Updated June 15, 2019 5.5K votes 791 voters 140.2K views
Over 700 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Bands Named After Real Places
Voting Rules
Vote up the bands that chose the right place.
An ultimate list of bands named after places with details on how they came up with their band name. While it's hard to keep track of all of the new bands names these days, it's equally hard to forget the name of a city that you already know. Rock groups use this trick all the time and name their group after towns, cities, countries or other real places.
It's tough to hack it as a musician. With thousands (millions!) of other acts out there competing for the same audience and record sales, music groups need to define themselves as unique in everything that they do. One of the hardest parts of starting out is thinking of a good band name. Musicians draw inspiration from everywhere to think of the perfect name--be it fond childhood memories, high school teachers, or first loves. But some of the most common influences on naming a band are locations and settings. Bands love to name themselves after places.
Some of the bands on this list were inspired by a brief visit to a far-flung location, like A Sunny Day in Glasgow, others found their inspiration from their hometowns, like Chicago and Boston, or neighborhoods in their cities of residence, like Cypress Hill. Still other bands who named themselves after places picked locations that they had nothing to do with or had never been to - like Phoenix or I'm From Barcelona.
Check out the interesting back stories of where these bands-who-are-named-after-real-places thought of their musical group names and vote up your favorites! Which bands with city names do you like the most? Let us know with your votes!
Boston are an American rock band from namesake Boston, Massachusetts, that had its most commercial successes during the 1970s and '80s. The band's core members on their most popular recordings included multi-instrumentalist founder and leader Tom Scholz, who played the majority of instruments on the band's debut album, and lead vocalist Brad Delp, among a number of other musicians who varied from album to album. Boston's best-known songs include: "More Than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind", "Foreplay/Long Time", "Rock and Roll Band", "Smokin'", "Don't Look Back", "A Man I'll Never Be", "Hitch a Ride", "Party" and "Amanda". The band has sold more than 75 million records worldwide, including 31 ...more
Chicago are an American rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1967. The group was initially billed as The Big Thing before calling themselves the Chicago Transit Authority in 1968, and then shortening the name in 1969. A self-described "rock and roll band with horns", Chicago's songs often combine elements of classical music, jazz, R&B, and pop music. To date, Chicago have sold over 40 million units in the U.S., with 23 gold, 18 platinum, and eight multi-platinum albums. They have had five consecutive number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and 20 top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1974 the group had seven albums, its entire catalog at the time, on the Billboard 200 ...more
Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on album-oriented rock charts and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind". The band has produced eight gold albums, three sextuple-platinum albums, one platinum live album and a million-selling single, "Dust in the Wind". Kansas appeared on the Billboard charts for over 200 weeks throughout the 1970s and 1980s and played to sold-out arenas and stadiums throughout North America, Europe and Japan. "Carry On Wayward Son" was the second-most-played track on classic rock radio in 1995 and No. 1 in 1997.
America is an American rock band that was formed in London in 1970 by Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek, and Gerry Beckley. The trio met as sons of US Air Force personnel stationed in London, where they began performing live.
Achieving significant popularity in the 1970s, the trio was famous for its close vocal harmonies and light acoustic folk rock sound. The band released a string of hit albums and singles, many of which found airplay on pop/soft rock stations.
The band came together shortly after the members' graduation from high school, and a record deal with Warner Bros. Records followed. Its debut 1971 album, America, included the transatlantic hits "A Horse with No Name" and "I Need You"; ...more
Alabama is an American country and Southern rock band formed in Fort Payne, Alabama, in 1969. The band was founded by Randy Owen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and his cousin Teddy Gentry (bass, backing vocals). They were soon joined by their other cousin, Jeff Cook (lead guitar, fiddle, and keyboards). First operating under the name Wildcountry, the group toured the Southeast bar circuit in the early 1970s, and began writing original songs. They changed their name to Alabama in 1977 and following the chart success of two singles, were approached by RCA Records for a record deal.
Alabama's biggest success came in the 1980s, where the band had over 27 number one hits, seven multi-platinum ...more
Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979, by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum, bassist Peter Olsson, and drummer Tony Reno. They got a major breakthrough in Sweden in 1982 by winning the televised competition "Rock-SM" (Swedish Rock Championships): it was the first time this competition was held, and Europe became a larger success than the competition itself.
Since their formation, Europe has released eleven studio albums, three live albums, three compilations and twenty-four music videos.
Europe rose to international fame in the 1980s with their third album, 1986's The Final Countdown, which has sold over 3 million copies in the United States and 15 ...more
