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The Pendeltons -

Pendleton shirts (wool plaid shirts) were worn by surfers at the time, so Brian Wilson thought it would be a good name for his group. However, he eventually changed it to the Beach Boys.

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Skid Row -

Before Kurt Cobain's band was called Nirvana, they went by a number of different names, including Fecal Matter (Cobain's original punk band), Skid Row, and Man Bug, among others.

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The Quarrymen -

Before The Beatles, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were rocking in Liverpool as the Quarrymen.

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On a Friday -

Thom Yorke's band used to rehearse after school. Guess when? Yes, on Fridays. Luckily, they changed their name to Radiohead.

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Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem -

If you thought Red Hot Chili Peppers was a long name, think again!

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Smile -

Luckily, Brian May and Roger Taylor's band changed their name to something more majestic when Freddie Mercury joined them.  

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The Young Aborigines -

Apparently the name was based on the idea that their music should be primitive in some way (which is all kinds of wrong). They became the Beastie Boys instead.

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Screaming Abdabs -

An early version of Pink Floyd went under this rather unique name.

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Sweet Children -

Green Day started playing under this name in 1986. They were 14 at the time.

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Mr. Crowe's Garden -

Before Mr. Crowe's Garden evolved to the Black Crowes, record producer Rick Rubin suggested the name Kobb Kounty Krows. We say they went with the right choice in the end.

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Wicked Lester -

Before forming Kiss, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley played in a band called Wicked Lester.

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Atomic Mass -

The British rockers eventually came up with a rather good band name—Def Leppard.

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Kara's Flowers -

Before becoming Maroon 5, Adam Levine's band was called Kara's Flowers.

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Mookie Blaylock -

Pearl Jam apparently played their first gig under basketball player Mookie Blaylock's name. The reason? They were too busy writing music to think of a good name!

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The Polka Tulk Blues Band -

Before the heavy metal riffs, Ozzy and the boys were actually a blues rock band. Luckily, they were inspired by the Boris Karloff film 'Black Sabbath.'

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Na*** Toddler -

Creed are definitely on top of the list when it comes to bad names. This was just wrong.

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The Obelisk -

Calling themselves a monument was probably not goth enough. Nor was Malice nor Easy Cure. Robert Smith's band eventually found the perfect name as simply the Cure.

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The Salty Peppers -

Band leader Maurice White (1941-2016) eventually changed the name to Earth, Wind & Fire, because he was a Sagittarius and these were his elements.

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The Square Roots -

Before settling on the Roots, they went by various names while still in high school, such as Radio Activity, Black to the Future, and the Square Roots.

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The Golliwogs -

Their name was so wrong on so many, mostly racist, levels. Fortunately for them, they changed it to the Creedence Clearwater Revival instead.

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Pud -

The Doobie Brothers used to be called Pud.

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Village Idiots -

Nickleback have always divided opinions. If you're on the "can't stand them" side of the spectrum though, you'll love to know that they started as a cover band under the name Village Idiots.

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The Shrinky Dinks -

The band named themselves after a children's arts and crafts kit. The toy company threatened to sue, so they eventually changed their name to Sugar Ray.

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Rainbow Butt Monkeys -

Okay, maybe Finger Eleven is not that much better, but it's hard not to come up with a slightly better name than their original one.

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Soft White Underbelly -

You might argue that Blue Öyster Cult is not the most amazing band name, but it could have been worst.

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The Band Aid Boys -

The story goes that Anthony Henderson, aka Krayzie Bone, crashed his moped, so his crew came to his high school with bandages to show some solidarity. Hence the name! But they eventually changed their name to Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

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Burn the Priest -

Lamb of God used to go by the (rather ungodly) name of Burn the Priest.

See also: Musicians who left bands before they made it big

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