyd? OP says it has to be first and last name, and that’s two first names. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/33 "2026-01-13T16:14:11Z")
Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/34 "2026-01-13T16:16:25Z")
Ok, I have an obscure one, the German professional cover band Die Juhnkes. They were named after Harald Juhnke, a legendary, beloved Berliner actor, comedian, entertainer and singer, who was also probably the best known notorious drunk in Germany, and very publicly so. So the band name was tongue in cheek and promised good fun OTOH. Their lead singer is a good friend of mine, we went to school together. They are most probably the band I saw most often on stage. They disbanded when their guitarist tragically died from bone cancer. > **[Harald Juhnke](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald_Juhnke)** > > Harald Juhnke (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}German pronunciation: \['juːnkə\], born Harry Heinz Herbert Juhnke, 10 June 1929 – 1 April 2005), was a German actor, comedian, and singer. > Juhnke was born in Berlin-Charlottenburg. His father was a police officer and his mother came from a family of bakers. He grew up in the working-cl... ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/35 "2026-01-13T16:24:35Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > OP says it has to be first and last name, and that’s two first names. Pink Floyd is a fictional person. So despite being named after the first names of two real blues musicians, nothing says that Floyd can’t be the surname of a fictional person. The greedy music exec in “Have a Cigar” assumed that “Pink” was the first name of one of the band members, and that presumably “Floyd” was their surname. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/36 "2026-01-13T16:33:35Z")
Even though Pink Floyd is my all time favorite group, they would not meet the criteria I considered when writing the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/37 "2026-01-13T16:42:08Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Even though Pink Floyd is my all time favorite group, they would not meet the criteria I considered when writing the OP. With your criteria I don’t think there will be many with the full name. If you count partial names you have bands like Tesla and Creedance Clearwater Revial. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/38 "2026-01-13T17:15:32Z")
Brian Jonestown Massacre ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/39 "2026-01-13T17:26:10Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Paul Revere and the Raiders Paul Revere Dick dropped his last name when he was young, so the band is actually named after him. I don’t know if he legally changed it, but [his tombstone is inscribed simply Paul Revere.](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/136828639/paul-revere) ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635/40 "2026-01-13T17:27:07Z")
> [@robby](#): > > The greedy music exec in “Have a Cigar” assumed that “Pink” was the first name of one of the band members, and that presumably “Floyd” was their surname. The point of which was to demonstrate that the exec really had no idea about the band. Pink became an actual character for the purposes of The Wall, but the name came about because when they were going by The Tea Set, another band with the same name slowed up to a gig, so Syd Barrett thought of a couple of jazz musicians (Pink Anderson and Floyd Council) he had recently seen on liner notes and put them together (at least that’s the story). It wasn’t intended as a fake character, it was just expedient. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-after-real-people-that-weren-t-members-of-the-band/1026635.md?page=3)