The most famous name changes in music history

Terence Trent D'Arby achieved infamy before achieving fame,. He claimed that his 1987 debut album, "Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent d'Arby," would be more important than "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." It wasn't, but it did sell well, spawning a U.S. No. 1 in the form of the bubbly Prince redux "Wishing Well." Producing his own albums to ever-diminishing returns in the years following, he announced in 2001 that he was legally changing his name to Sananda Maitreya based off of a series of dreams he had. He is still recording to this day, and in 2015, released an album called "The Rise Of The Zugebrian Time Lords" — so there ya go.

The incredible thing about Maroon 5's initial incarnation Kara's Flowers is that they were legitimately slated to be a big deal. Signed to Reprise Records and helmed by popular rock producer Rob Cavallo, Kara's Flowers' "The Fourth World" had all the makings of a hit (and even got good reviews). But their single "Soap Disco" went nowhere, sounding like too many pop-rock groups of the day. Kara's flowers crashed and burned, but upon the label's insistence they added another member and changed their name. By all reports, this was a very, very good idea.

David Robert Jones wanted to be a musician very, very badly. Forming his first band at the age of 15, the man who would become David Bowie released a litany of flop singles under a variety of group names: there was Davie Jones and the King Bees, The Buzz, Davy Jones and The Lower Third, etc. The future Bowie wasn't satisfied with any of these. By the time Davy Jones of The Monkees shot into worldwide stardom, David Bowie was the name that was settled on — the stage name coming from that popular brand of hunting knife.

Pantera was relentless. Although in 1983 their first album was almost laughably titled "Metal Magic," they grew into mature, powerful shredders, with 1992's "Vulgar Display of Power" — rightfully becoming a landmark thrash-metal release. For the band's entire existence up to this point, star guitarist Darrell Lance Abbott went under the stage name "Diamond Darrell." Yet with 1994's chart-topping "Far Beyond the Driven," Darrell underwent a new stage name. Darrell went with the grittier-sounding "Dimebag Darrell." which is the name that stuck and the one we remember to this day. (RIP, Dimebag.)

Small Faces is one of the most acclaimed Mod groups of the era — and for good reason. While Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane and Kenney Jones were the core of the group and scored U.K. hits a-plenty, it was Marriott's departure in 1969 that lead the band to recruit some new members. These new recruits included guitarist Ronnie Wood and some guy named Rod Stewart. The result was a slightly-rejiggered group simply called Faces. Faces went on to great acclaim — their original "Stay With Me" hitting No. 17 on the U.S. charts, one spot behind the Small Faces' U.S. peak with "Itchycoo Park."

For the Toronto-bred dance-punk duo Death From Above, a nice stream of press greeted their early EPs. Their song "Romantic Rights" was used heavily by the comedy group Human Giant. Yet James Murphy (of LCD Soundsystem fame) has a record label he formed in 2001 called DFA Records — that DFA stands for Death From Above. When the band got signed to a major, the label wasn't going to release the album until Murphy signed off on it, which he refused to do. The duo added the legal minimum number of characters they could onto the end of their name to skirt any lawsuits, but as they've let the press know many times, they were none too happy about the decision.

The band Chicago is basically a titan of American soft-rock. Although they were initially known as The Big Thing, they changed their name to Chicago Transit Authority after moving to L.A. They were opening for the likes Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. They landed a small hit with "Questions 67 and 68" off of their platinum-selling debut album, but the real-life Chicago Transit Authority wasn't enjoying being associated with a group playing that devil(ishly smooth) music. So a name change was made, and it's been Chicago ever since.

Originally born Antony Hegarty, this Sussex-bred songstress packed a powerful voice and an even greater collection of songs. Her breakthrough effort "I Am a Bird Now" in 2005 was empathic and powerful, leading to the band Antony and The Johnsons to acclaim in indie circles and collaborations with everyone from Björk to Rufus Wainwright to Lou Reed. Yet in 2015, she coupled the reveal of her debut solo album with the announcement that she is a transgender woman and would go under the name Anohni from now on. She is also only the second transgender person to receive an Oscar nomination (for her work on the song "Manta Ray" from the documentary "Racing Extinction").

Believe it or not, the name "Led Zeppelin" was almost an afterthought. Famously, Jimmy Page was a fill-in member of The Yardbirds starting in 1966, and although the group disbanded in 1968, they did so prior to filling a few concert dates booked in Scandinavia. With the band's blessing, Page carried on the Yardbirds' name with bassist Chris Dreja, later recruiting the likes of John Bonham and Robert Plant. Dreja left rather suddenly, which lead to John Paul Jones filling in. This lineup of "The New Yardbirds" toured and even recorded an album together, but Dreja said that legally all "The New Yardbirds" could be used for was for those Scandinavia dates. So what to name the completed album and band who spawned it? "Led Zeppelin" has a nice ring to it ...

Some bands change their name due to legal disputes; some due to lineup changes. Yet every once in awhile, a band changes names due to tragedies, and that's exactly the fate that fell upon Joy Division. With a tight, iconic lineup featuring singer Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, drummer Stephen Morris, and legendary bassist Ian Hook, the group made waves with their unique brand of morose post-punk gloom. Yet the suicide of Ian Curtis was as sudden as it was sad and left the group with the difficult choice of whether to move on. Their rebranded name, New Order, would soon be associated with sunnier, more pop-friendly dance angles. And so the name change was truly fitting, as even with the shared roster, these two bands proved to be two wholly unique musical entities.

Released in 1993, Suede's eponymous debut album became a flashpoint and groundbreaking ceremony for the genre that is Britpop. The LP shot to the top of the U.K. charts (incredible for a debut), even winning the coveted Mercury Music Prize. The group even garnered some support in the U.S., but a lounge singer ended up suing the band for the name, and in the U.S. alone, they had to go as "The London Suede." In a 1995 New York Times interview, singer Brett Anderson commented that "The London Suede is not the name I chose for the band. I didn't change it happily, and I'm not going to pretend I did."

To say that Emerson, Lake & Palmer are influential would be underselling it. In terms of progressive rock, the trio of talented musicians has been cranking out classics since 1970, scoring albums that were best appreciated as albums, with winding guitar passages and classic ballad songwriting. Tired of spending nearly a decade together, the group effectively broke up in 1979. They tried to reunite in 1985, but Palmer was committed to touring duties with Asia. Rainbow drummer Cozy Powell was brought in to man the skins, and the trio released one album. Ironically, the group could still sell all that merchandise with "ELP" on it and not miss a beat.

Santogold was originally an A&R agent for Epic Records but moved into songwriting by helping co-write and produce the neglected R&B classic that is RES' 2001 debut release "How I Do." After that, she went solo as Santogold and released acclaimed music on her own, eventually opening for the likes of Coldplay and Kanye West. However, a movie producer caught wind of her stage name and threatened legal maneuvers due to the name sounding a lot like a film he made once. Given her birth name is Santi White, the change was a no-brainer: Santogold became Santigold, and it's been that way ever since.

Jefferson Airplane already has their place in rock history with their 1967 album "Surrealistic Pillow" sporting the instant classics "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love." However, a split in 1972 left the band in two pieces: one was Hot Tuna, and the other was... Jefferson Starship. The Jefferson Starship iteration netted hits like "Miracles" and "Count on Me," but a 1984 legal action split the band's rights in half. This meant "Jefferson" could no longer be used. So this band just became Starship, which in turn wrote "We Built This City," a song which is 100 percent the greatest rock song ever made. No irony here. It's so good. (Snicker.)

When Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs created Bad Boy Entertainment back in 1993, few would've ever guessed the success he would have as a producer and later as a rapper. His friendship with The Notorious B.I.G. was influential. But in 2001, he decided to change his name to P. Diddy and became the butt of many jokes, including an entire Letterman Top Ten List. "I'm not doing it as serious as Prince," he told MTV News. "I just want something fresh." That wasn't fresh enough, however. So in 2005, he changed it to just Diddy. Then we all stopped bothering to keep track.

Mos Def will never go down as the world's most commercially successful rapper, but he is already in conversation about being one of the all-time best. From his numerous Talib Kwali collaborations to his iconic 1999 solo effort "Black on Both Sides," Mos Def has street cred to spare and used some of his notoriety to work his way into a moderately successful movie career. In 2011, however, he abruptly announced he would be going by the name Yasiin Bey. "I didn’t want to have to deal with having any moniker or separation between the self that I see and know myself as," he told MTV2's "Sucker Free." Hard to disagree with him on that.

When Cat Stevens was at the top of his game, he was next to unstoppable with his 1970 album "Tea for the Tillerman" and its 1971 follow-up "Teaser and the Firecat" both going triple platinum. He churned out an album a year after that but soon felt chewed up by the music industry. A near death experience led him to eventually discover his spiritual side and convert to Islam in 1978, changing his name to go with it. He sold off his guitars and quit the music business, becoming an occasional tabloid fixture in the following years. In 2006, after a few small spots as a session musician and occasional live fixture, Islam dropped his first album under the new name, "An Other Cup," and has put out a few LPs since then.

Lil' Bow Wow released his debut album, 2000's "Beware of Dog," when he was only 13 years old. As if that wasn't accomplished enough, the album went on to double platinum status and certified him as a star. But that proved to be his commercial high-peak, and he felt isolated by his stardom, which is why he titled his 2006 record "The Price of Fame." By this time, he was just Bow Wow because, in 2002, he dropped the Lil'. "I'm growing up, I'm not little anymore," he told the press. Although he acts on occasion and hosts TV shows, we haven't heard any music from Bow Wow for years.

If the concept of transgenderism remains foreign to you, we highly recommend you skip Vanity Fair's 2015 piece on Caitlyn Jenner and instead dive into Josh Eells' 2012 profile on Laura Jane Grace for "Rolling Stone." It's a stunning story of a young man named Tom Gabel who fronted a beloved and furious modern punk group called Against Me! In 2012, however, Gabel shocked the world by revealing that she was transgender and was transitioning. Her struggle with gender dysphoria is heartbreaking and puts it into very relatable terms. While her previous self littered Against Me!'s albums with hints in the lyrics, 2014's acclaimed album "Transgender Dysphoria Blues" showed that even with the change in name and gender, the band hadn't missed a step, delivering what some have already pointed to as their masterpiece.

Few flows in the history of rap music are as iconic as Snoop Doggy Dogg's, and his early work with Dr. Dre is basically the gold standard in gangster rap music. While the dropping of "Doggy" from his stage name was perhaps inevitable, it was his 2012 conversion to Rastafarianism that lead him to go as "Snoop Lion." He soon tried his hand at releasing reggae-affected rap songs. However, by 2015, he was back to being Snoop Dogg again. Maybe this is why he's released not one but two single with "What's My Name?" in the title.|