WHAT ABOUT MARTIN LUTHER THE KING JR?

Before: Lil' Bow Wow
After: Bow Wow
Why?: He got big!
Effect: Considerably less adorable.

haha.

1) johnny cougar: i believe he wanted to go as john melloncamp from the start, but his label wanted him to have a more wild name
2) prince: iirc, he changed his name in an effort to get out of a multi-record deal (contract signed by prince, i'm not prince anymore)
3) diamond ne' dimebag darrell: most tragic thing to happen to that dude

Keith Richards -> Keith Richard -> Keith Richards

Woah.

Declan P. MacManus.

carmody: Declan P. MacManus.

indeed. and sometimes Napoleon Dynamite too.

Before: Semen Across Lips
After: Parabstruse
Why: Do you really need to ask?

Way behind the times, he's just Diddy now.

//dont be such a square man

Before: New Yardbirds
After: Led Zeppelin

Little Stevie Wonder -> Stevie Wonder
Come on, Bow Wow? Bigger than Stevie? In his wet dreams!

Before: Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo
After: Onigo Boingo
Reason: Already got all the free press they needed from the FBI and Satanic Ritual scare of the 70's

And I can't believe the article missed ODB....ArticleFail

Jefferson Airlplane
Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Airplane Starship
Jefferson Starhip

Jefferson UFO
UFO Michael Schenker Group
MSG Scorpions
Scorpions Starship

Ta!Da!
/No, I didn't see what I did there.

In nomine Patris et fillii et Spiritus Santigold.

Dee Dee Ramone to Dee Dee King.

Iggy Stooge to Iggy Pop?
Johnny Rotten to Johnny Lydon?
David Johansen to Buster Poindexter?
Terence Trent D'Arby to Sananda Maitreya?

management->MGMT

KMFDM>MDFMK>KMFDM

Never understood that one

Darlin' --> Daft Punk

Before: Prince
Then: O(+>/"love symbol"/The Artist Formerly Known As Prince/The Artist
After: Prince
Why?: We're still not sure, actually.

To get out of oppressive record contract and do his own thing, musically. Actually a shrewd move, and a big fark You to The Man for demanding shiny pop albums when he clearly wanted to do something different. He eventually capitulated to their demands and released a greatest hits album to satiate their profit motives, which ironically contained b-sides and rarities and none of his actual hits, which was another middle finger to stupid record company overlords. He then released a whole bunch of really shoddy albums to fill the contract quota. He reverted to his real name when the contract expired and he finally ceased business relationships with Warner Bros.

He is finally emancipated from nosy music industry beancounters, and we're all richer for it.

Of course, no one could top the name-changing antics of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, who at any one point in time between 1987-1997, could be known as as:

The Jusified Ancients of Mumu
The JAMS
The Time Lords
The Kopyright Liberation Front
The KLF
The K Foundation
2K

and also side projects Space and Disco 2000.

This is, however, par for the course for electronic music producers and DJs, many of whom have dozens of aliases and partnerships in their musical catalogues.

I just used Russell Peters advice when I said Panic! at the Disco's name.

/Panic*click* at the Disco!
//*click* Belay!

Due to copyright laws I had to rename my band Rockwell and the Chipsets to AT&F&D0&K3&Q5S0=0.

We always end our shows with a song called No Carrier.

Sometimes we asked for an encore and we play +++ATH0 and then the cult favorite ATZ.

Jello Biafra Mellencamp.

Best. Name. Change. EVAR!

MC Hammer > Hammer > MC Hammer .... again

I'm still waiting for a Warlocks/Screaming Abdabs double-bill.

Steven Demetre Georgiou > Cat Stevens > Yusuf Islam > sometimes just Yusuf
/'Islam' don't sell many records

Especially after they ditched the drummer.

/seriously, Ringo haters - just listen to "Love Me Do" on the Anthology 1 CD and tell me a "developmentally challenged" 4-year-old couldn't play that better

I came for the KLF, and left happy.

Also:

Aphex Twin, Blue Calx, Bradley Strider, Brian Tregaskin, Caustic Window, Dice Man, GAK, Karen Tregaskin, Polygon Window, Power-Pill, Q-Chastic, Richard D. James, Smojphace, Soit-P.P., The Tuss

Before: Cat Stevens
After: Yusuf Islam
Effect: Less airplay, bushier beard.