Music

Roundup: The Name Game

by Melissa Bobbitt
Jun 25, 2012

Courtney Love Hole Hootie and the Blowfish Franz Ferdinand Neve Abe Vigoda Dave Matthews Band

It's summer, so inevitably, folk-tokers Dave Matthews Band are hitting the road. DMB is one of the most prolific and popular groups named for its leader, but what about outfits named after real folks who aren't among its members? (Can you imagine the lawsuits?) Here are a few notables:

NeveHow's this for a '90s throwback? This L.A. quartet dubbed themselves after "Scream" queen Neve Campbell.
Courtney LoveIt wasn't a vanity project by Mrs. Cobain but another Olympia lass named Lois Maffeo who was behind this airy grrl group. Maffeo claims "Courtney Love" was a moniker she just pulled out of the sky. But judging from the closing track on Hole's "Live Through This" ("Well, I went to school in Olympia, and everyone's the same"), the more infamous C. Love was none too pleased.
Hootie and the BlowfishYou had to feel a little sorry for Darius Rucker being called Hootie the entirety of his career, when in fact that nickname - or blowfish - didn't belong to anyone in the massively popular rock group. H&B were really two pals of Rucker's from his time in the show choir at the University of South Carolina.
Abe VigodaOddly enough, this spry indie dance band that this writer once saw perform in a friend's apartment in Westwood culls its title from a not-so-nimble "Godfather" actor.
Franz FerdinandHis death brought on World War I. The birth of this Scottish foursome brought on an onslaught of disco punk.

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