# Bands named for a member that is not the lead singer **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [November 26, 2023, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-for-a-member-that-is-not-the-lead-singer/993716 "2023-11-26T11:59:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [November 27, 2023, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-for-a-member-that-is-not-the-lead-singer/993716/61 "2023-11-27T14:47:20Z")
The Edgar Winter Group’s big hit Free Ride was sung by Dan Hartman, although Winter was at least primarily the lead singer for the band. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-for-a-member-that-is-not-the-lead-singer/993716/62 "2023-11-27T21:27:49Z")
This thread reminds me a lot of one I started a few months ago, which is about names of movies and TV shows rather than bands: > [@Movies and TV shows named for a non-lead character](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-and-tv-shows-named-for-a-non-lead-character/979049): > > When the American sitcom Cheers was dubbed for the German market, they renamed the character of Norm “Helmut” and retitled the show “Prost Helmut” (meaning “Cheers, Helmut”): [[Prost Helmut (Cheers) Theme - ZDF Germany - The Spy That Came in for a Cold One Cold Opening] ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBJOtFswbmA) This was a strange decision, since Norm isn’t by any stretch the main character of the show (even though [he may indeed be the most popular](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-characters-from-cheers/976297)). The new title might have made sense if they had re-edited the show, or rew… ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-for-a-member-that-is-not-the-lead-singer/993716/63 "2023-11-27T21:47:27Z")
The Adverts. Lead singer: TV Smith Bassist: Gaye Advert Caveat: Real names Tim Smith and Gaye Black. So Gaye Advert is likely someone who was not the lead singer but was named after the band. j > **[The Adverts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adverts)** > > The Adverts were an English punk band who formed in 1976 and broke up in late 1979. They were one of the first punk bands to enjoy chart success in the UK; their 1977 single "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" reached No. 18 in the UK Singles Chart. The Virgin Encyclopedia of 70s Music described bassist Gaye Advert as the "first female punk star". > The band was formed in 1976 by T. V. Smith (Tim Smith) and Gaye Advert (Gaye Black). Smith was from the town of Okehampton in mid-Devon, and Advert was from Bid... ---
**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:** [November 30, 2023, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-for-a-member-that-is-not-the-lead-singer/993716/64 "2023-11-30T16:20:06Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Argent, maybe? Founder Rod Argent did sing some lead vocals, but it looks to me like if the band had a lead singer, it was Russ Ballard. I’m glad I used the search function. I was going to say this. Ballard was lead vocals on any of the songs that got radio play. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-named-for-a-member-that-is-not-the-lead-singer/993716.md?page=3)