I want to test a theory. The all time great musicians and singers have bynames bestowed upon them by fans. For instance.
Frank Sinatra “Old Blue Eyes”, “The Chairman(of the Board)”
Elvis Presley = “The King”
Jerry Lee Lewis = “The Killer”
The Beatles = “The Fab Four”
Eric Clapton = “Slowhand”
Bruce Springsteen = “The Boss”
I am reasonably sure those names were given by fans, and not just invented by some A&R type. Well, I suspect “The King” was originally put forth by the ‘Colonel’, but amongst Elvis fans and later the world at large, it stuck. As a counter example, I know no one who calls Michael Jackson the “King of Pop”, in spite of his public efforts to be named so.
Does any other performer have this distinction? Surely a few other bands were big enough to inspire something like this. I am not refering to nicknames that probably were originated by the performer himself, or are the nicknames the performer actually goes by on record (such as “Eminem” or “Prince”). Also I am not sure if something like ‘J-Lo’ would count since a contraction of her full name.
I think some of the names you mentioned (e.g., “The Fab Four,” “Wacko Jacko”) were bestowed upon them by their publicists or the press rather than fans.
The Rolling Stones – “The World’s Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band.”