# Your music group personnel misconceptions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 21, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825 "2017-07-21T19:16:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/101 "2018-11-01T23:32:32Z")
Not mine, but my brother’s. He thought that Barry Goudreau was the lead singer of Boston, possibly because Goudreau released an album in 1980 on which Brad Delp, the actual lead singer of Boston, sang vocals. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/102 "2018-11-01T23:35:01Z")
[A girl Like You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYFz4pKclyA) sure has a Bowie feel to it. > [@Gatopescado](#): > > He also has an uncredited cameo in\* Feed The Tree.\* The _Belly_ song? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/103 "2018-11-02T02:58:21Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > I’ve known the difference between these two ever since Patti Smyth had that one popular (ish) video on MTV. What I was wrong about was which one was married to John McEnroe. > > My wife told me about the late night talk show McEnroe briefly hosted, and mentioned that his wife Patti led the show’s band. I got really excited to see what that was going to be like. I was very disappointed.\* > > \*it was Patty Smyth, the one hit wonder, **not** the amazing Patti Smith. Patty Smyth Myers/Hell McEnroe was the singer for an early-80 pop band called Scandal. “The Warrior” "Goodbye to You" [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_50-gOeBilc/maxresdefault.jpg "Scandal, Patty Smyth - Goodbye To You") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_50-gOeBilc) The “Myers/Hell” thing is due to her first husband, punk singer Lester Myers, who performed under the pseudonym Richard Hell with his band The Voidoids. This is probably their best-known song. (Title may be NSFW.) The story I remember is that Patty and Richard met at a record industry function and married a few months later - and that at the time they met, neither had ever heard of the other. :eek: She had never followed the punk scene; he did not watch MTV or listen to Top 40 radio. They had a child a year or so later, and divorced a few years after that. She then married John McEnroe. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/104 "2018-11-02T03:07:01Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > When The Eagles’ _Take It Easy_ was a hit back in 1972 (I was nine years old), my older brother bought the 45. Jackson Browne was credited [right there on the label](http://www.45cat.com/45_record_cover.php?r=as11005) as a writer along with Glenn Frey. From that moment on, and for decades, I assumed Browne was part of the band. > Only the advent of Wikipedia set me straight. The Eagles’ “Desperado” is about Jackson Browne. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/105 "2018-11-02T03:18:13Z")
When I first heard songs by Electric Light Orchestra (like “Livin’ Thing” and “Telephone Line”), in '76 or so, I was convinced that they had a female singer in the band. Nope, just bassist [Kelly Groucutt](https://alchetron.com/cdn/kelly-groucutt-2f417a0e-607b-4527-b88f-0b0c7dd75f7-resize-750.jpeg), who had a strong falsetto voice. A few years later, I’d become a big ELO fan. In the summer of '81, I heard what I was sure was a new ELO song on the radio. It turned out to actually be the new Moody Blues song, [Gemini Dream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3QLFFVFpp0). But, hey, I wound up getting into the Moodies because of it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/106 "2018-11-02T07:06:07Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > I knew a girl in high school that could not get it through her skull that Blondie was the name of the band, not the singer. I lost count of the number of times I had to repeat " _She_ is Deborah Harry; _they_ are Blondie." Similarly, I’ve heard/seen a few people who believe that\*\* Mazzy Star\*\* is the name of the singer. Her name, of course, is Hope Sandoval. The _band_ is called Mazzy Star. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/107 "2018-11-02T08:12:44Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I was shocked, _shocked_ I tells ya, when I learnt the lead singer of the song [Venus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPEhQugz-Ew) by the Shocking Blue was a female. On a related note, I was surprised when I found out Limahl, lead singer of Kajagoogoo, who also had a solo hit with Neverending Story was a man. (Obviously, I only knew Kajagoogoo from radio play…not sure how I missed the Neverending Story video, where he’s got a pretty obvious 5 o’clock shadow, though…) ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/108 "2018-11-02T10:13:11Z")
Are Poco and Procol Harum separate bands? Help me out here… ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/109 "2018-11-02T10:18:57Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > On a related note, I was surprised when I found out Limahl, lead singer of Kajagoogoo, who also had a solo hit with Neverending Story was a man… Yeah, same here. I had a couple of friends in high school who were shocked - **shocked**! - to learn when they saw a video for _Electric Avenue_ that Eddy Grant is a black man. They were kinda racist… ---
**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 2, 2018, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/110 "2018-11-02T10:41:23Z")
… by Nick Lowe And His Sound does sound very much like Elvis Costello. Because it is. j ---
**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 2, 2018, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/111 "2018-11-02T12:10:51Z")
I used to have some vague notion that Dave Stewart was a member of the Traveling Wilburys. I must have had him confused with Jeff Lynne—at the time, both of them sported wild curly hair, full beards, and sunglasses, and both of them were known for their collaborations with Tom Petty. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/112 "2018-11-02T12:37:47Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Usually the frontman is the singer. Sometimes it’s the lead guitarist. But a bassist or drummer (who don’t or rarely sing) is weird. Pete Wentz is the bassist of Fall Out Boy. Nicky Wire is the bassist for the Manic Street Preachers. I had to look up both singers’ names. Is this maybe a transatlantic thing? Sorry, I’m not sure where you’re based so that may be entirely erroneous. Anyway: not so much the Fall Out Boy thing, but knowing of the Manics, knowing of Nicky Wire, but _not_ knowing of James Dean Bradfield feels like an unusual knowledge gap to be able to have in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/113 "2018-11-02T12:41:09Z")
I don’t care what you might say about Kim so-called Carnes: I shall continue with my belief that Bette Davies Eyes is by Rod Stewart, and damn anyone who tries to convince me otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/114 "2018-11-02T14:25:07Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > I used to have some vague notion that Dave Stewart was a member of the Traveling Wilburys. I must have had him confused with Jeff Lynne—at the time, both of them sported wild curly hair, full beards, and sunglasses, and both of them were known for their collaborations with Tom Petty. Ironically, the Traveling Wilburys recorded their first album at Dave Stewart’s house. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/115 "2018-11-02T14:40:33Z")
> [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#): > > I don’t care what you might say about Kim so-called Carnes: I shall continue with my belief that **Bette Davies Eyes is by Rod Stewart** , and damn anyone who tries to convince me otherwise. So is, “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” (bolding mine) ---
**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:** [November 2, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/116 "2018-11-02T14:51:53Z")
I recalled another misconception, though it only lasted a few…five or so…years ☹ I thought Gnarls Barkely was a person, one of the members of Tenacious D, who was also doing his own solo albums. Then I thought Gnarls renamed himself Ceelo Green, in a Prince-like contract dispute I could only assume to avoid legal trademark problems with Charles Barkely. Then Jack Black started making appearances singing songs in what I thought were tributes to Gnarls, probably to give public support for his legal battles against the Barkely family. I looked up some Tenacious D videos to familiarize myself with the back catalog, but Gnarls (aka Ceelo) wasn’t in the videos. Hmm…Wikipedia research then ensued 🙂 Fact check early and often kids! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/117 "2018-11-02T14:56:49Z")
> [@LLCoolL](#): > > Are Poco and Procol Harum separate bands? Help me out here… Completely unrelated. Procol Harum was a British prog-rock band; Poco was a California-based country-rock band, formed by several former members of Buffalo Springfield when that band broke up. Wikipedia states that Poco was originally going to be named Pogo (after the comic strip character), but changed their name when Pogo’s creator, Walt Kelly, threatened to sue them. Parenthetically, I used to confuse Poco with Toto. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/118 "2018-11-02T15:20:52Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > Similarly, I’ve heard/seen a few people who believe that\*\* Mazzy Star\*\* is the name of the singer. > > Her name, of course, is Hope Sandoval. The _band_ is called Mazzy Star. Sort of the reverse of the Mazzy Star & Blondie thing: I think my first encounter with Prince was the videos for “1999” and “Little Red Corvette,” which were in pretty heavy rotation on _Friday Night Videos_ back in the day. It never occurred to me that “Prince” might be a person’s name. Add to that the fact that “1999” had three different lead vocalists, and that I knew that there was a band called “Queen,” and I just assumed that “Prince” was the name of the band. I think it was around the time that _Purple Rain_ came out, and I started to see the songs credited to “Prince and the Revolution,” that I finally caught on that “Prince” was the man’s name. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/119 "2018-11-02T16:04:19Z")
For a long time I was confused about who was who in the Beastie Boys. I thought MCA was Mike D, that Mike D was Ad Rock, and that Ad Rock was MCA. I had Licensed to Ill practically memorized and didn’t know the correct name of one member. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2018, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825/120 "2018-11-03T02:06:55Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I had no idea Dobie Gray singing Drift Away was black… Ahh, but I have a theory that his record company wanted it that way, at least originally. His first big hit was [“The In Crowd”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieIOIzi8740), and every piece of promo for it showed white people. Like [a bunch of women dancing and jumping](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81WUTgKWybL._SY355_.jpg) (on a dead end country lane…Huh?) But NO photo of Dobie. > [@Wheelz](#): > > When The Eagles’ _Take It Easy_ was a hit back in 1972 (I was nine years old), my older brother bought the 45. Jackson Browne was credited [right there on the label](http://www.45cat.com/45_record_cover.php?r=as11005) as a writer along with Glenn Frey. From that moment on, and for decades, I assumed Browne was part of the band. Understandable, in that he was a friend and often sat in on keyboards when they played live. And at least once, [the Eagles were Jackson Browne’s band…](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5315mJhx17I) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-music-group-personnel-misconceptions/791825.md?page=7)