Updated June 15, 2019 5.4k votes 775 voters 139.1k views
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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 31Â ...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 200Â ...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.
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
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";Â ...more
Asia are an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1981. The most commercially successful line-up was its original, which was a supergroup of four members of different progressive rock bands of the 1970s: lead vocalist and bassist John Wetton of King Crimson and U.K., guitarist Steve Howe of Yes, keyboardist Geoff Downes of Yes and the Buggles, and drummer Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Their debut album, Asia, released in 1982, remains their best selling album and went to number one in several countries.
The band underwent multiple lineup changes before the original four members reunited in 2006. As a result, a band called Asia Featuring John Payne exists as a ...more
