Rock Music Bands

Interesting facts about the most famous musical groups, their names and the correct pronunciation

Kiss

Before joining the American hard rock band Kiss, Vinnie Vincent, American guitarist and songwriter, wrote the soundtrack for the famous TV series Happy Days. Click and listen to the audio pronunciation of Kiss.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

The original name of the American band Red Hot Chili Peppers was not so cool at the beginning: Tony Flow and the Majestic Masters of Mayhem. After the first successful performances, the band decided to change the name to something easier to remember. Click Red Hot Chili Peppers and listen to the correct pronunciation.

R.E.M.

The American rock band chose the acronym of Rapid Eye Movement, the deep stage of sleep. The reason of this choice? Michael Stipe, the lead singer, chose at random from a dictionary. Click and listen to the audio pronunciation of R.E.M.

Black Sabbath

Tony Iommi, guitarist and founder of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, lost the tips of two fingers on his right hand working in a sheet metal factory when he was young. He immediately thought that he had lost the possibility to play guitar forever. But afterward, inspired by Django Reinhardt, a jazz guitarist playing with two paralyzed fingers, he created two covers made of rubber and leather for his fingers and started to play again. Click and listen to the audio pronunciation of Black Sabbath.

Rush

Geddy Lee, the Canadian musician and songwriter, lead vocalist for the Canadian rock band Rush, was born Gary Lee Weinrib. His mother, a Polish woman, wasn’t able to correctly pronounce his name Gary. When his friends heard Lee’s mother calling him “Geddy”, the name became his nickname. Click Rush and listen to the correct pronunciation.

Jethro Tull

The British band was named after an English agriculturist, Jethro Michael Tull (1674-1741), who invented the seed drill, an automatic system of seeding. Click and listen to the correct pronunciation of Jethro Tull.

System of a Down

The band is formed by four Armenian-Americans: Serj Tankian (lead singer), Daron Malakian (singer and guitar), Shavo Odadjian (bass) and John Dolmayan (drums). If you hear any surname ending in ian or yan, you know that that name is of Armenian descent. Click and listen to the audio pronunciation of System of a Down.

Pearl Jam

The band name, as the lead singer Eddie Vedder explained, has been inspired by the way pearls are created. "The name is in reference to the pearl itself … and the natural process from which a pearl comes from. Basically, taking excrement or waste and turning it into something beautiful." Click Pearl Jam and listen to the audio pronunciation.

Depeche Mode

The band is named after a French fashion magazine, Dépêche mode… just because they liked the sound of it.  French dépêche means dispatch, while mode is the French translation of fashion. Click and listen to the audio pronunciation of Depeche Mode.

Guns N' Roses

Axl Rose, the lead vocalist and original member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses was born William Bruce Rose, Jr.  His stage name Axl Rose is an anagram for oral sex. Click Guns N' Roses and listen to the correct pronunciation.

Lynyrd Skynyrd

The American rock band got the name from Leonard Skinner, a high school teacher who hated students with long hair, and he usually suspended them. Click and listen to the audio pronunciation of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

AC/DC

Malcolm Young, Scottish-born Australian guitarist, when he was very young, used to work in a bra factory as a sewing-machine mechanic. It looks like, he saw AC/DC written on a sewing machine and really liked the acronym. Click and listen to the audio pronunciation of AC/DC.