Successful artists that changed names mid-carreer

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Prince became a +O-> or something, Puff Daddy changed to P. Diddy and rapper Noreaga is now known as N.O.R.E. Who else?

― JoB (JoB), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 21:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Terrence Trent D'arby changed his name recently.....but he's not that successful, is he.

ODB to thread!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 21:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Limp Bizkit is now limpbizkit (even I think that's stupid)
Matchbox 20 is now matchbox twenty

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 21:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Sean "Puffy" Combs became Puff Daddy

― nnnh oh oh nnnh nnnh oh (James Blount), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 21:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Spiritualized changed their name -- inexplicably -- for one album to the much clunkier and nonsensical Spritualized Electric Mainline.....then ditched that and went back to Spiritualized.

Big Audio Dyamite made a big audio mistake and dropped the admittedly silly "Dynamite" from their name....although it was so late in the day that I doubt anyone noticed (or cared).

When Wire reformed without Robert Gotobed, they became WIR....an acronym for Where is Robert?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 21:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Brian Slade became Tommy Stone

― nnnh oh oh nnnh nnnh oh (James Blount), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 21:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Elvis Costello went a bit batter in the mid 80s

― nnnh oh oh nnnh nnnh oh (James Blount), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 21:54 (twenty-two years ago)

johnny cougar

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 21:57 (twenty-two years ago)

don't forget that before Big Audio Dynamite changed their name to Big Audio they changed it to Big Audio Dynamite II. And they changed it back for F-Punk. In hindsight they're simply BAD.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 21:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Massive Attacke became Massive for the Gulf War and then went back to Massive Attack. And of course Prince owns this thread. Or maybe Puff Daddy.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 22:01 (twenty-two years ago)

i can't believe noone's mentioned:

prince
sean puffy combs
big audio dynamite
johnny cougar

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 22:10 (twenty-two years ago)

>In hindsight they're simply BAD<

Or simply, um, bad.

Jefferson Spacemobile
(MC) Hammer
Muhammed Ali

English Beat/UK Squeeze/Dinosaur Jr/etc.

― chuck, Wednesday, 6 August 2003 22:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Fresh Prince ----> Will Smith
(Lil') Bow Wow

― chuck, Wednesday, 6 August 2003 22:17 (twenty-two years ago)

snoop doggy dogg ---> snoop dogg

― nnnh oh oh nnnh nnnh oh (James Blount), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 22:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Johnny Rotten Lydon

― chuck, Wednesday, 6 August 2003 22:18 (twenty-two years ago)

new kids on the block --> nkotb

― nnnh oh oh nnnh nnnh oh (James Blount), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 22:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Backstreet Boys -> N'Sync

― Xii (Xii), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 22:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Menudo -> New Kids -> Backstreet Boys -> N'Sync -> O-Town.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 22:30 (twenty-two years ago)

There's room for another thread about artists who had to change their name for legal reasons after gaining some notoriety in their earlier state:
Kleenex: Lilliput
Green Jello: Green Jelly
Captain America: Eugenius
The Salvation Army: Befour Three O'Clock: Three O'Clock

― Ben Boyer, Wednesday, 6 August 2003 22:31 (twenty-two years ago)

gygax = funny

― Kim (Kim), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 22:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Timex Social Club ----> Club Nouveau yes?

― nnnh oh oh nnnh nnnh oh (James Blount), Wednesday, 6 August 2003 22:34 (twenty-two years ago)

That was the same band?! Of "Rumors" fame and "Lean on Me" fame?! This changes everything. (HEAD EXPLODES)

― Ben Boyer, Wednesday, 6 August 2003 22:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, Roger McGuinn obv. He may have been the first, actually.
And for the stupidest reason to boot.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 7 August 2003 00:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Walter, er, Wendy Carlos

― direct_program, Thursday, 7 August 2003 00:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Random test post for no reason, this.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 7 August 2003 00:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Panasonic --> Pan Sonic (with first post-name change album A.)

― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 7 August 2003 01:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Frank Black/Black Francis?

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Thursday, 7 August 2003 01:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Bonny Prince Palace Brothers Billy Oldham.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Thursday, 7 August 2003 03:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Keith Richards/Richard

Stiv Bators/Bator

Was it numerology or something?

― Sean (Sean), Thursday, 7 August 2003 11:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Dionne Warwick(e).

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 7 August 2003 11:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Liberty -> Liberty X

― j0e (j0e), Thursday, 7 August 2003 11:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Keith Richards/Richard

?? When did this happen?

― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 7 August 2003 11:44 (twenty-two years ago)

S Club 7 > S club 8
Hoover > Hooverphonic

― Sami (Sami), Thursday, 7 August 2003 11:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Kool Keith became Dr. Octagon then became Dr. Dooom and killed "Dr. Octagon" on the first track on his album then became Black Elvis then went back to being Kool Keith.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 7 August 2003 12:13 (twenty-two years ago)

No-one's mentionned Slowdive --> Mojave 3? Or are they technically considered a new band sharing a very similar line-up with an old one?

― Fabrice (Fabfunk), Thursday, 7 August 2003 12:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Stephen Merritt: Magnetic Fields --> 6ths --> Future Bible Heroes, etc.

Zeb Love X --> MF Doom --> King Gheedora (or however you spell it)

And, uh, Dove from De La Soul decided he just wanted people to call him Dave.

― Ess, Thursday, 7 August 2003 13:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Jennifer Lopez ---> J.Lo

(I feel ridiculous even mentioning this.)

― Tom Breihan (Tom Breihan), Thursday, 7 August 2003 13:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Keith had the differing names for a couple of reasons, I think. Loog Oldham thought "Richard" looked more pop, and later Keith got back on decent terms w/his dad, was a bit uninterested in looking pop also, and went back to his given surname. Red C/Krayola could go on Ben's post too.

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Thursday, 7 August 2003 13:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Noreaga -> N.O.R.E. (Niggas On The Run, Eating)

― sean g, Thursday, 7 August 2003 13:37 (twenty-two years ago)

oh you said that

― sean g, Thursday, 7 August 2003 13:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Bachman-Turner Overdrive just became BTO at one point. At one point in the 80s their was both BTO and Bachman-Turner Overdrive but I forget how that happened exactly.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Thursday, 7 August 2003 13:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Songs: Ohia --> Magnolia Electric Co.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 7 August 2003 13:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Though not commercially succesfful, they've been topping Canadian Campus Radio charts for 7 or so years, going from Elevator To Hell to Elevator Through Hell followed by Elevator Through before settling on Elevator which in the process has completely thrown AMG for a loop.

And if we are getting small enough for Songs:Ohia, The Microphones changed names to Mount Erie and Bob Mould was more or less Sugar.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Thursday, 7 August 2003 13:49 (twenty-two years ago)

David Johannson (NY Dolls) --> Buster Poindexter (jeezus that was fucking weird)

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Thursday, 7 August 2003 14:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Foetus, et.al.

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 7 August 2003 14:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Bushwick Bill --> WOLFGANG VON BUSHWICKIN THE BARBARIAN MOTHER-FUNKY STAY HIGH DOLLAR BILLSTIR

"My last name was Bushwick Motherf**king Bill, so I had to upgrade it to show some expansion and to show everybody who the biggest Geto Boy of all is. My new name is Dr. Wolfgang Von Bushwickin the Barbarian Mother Funky Stay High Dollar Billstir.I call myself Dr. because that is someone who must be precise when they execute their job. The Wolfgang is because on the cool, I'm into classical music and my favorite artist is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Bushwickin has to do with me being a father now and producing my own next of kin. So now I'm reproductive both verbally and physically. The Barbarian is to show that I still have the mind of a lunatic and that nothing's changed as far as me coming hard-core rough and rugged. Mother Funky Stay High is a manifestation of the aftermath of chronic-izm. Dollar Bill because I'm currently currency in the United States and abroad. Finally, 'stir' is on the end because when I kick shit I always manage to stir something up, whether it's the police, parents or p**sy."

― Ess, Thursday, 7 August 2003 14:29 (twenty-two years ago)

smog -> (smog)
the microphones -> mt eerie

and i think songs:ohia is still songs:ohia

― Sean M (Sean M), Thursday, 7 August 2003 14:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Manhole became Turu Satana. Nobody cared either way.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 7 August 2003 14:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Bachman-Turner Overdrive just became BTO at one point. At one point in the 80s their was both BTO and Bachman-Turner Overdrive but I
forget how that happened exactly.
I think they're BTO now, because there aren't any Bs left in the group. A few years ago, both BTO and the Guess Who played at some lame ROCK(-hating) festival this way, and Bachman only played with GW, but they play BTO songs in their set. BTO, however, does not play Guess Who songs.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 7 August 2003 14:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Has anyone mentioned the whole Godspeed You! Black Emperor migrating exclamation point thing?

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 7 August 2003 14:58 (twenty-two years ago)

cat stevens -> Yusuf Islam

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Thursday, 7 August 2003 15:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Good call on the Microphones. I knew when I posted the bit about Songs:Ohia that there was another band who took the name of one of their albums. Anyway, it's pretty confusing, but I got the Songs: Ohia information here:

>>Although Secretly Canadian, the record label in Bloomington, Indiana, that's released most of Molina's work, refers to the album on its Web site and in press materials as the seventh Songs: Ohia album, and although Schubas has been billing this Sunday night's gig as Songs: Ohia, Molina insists that's not right, saying, "There's no more Songs: Ohia." ... In the future, he says, each of his albums will bear a variation of the Electric Co. name, hinting at a looser sort of continuum. His next offering, a solo recording, will be a vinyl-only release this fall under the name Pyramid Electric Co. "I'm changing the band name in a way that you sort of know who's involved, but it's a document of those players and that group of songs in that studio," he says.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 7 August 2003 15:33 (twenty-two years ago)

smashing pumpkins became the smashing pumpkins somewhere around mellon collie.

― Felcher (Felcher), Thursday, 7 August 2003 15:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Roland Kirk -> Rahsaan Roland Kirk

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 7 August 2003 15:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Herbie Hancock -> Mwandishi or whatever that was

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 7 August 2003 15:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Man that Bushwick quote is wicked

― sean g, Thursday, 7 August 2003 15:52 (twenty-two years ago)

this is kind of like the keith richard(s) thing, but tim kinsella(s) of friend/enemy, owls, joan of arc, cap n jazz fame has been changing the spelling of his last name periodicly over the past 7 years by modifying the spelling.

― mallory bourgeois (painter man), Thursday, 7 August 2003 16:56 (twenty-two years ago)

rare breed --> ohio express (bonus points for taking a rare breed single, "beg, borrow and steal," and reissuing it, unchanged and untouched, a year later as an ohio express single)

― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 7 August 2003 17:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I think they're BTO now, because there aren't any Bs left in the group.

This was back in the 80s, after Bachman and I think Turner left BTO, Bachman reformed Bachman-Turner Overdrive cause he was getting too comfortable on his easy chair and had to sue BTO to get their logo back or something equally Spinal Tapish.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Thursday, 7 August 2003 17:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Like (Young) Rascals, Little Stevie Wonder became just Stevie Wonder, but never, like Rick(y) Nelson, did he make the change to Steve Wonder.

― Curt (cgould), Thursday, 7 August 2003 17:25 (twenty-two years ago)

John Winston Lennon to John Ono Lennon

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 7 August 2003 17:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Papa M/Aerial M/whatever else.

Sir Douglas/Doug Sahm/Wayne Douglas.

ELP (Emerson Lake & Palmer)/ELP (Emerson, Lake and Powell), although this happened for an obvious reason.

― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Thursday, 7 August 2003 17:33 (twenty-two years ago)

sleze rocker wayne county became jayne county after a sex change . chris became krist due to sarajevo war and kurdt curt kobain cobain tried to be confusing

― sourflower (dustjacket), Thursday, 7 August 2003 17:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Spizz 77 > Spizz Oil > Spizzenergi > Athletico Spizz 80 > The Spizzles > Spizzenergi: 2 > Spizzorwell > Spizz's Big Business > Spizzsexual > Spizzivision > Spizz Oil (again) > Spizzenergi (again) > Spizzenergi 2000.

Not to forget the seasonal Spizzmas of course.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 7 August 2003 19:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Captain Beefheart and HIS Magic Band became Captain Beefheart and THE Magic Band.

It may not sound like much to you but it was a major bone of contention for The Magic Band!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 7 August 2003 19:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Common Sense--->Common

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 7 August 2003 19:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Prince Rakeem--->RZA
Larger Professor--->Extra P

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 7 August 2003 19:36 (twenty-two years ago)

rezillos --> revillos

― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 7 August 2003 19:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Verve --> The Verve

― samuel, Thursday, 7 August 2003 22:31 (twenty-two years ago)

haha Chuck my capitalization of BAD was simply for emphasis. I was making the same joke you did.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 7 August 2003 22:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Dollar Brand --> Abdullah Ibrahim

― amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 7 August 2003 22:57 (twenty-two years ago)

S Club 7 > S club 8

S club 7 > S club > nothing

S club juniors > S club 8

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 7 August 2003 23:06 (twenty-two years ago)

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