# What's the earliest example of a musical group with a nonsense name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 2, 2015, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-earliest-example-of-a-musical-group-with-a-nonsense-name/729664 "2015-09-02T01:27:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-earliest-example-of-a-musical-group-with-a-nonsense-name/729664/21 "2015-09-02T16:34:59Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The [Comedian Harmonists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedian_Harmonists) from 1928. They were not comedians (and their history is certainly not funny). I think this may be earliest example where the name wasn’t something that actually existed. > > There was also The Revelers, from 1925, who influenced the Harmonists. These are not nonsensical names. They are just slightly imaginative in a standard way, to me anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-earliest-example-of-a-musical-group-with-a-nonsense-name/729664/22 "2015-09-02T18:05:47Z")
> [@movingfinger](#): > > Seriously, the first group that made me sit up and say, “Huh?” was The Lovin’ Spoonful, and I don’t recall the year. I think they got “Spoonful” from old blues songs–although their sunny folk-rock was hardly reminiscent of Howlin’ Wolf. Peter Stampfel wrote the liner notes for the Lovin’ Spoonful’s first LP. He was half of **The Holy Modal Rounders**! (And let me bitch about the last PBS fund drive. I don’t mind that they ask for money–but 99% of the “special” shows they run are much lamer than the stuff I like on PBS. For example, John Sebastian (of the Lovin’ Spoonful, of course) hosted a show on Folk Music. Did he mention the great Fred Neil–whom he’d backed on harmonica? Or the crazed Rounders, his pals? No, he was talking up The Kingston Trio–& other dorks despised in the Village. Even we Texas teenyboppers knew what was hip… So I checked Wikipedia for details on JS (I was a fan)–& discovered a [Lightnin’ Hopkins](http://www.houstonpress.com/music/john-sebastian-and-lightnin-hopkins-the-odd-couple-6493934)connection! But, no, PBS thought we wanted to hear him tell us about the Limelighters.) ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-earliest-example-of-a-musical-group-with-a-nonsense-name/729664/23 "2015-09-02T18:29:22Z")
I think the lovin spoonful is referring to a Mississippi John Hurt song. Not weird, maybe a little obscene. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-earliest-example-of-a-musical-group-with-a-nonsense-name/729664/24 "2015-09-02T18:43:53Z")
The oldest on off the top of my head is [The Whiffenpoofs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Whiffenpoofs) from 1909 but it should be pretty clear that this goes back to antiquity. ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-earliest-example-of-a-musical-group-with-a-nonsense-name/729664/25 "2015-09-03T13:55:25Z")
Before they were The Who they were The High Numbers, which doesn’t really seem to make much more sense. ---
**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:** [September 3, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-earliest-example-of-a-musical-group-with-a-nonsense-name/729664/26 "2015-09-03T14:32:32Z")
> [@johnspartan](#): > > Before they were The Who they were The High Numbers, which doesn’t really seem to make much more sense. Luckily, Pete’s idea to call the band “The Hair and The Who” was voted down–the rest of the group thought it sounded like the name of a pub. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-earliest-example-of-a-musical-group-with-a-nonsense-name/729664/27 "2015-09-03T15:03:12Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > For example, John Sebastian (of the Lovin’ Spoonful, of course) hosted a show on Folk Music. Did he mention the great Fred Neil–whom he’d backed on harmonica? Or the crazed Rounders, his pals? No, he was talking up The Kingston Trio–& other dorks despised in the Village. Even we Texas teenyboppers knew what was hip… He’s a hired hand reading from a script. Nobody asked him who he wanted to include. > [@johnspartan](#): > > Before they were The Who they were The High Numbers, which doesn’t really seem to make much more sense. No, they were the Detours, then the Who, then manager Peter Meaden changed it to the High Numbers, then they went back to being the Who. That’s probably why I thought they were later than Them. And High probably meant high, as in amphetamines, which all the groups took in 1964. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-earliest-example-of-a-musical-group-with-a-nonsense-name/729664/28 "2015-09-03T16:43:04Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > He’s a hired hand reading from a script. Nobody asked him who he wanted to include… Of course. Sebastian could have told some more interesting tales about Folky Days in the Village. But PBS’s imaginary audience for fundraising season wants to hear about the crewcut guys in madras shirts. At least those shows make me feel like I’m not _that_ old & out of it. (And I do contribute.) ---
**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-earliest-example-of-a-musical-group-with-a-nonsense-name/729664/29 "2015-09-05T11:58:27Z")
1910 Fruitgum Company is the one that comes to mind. I actually blame them for all these restaurants that have “Factory” or “Company” in the name. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-earliest-example-of-a-musical-group-with-a-nonsense-name/729664/30 "2015-09-05T12:59:46Z")
[Earlier thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=720683). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-earliest-example-of-a-musical-group-with-a-nonsense-name/729664.md?page=1)