artists who have dropped a word from their performing name at some point during their career

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Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggy = Snoop Dogg
John Cougar Mellencamp - Cougar = John Mellencamp
Little Stevie Wonder - Little = Stevie Wonder
Lil Bow Wow - Lil = Bow Wow
MC Hammer - MC = Hammer

― Al (sitcom), Friday, 15 October 2004 11:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Massive Attack - Attack = Massive

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 15 October 2004 11:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Prince - Prince = Some weird symbol

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 15 October 2004 11:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Crosby Stills & Nash
Crosby & Nash
Crosby

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 15 October 2004 11:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Bono VOX.

haha what an awful name. "BONO VOX, THE EDGE, THE OTHER GUYS, WELCOME TO.........THE 80S"

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 15 October 2004 11:52 (twenty-one years ago)

If you're counting bands as well as individuals...

MX-80 (Sound)
Chicago (Transit Authority)
Grand Funk (Railroad)
(Jefferson) Starship

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Friday, 15 October 2004 11:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Jefferson Starship had previously replaced one word in their name with another one. Dunno if that counts.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 15 October 2004 11:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Larry And The Lefthanded -Larry = And The Lefthanded

― the todster (the todster), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Michael Martin Murphy=Michael Murphy
Big Audio Dynamite=BAD=Big Audio=BAD II
and in the merely dropping a letter category...
Wire=Wir

― briania (briania), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Orchestral Manouvers In The Dark dropped most of their name when they became OMD

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:04 (twenty-one years ago)

didn't New Kids on the Block officially become "NKOTB" towards the end?

― Cynthia Nixon Now More Than Ever (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:05 (twenty-one years ago)

mystic knights of the oingo boingo/oingo boingo/boingo

― Cynthia Nixon Now More Than Ever (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Jefferson Starship had previously replaced one word in their name with another one. Dunno if that counts.

Same applies to Johnny Cougar -> John Cougar Mellencamp -> John Mellencamp.

David Bowie became Bowie for a while, circa Diamond Dogs.
Kylie Minogue has intermittently traded as Kylie.
Most recent Eurovision female soloists drop their surnames before the final contest - disappointingly so in the cases of Doris Dragovic and Linda Wagenmakers.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Eddie & The Hot Rods became Rods for "Do Anything You Wanna Do", before wisely reverting. (Well, I say "wisely" - they then more or less sank without trace.)

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:18 (twenty-one years ago)

George Thoroughgood & The Delaware Destroyers - Delaware = George Thoroughgood & The Destroyers

of course, on Delaware radio they still make a point to call them the Delaware Destroyers all the time.

― Al (sitcom), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Adam and the Ants --> Adam Ant

― You've Got to Pick Up Every Stitch (tracerhand), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Southern Death Cult
Death Cult
and finally
The Cult

― Garibaldianne (Garibaldianne), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:24 (twenty-one years ago)

(The) Madness

Well, they added the definite article in a career-killing attempt to keep things 'fresh', does that count?

― M Carty (mj_c), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Ambrose Slade -> Slade

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:27 (twenty-one years ago)

The Prodigy - The = Prodigy

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Sultans Of Ping FC => Sultans Of Ping => The Sultans

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:36 (twenty-one years ago)

ghostface killah - killah = ghostface

― m. (mitchlnw), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:40 (twenty-one years ago)

ahhh, i can't believe i forgot that one, it was one of the examples that i had in mind before starting the thread

― Al (sitcom), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Nasty Nas - Nasty = Nas

― Al (sitcom), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:43 (twenty-one years ago)

The Lorries (were Read Lorry Yellow Lorry
Horslips (were the four horsemen blah blah)

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Silver Beatles ............ The Pink Floyd...........

Oh, damn, What a stupid thread. Why am I bothering?

Between threads like this, increasingly arcane "cover connections", "songs appealing to authority", and so on, I guess that ILM has by and large run out of things to talk about.

I don't mean to be snide, though I know it sounds that way. It's just ... a drag, that's all. An inevitable drag perhaps, but, eh! Never mind.

― JSA, Friday, 15 October 2004 12:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Right..

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 15 October 2004 12:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Friday, 15 October 2004 13:03 (twenty-one years ago)

JSA, there've pretty much always been silly arbitrary list threads like this. I barely see how this one is the nadir of anything.

― Al (sitcom), Friday, 15 October 2004 13:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Timex Social Club - Timex = Social Club - Social + Noveau = Club Noveau

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 15 October 2004 13:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Easy Cure --> The Cure
Clan Of Xymox --> Xymox
Virgin Prunes --> The Prunes

― Seb (Seb), Friday, 15 October 2004 13:23 (twenty-one years ago)

increasingly arcane "cover connections"

this is a problem?

― Cynthia Nixon Now More Than Ever (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 15 October 2004 13:36 (twenty-one years ago)

John (+ or - Cougar) Mellencamp

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Friday, 15 October 2004 14:54 (twenty-one years ago)

George Thoroughgood & The Delaware Destroyers - Delaware = George Thoroughgood & The Destroyers

not to mention:

jason & the nashville scorchers (they quickly dropped the nashville)

southside johnny & the asbury jukes (who waited quite awhile before dropping the asbury)

always, always, always a bad choice, and always, always, always accompanied by significantly worse music than before. why do bands insist on doing this?

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 15 October 2004 15:07 (twenty-one years ago)

The Alkaholics became "the Liks", but i guess that's not a word, huh

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Friday, 15 October 2004 15:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Arthur Lee became Arthurly for a few years

― Daddyismus (Dada), Friday, 15 October 2004 15:28 (twenty-one years ago)

The Delaware Destroyers, Nashville Scorchers & Asbury Jukes - they're bad, they're nationwide.

― briania (briania), Friday, 15 October 2004 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)

thank god the new york dolls packed it in before dropping the new york from their name.

if boston were smart, they would've ADDED a word and become greater boston.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 15 October 2004 15:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band ----> Bonzo Dog Band
Alice Donut Liver Henry Moore ------> Alice Donut
The Easy Cure -----> the Cure
The Guilford Stranglers -----> The Stranglers

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 October 2004 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Kajagoogoo --> Kaja

― mike a, Friday, 15 October 2004 18:08 (twenty-one years ago)

WIRE ----> WIR (where is Robert?)

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 October 2004 18:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Youth Brigade --> The Brigade --> back to Youth Brigade

I don't care if they're not youths anymore; that was a silly name change. You don't see Teenage Fanclub calling themselves Fanclub, and they haven't been teenagers for a long time.

― mike a, Friday, 15 October 2004 18:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Common Sense ---> Common

― mcd (mcd), Friday, 15 October 2004 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I think 'The Pixies' were called 'Pixies in Panoply' but I don't think that name lasted long, so it might not count.

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Friday, 15 October 2004 18:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Would You Like to Buy a Table : The Table

― nabisco (nabisco), Friday, 15 October 2004 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I am Going to Smash Your Pumpkin Because You Never Understood Me and Never Will : Smashing Pumpkins

― nabisco (nabisco), Friday, 15 October 2004 18:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Spiritualized ------> Spiritualized Electric Mainline -------> Spiritualized

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 October 2004 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

The The ---> The

just kidding.

― mcd (mcd), Friday, 15 October 2004 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

musiq soulchild --> musiq

― anx, Friday, 15 October 2004 18:25 (twenty-one years ago)

(Young) Rascals

― whenuweremine (whenuweremine), Friday, 15 October 2004 20:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Little Jimmy Scott - Jimmy Scott

― A pair of brown eyes, Friday, 15 October 2004 22:33 (twenty-one years ago)

The Can - Can

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 15 October 2004 23:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Ricky Nelson ---> Rick Nelson
Small Faces ---> Faces

going the other way:

Diana Ross & The Supremes

― jim wentworth (wench), Saturday, 16 October 2004 04:29 (twenty-one years ago)

A friend's band was known as the Black Hand Human Adult Band. They later became The Human Adult Band and then The Human Adults.

― Hurting (Hurting), Saturday, 16 October 2004 04:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Good god, half of my post is missing!

Diana Ross & The Supremes

― jim wentworth (wench), Saturday, 16 October 2004 04:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Something is weird here. I mentioned Dion & The belmonts and the strange case of Brazil 66,67,68,99 and it just doesn't print. wtf?

― jim wentworth (wench), Saturday, 16 October 2004 04:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Janet Jackson was officially just "janet." for one or two of her albums.

Jim Photoglo --> Photoglo

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Saturday, 16 October 2004 05:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Jump Little Children -> JUMP (even though not a single record store in the world actually categorized it under the new name)

― Laura S, Saturday, 16 October 2004 15:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Spiritualized ------> Spiritualized Electric Mainline -------> Spiritualized
Jason has since claimed that the name of the band was never officially changed, rather, they just started writing "Electric Mainline" on all their records. Similarly, in 1991-1993, they had "Lazer Guided Melodies" printed on everything (not just the album), but the band's name was never "SPZ LGM".

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 16 October 2004 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

The Originals ------> The New Originals ------> what's the point?

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Saturday, 16 October 2004 20:47 (twenty-one years ago)

GYBE! --> GY!BE

― Andrzej B. (Andrzej B.), Sunday, 17 October 2004 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Dre --> Andre 3000

― Andrzej B. (Andrzej B.), Sunday, 17 October 2004 19:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion-------->Blues Explosion

What about the name change because of copyright thing?

Dinosaur-------->Dinosur Jr.
Luna------>Luna 2
Suede------->The London Suede

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Sunday, 17 October 2004 19:12 (twenty-one years ago)

"Dinosur" haha

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Sunday, 17 October 2004 19:13 (twenty-one years ago)

King Missile (Dog Fly Religion)--------->King Missile

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Sunday, 17 October 2004 19:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Not quite a fit, but Immature abbreviated itself to IMx.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Sunday, 17 October 2004 19:35 (twenty-one years ago)

The Originals ------> The New Originals ------> what's the point?

The subtlety is genius. One of my favorite bandnames ever.

― Ryan Schreiber, Sunday, 17 October 2004 21:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Strictly speaking, Small Faces and Faces were two different bands. Faces were mainly Ronnie Lane's band, and when Steve Mariott left for Humble Pie, they simply weren't Small Faces anymore.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 17 October 2004 22:22 (twenty-one years ago)

The Associates dropped their article now and then.

― Ludesse (ludesse), Sunday, 17 October 2004 22:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Another copyright change was Yazoo=Yaz. It only applied in North America though.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 17 October 2004 22:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I think 'The Pixies' were called 'Pixies in Panoply' but I don't think that name lasted long, so it might not count.

4AD's marketing department then dropped the "The" for them

― kit brash (kit brash), Monday, 18 October 2004 00:39 (twenty-one years ago)

The Pink Floyd Sound --> The Pink Floyd --> Pink Floyd
The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band --> The Bonzo Dog Band

― Mr. Snrub, Monday, 18 October 2004 00:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Beyonce Knowles --> Beyonce

Not a bad move if you ask me, since "Knowles" is too damn hard to pronounce.

― Mr. Snrub, Monday, 18 October 2004 00:53 (twenty-one years ago)

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