Name Suggestions for a Bluegrass Band

[Uncle Bob]

Hi all -

I'm trying to come up with a name for a bluegrass band that I'll be putting together sometime in the future. Will be looking to do about half standard bluegrass music and half bluegrass gospel, playing mostly for small churches and nursing homes in our area. I've got a few ideas so far:

Old and Grumpy
Union County Line
Copper Kettle
Three Top Mountain
New River
Faithful Servant

Any and all suggestions for a band name from the forum gang would be great!

Thanks a bunch! :)

[rgray]

I can't help you much but CLICK HERE (http://www.mandolincafe.com/timewasters.html) for the Mandolin Cafe's Random Bad Bluegrass Band Namer.

[MikeEdgerton]

You beat me to it Bob. It doesn't get any better than that.

[HurleyRidge]

Bluegrass Angels

The News Paper Boys (spreading the gospel?)

The Holy Hillbillies

The shadow valley boys

Wayfaring Strangers

Love Offering

Supper Time

[Markus]

The F Holes

Sounds dirty but isn't. Obviously not the name for everyone

[Steve Ostrander]

Copper Kettle sounds like a restaraunt :)

[sachmo63]

The Turkey Basters.....

Monroid......

Slippery Slope and the downhill gang.....

[Willie Poole]

Look around your neighborhood at street names, sometimes they make good band names also....I live in an area called "Thunder Hill" and always thought hat would make a nice name...

[Mandolin Mick]

The one that's in my mind, but I claim it for the band I want to start here in Wisconsin ... Blue Cheese :)

[Jacob]

Yard Car

[Denny Gies]

the North Carolina Hot Air Supply. You guys will be famous.

[Scott Holt]

Uncle Bob and the Tar Heel Miscreants!

[allenhopkins]

"New River" is cool if you open each show with New River Train. I like the idea of using a local street name, geographic feature, or even place name in the band title. My first bluegrass band was the Flower City Ramblers, since Rochester's called the "Flower City" after all the nurseries that used to be located here.

[Nonprophet]

Uncle Bob and the Bobettes!

Hootin' n Hollerin'

Random Acts of Bluegrass

NP

[Ed Goist]

Uncle Bob's Cabin
No Part of Nothin'

[MikeEdgerton]

I can't claim it for my own as Mike Bromley just started a thread with the same name but I'm partial to:

Southpaw Iggy

It has a ring to it.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Why not simply name yourselves after you home state - North Carolina. There was a guy who used to pick Mandolin a while ago named his band after Kentucky the ''Bluegrass'' state,can't remember him righ now,but he was sort of ok & did quite well at it as i recall.
You could always go for - "The New Carolina Tar Heels" / "Raleigh Round" / "Apple Charlotte" / "The North State Boys" anything to denote where you come from.Other than that, "The Turkey Basters" gets my vote !,:grin:
Ivan:popcorn:
PS - Willie,i was born in an area named Bucklow Hill. "The Bucklow Hillbillies / Hill Boys" always sounded good to me.There's also a road close to where i live named ''Munn Road'' so ''Monroe'd'' has a nice ring. All i need is 3 more musicians !!!

[mrmando]

Holden Mayo and the Mustard Seeds
Ezekiel and the Wheels
Locusts and Wild Honey
Jimmy Divine and the Branches

[mandolirius]

"New River" is cool if you open each show with New River Train. I like the idea of using a local street name, geographic feature, or even place name in the band title. My first bluegrass band was the Flower City Ramblers, since Rochester's called the "Flower City" after all the nurseries that used to be located here.

My favourite place name band is a bunch of boys from right here in Victoria - The Clover Point Drifters. We don't treat our sewage here and Clover Point is the place where the raw material is pumped into the ocean.

[Dan Hoover]

"The Pyroclastic Flow"...

[MikeF]

My buddy and I who are only getting serious about music at 60+ have been thinking about names for our "band":

Health Care Crisis
Bursa Sac
Leadfinger
Stonefinger

[mandodan1960]

My buddy and I who are only getting serious about music at 60+ have been thinking about names for our "band":

Health Care Crisis
Bursa Sac
Leadfinger
Stonefinger

Eric Clapton was "Slowhand" you could be "Slowfinger"

My all time favorite band name is the "Bad Livers" I suppose if your going to do some gospel tunes you could be the "Half Bad Livers"

[journeybear]

Best thing to do? Ignore all us wankers! :)) My goodness, there are some awful suggestions here! Of course, you were probably expecting that. You should have been, if you weren't. ;)

Next best thing to do: print up all of these so far, and maybe a few more as well (what the hey, why not?), using big type, cut them up - each word separately - put them in a hat, bowl, mason jar - and pick random samplings, two or three words at a time, and see what you get. Sometimes random is best. :whistling:

I once had a trio - joined a duo named "George and Liz," and somehow the name "George and Liz and some weirdo playing some weird thingy" wasn't going to fly - so we did the old list thing. George said he always wanted to name a band "Live Bait" - why, I don't know, and though we played a lot of country, and fishing is a big thing here, that was a good bit too down home for Liz and me. We must have written down forty or more names, some pretty good, some silly, some just awful - but we wrote them all down to look at them later. What did we end up with? Yup - Live Bait. Guess it wasn't such a group decision after all! ;)

[MikeEdgerton]

Next best thing to do: print up all of these so far, and maybe a few more as well (what the hey, why not?), using big type, cut them up - each word separately - put them in a hat, bowl, mason jar - and pick random samplings, two or three words at a time, and see what you get.

Obviously you didn't click on the link in the second post.

[Markus]

My goodness, there are some awful suggestions here!

You think I'm going to give the world's greatest band name ever away for free, on a public board?

That's almost as preposterous as thinking I would come up with the worlds greatest name!

[journeybear]

Oh hell no! Me either! :)) It took me more than thirty years to come up with it, and what was so obviously the best name ever, it was right in front of my face the whole time ... Oh no, that one I'm hanging onto, you betcha! ;)

[Steve Davis]

Rocksalt and Nails

[Uncle Bob]

Thank you for all the name suggestions. They are all great (some maybe better then others but all appreciated).

I do like the idea of using a local connection (street name, location, point of interest, etc.) as a name. That's where I got the ideas for Union County Line (I live in Uinion County, NC), Three Top Mountain and New River are points of interest in Ashe County, NC (my favorite place on earth).

Here's a photo of Three Top Mountain - the picture doesn't come close to showing its true beauty.

70639

[journeybear]

I like using geographical references too. "Three Top Mountain" sounds pretty good, especially if you're a trio. ;) The standard (or hackneyed) approach would be to change the number to suit the number of members, or go with something like "Three Top Mountaineers," or "Three Top Rangers" (fill in your own active-sounding noun there.) Steve Martin quipped about his cohorts The Steep Canyon Rangers, saying there isn't much ranging one can do in a steep canyon. :grin:

Actually, Mike, I did check the band namer, and once I was done wasting my time over in that area (love the April Fools hoaxes), I thought something similar could be done old-style, and with possibly more variety, using the method I suggested. ;) Plus, Uncle Bob could always say he came up with his band's name thanks to the help of all his buddies at the Mandolin Café! That carries a lot of clout in certain circles.

[farmerjones]

"Great Exposure" is back and available for use.

But i like the idea of having a theme song/tune. So "Buiscuit Burnerz" would work. If you were the "High Lonesome Cabin Boys," every tune would be a theme song.
Or, "My Late Momma's High Lonesome Mountain Cabin Murder Boys." :)

[Markus]

I too like your geographical reference ideas, especially when one is so fond of your home area. I feel the same way about where I am, and get great happiness out of names that reference something local.

[mandopete]

Eddie

[Martian]

Def Lester

[Bigtuna]

Def Lester

Nice work! The second best band name I've heard this year. The first, The Dead Kenny G's, not my cup of tea but a good name for a jazz band (a real band at that). Keep them coming.

[Willie Poole]

Ivan, When I started my band up and was looking for a name I said I would like something that was relating to the Civil War and my bass player was a graduate od Duke University and he mention the train station there called Durham Station and that is what I named the bad..."DURHAM STATION BLUEGRASS BAND"...We kinda like it....The station is either torn down now or has beed built up so I can`t find any good picturs of it to use for promotion fliers but I keep looking in the libraries around here, I find pix but they are not what I want to use...I am thinking of taking a pix of any station and super impose the name Durham Station on it...

Some friends of mine live on a road called "Virginia Hills" and thats what they call their band so there are a lot of streets and towns that would make good names....IF you are playing traditional bluegrass it shouldn`t be hard.....

Willie

[journeybear]

I've always wondered why Alison Krauss went with Union Station. It's only the most common railroad station name. And what does it have to do with bluegrass? Well, maybe that goes to show you needn't be too persnickety about your choice after all. ;)

[allenhopkins]

...I can`t find any good picturs of it to use for promotion fliers but I keep looking in the libraries around here, I find pix but they are not what I want to use...I am thinking of taking a pix of any station and super impose the name Durham Station on it...

Willie, is this (http://endangereddurham.blogspot.com/2007/04/union-station.html) any help? I guess this station's been torn down, and the new one doesn't seem photogenic.

[allenhopkins]

Traditional bluegrass band naming algorithm:

[Name(s)] and the [Geographically-or-topographically related name/OR/Adjective denoting state of mind] [Collective male/female name/OR/Collective name denoting action]

Thus:
Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys
Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys
Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys
Jim & Jesse and the Virginia Boys
Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys
Larry Sparks and the Lonesome Ramblers
Charlie Waller and the Country Gentlemen
Buzz Busby and the Bayou Boys
Patsy Montana and the Prairie Ramblers
Lilly Mae Ledford and the Coon Creek Girls
Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals
Buck White and the Down Home Folks
Jones Brothers and the Log Cabin Boys
Mac Martin and the Dixie Travelers

Alternatively, if you're a family, you can say that: Carter Family, McClain Family, Lewis Family, Sullivan Family, Hot Mud Family, Osborne Brothers, McPeake Brothers, Goins Brothers, Gosdin Brothers, Louvin Brothers, etc.

There's other ways to name 'em, but, "stick with tradition," I always say...

[Mandolin Mick]

Carl Story and his Rambling Mountaineers ... I've always liked that! :)

[Ivan Kelsall]

On our way from Owensboro to Washington DC,back in '92,one place that me & the work colleaugue that i was over with stayed overnight,was a place named Bean Station, Tennessee. It sounded a strange name to me until i looked it up when i got home.It was named for Willam Bean,( The Pioneer) the founder in 1760. The small hotel that we stayed at had an owner all togged out like Boss Hogg,white suit,Stetson & cigar an' the 'whole hog'. A great name for a band "Bean Station",especially sitting around a campfire,sort of like in a Mel Gibson film !!,:)) I took a pic.almost identical to the one attached just before we got to Bean Station itself,
Ivan:mandosmiley:
70707

[billkilpatrick]

bubba lawn and the bible thumpers

[Mark Hudson]

I always thought that if you're playing the bar scene 'Free Beer' as your band name would be a great way to make sure you have a crowd!
Then a few years ago a local band started calling themselves 'Free Beer and Chicken'... I think they stole it from me :-)

[journeybear]

Ivan means a Mel Brooks movie, and apologizes for the grievous error. ;)

As to Free Beer ... there was a bar here, up the road a couple of miles, that for years had a sign reading "Free Beer ... Tomorrow" posted on its side. Ha ha, very funny. When they went out of business, they had a typical bar closing - gave it all away till it was (and the patrons were) all drunk - and painted the sign to read "Free Beer TODAY!" :)) Classic.

Once while going through this band naming process I considered naming it "TBA." I thought it might be amusing to see notices in the paper showing we were playing all over the place, sometimes several times a night. Ultimately I realized this might be an intriguing existential exercise, or an amusing bit in a film, but in reality, it would make things difficult, even exasperating, for people who wanted to see us and were unable to determine which among the place keepers was the actual notice. :whistling:

[Willie Poole]

There was and maybe still is a band called "None Of The Above", sort of like the "TBA" name...I like that

Allen, Thanks for the pix, I really am looking for something that is from the 1860`s era, the one you sent is a little too modern, I`ll print it out and maybe use it though, Thanks again.....

The OP could also look at rolls of toilet paper and get a name like "The Statler Bros."

Willie

[Ken Sager]

Copper Kettle is already in use. Grumpy Old Men is close to your Old and Grumpy...

It's tough naming a band. Local geographical references are generally safe, but whatever you like I'd suggest Googling to see if somebody else liked it first.

All the best, and good luck.
Ken


Hi all -

I'm trying to come up with a name for a bluegrass band that I'll be putting together sometime in the future. Will be looking to do about half standard bluegrass music and half bluegrass gospel, playing mostly for small churches and nursing homes in our area. I've got a few ideas so far:

Old and Grumpy
Union County Line
Copper Kettle
Three Top Mountain
New River
Faithful Servant

Any and all suggestions for a band name from the forum gang would be great!

Thanks a bunch! :)

[Markus]

Copper Kettle is a small restaurant chain around here. Great name, and unless you make it up around here not a problem - yet likely not uncommon.

27 string band [or some variant referencing the total # of strings] is something that appealed to me - provided you never add or lose instruments.

[Marty Henrickson]

I live on a road called Hickory Bluff, I've always thought that would make a good name or maybe the "Hickory Bluffers" (which I claim for my future band :) )

[Rick Albertson]

I recently brain-stormed 100+ possible names for a friend's band. Send a PM if interested.

[George R. Lane]

A group of folks here that play for the nursing homes is called 'The Seldom Paid Gophers."

[Rick Schmidlin]

The Fields Of Cotton Tone Monsters

[rgray]

I see in your profile that you are a member of the Piedmont NC group and your post indicates you play bluegrass and gospel.

How about "PB & J"? Piedmont Bluegrass and Jesus.

[mrmando]

Glory B2 Gsus

[Eliot Greenspan]

I've always wanted to name a group something like: The New Lost Mountain Red Dirt Ramblers & Highwaymen Brothers Band

[mrmando]

You know, it's important to have a fairly short, clear, meaningful name that producers, promoters and sponsors can remember. In the '80s my friend Ric Blair played guitar for a rock band with the unfortunate moniker of "The Willoughby/Wilson Band" ... he told me about at least one promoter who introduced them as "The Wimbly Womblys."

My bluegrass gospel band is The Priest and the Publicans, because our banjo player is a Catholic priest. Unfortunately, some of the local churches and charities that hire us don't seem to know what bluegrass is and can't get the name straight. No matter what you do, not everyone will "get it."

[allenhopkins]

...I really am looking for something that is from the 1860`s era, the one you sent is a little too modern, I`ll print it out and maybe use it though, Thanks again.....

Apparently the "Spanish revival" Durham railroad station, pictured in those photos, was built in 1905. I couldn't find pics of its predecessor.

[billkilpatrick]

I see in your profile that you are a member of the Piedmont NC group and your post indicates you play bluegrass and gospel.

How about "PB & J"? Piedmont Bluegrass and Jesus.

very good

[Michael Richmond]

The Jericho Boys

[allenhopkins]

Piedmont!? Then you can be the New Piedmont Log Rollers!

9meZQFhAB-w

And remember, Red Patterson & the Piedmont Log Rollers were the first source for Banks of the Ohio, one of the all-time great songs.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Thanks JB - Yep, the ole memry fails yet again !!,:redface:
Ivan

[re simmers]

"Flies on a Window Sill"

"Fuzzy Breeches"

Bob

[billkilpatrick]

"... Flies on a Window Sill" ... Bob

nice - poetic - zen.

when nashville calls, i'll name my group "no flies on bill."

line forms to the right.

[re simmers]

We played a wedding reception that was sort of 'high brow.' Our fiddler got us the job and told us we were to play in a corner, without mics, make nice music, and not be noticed............like "flies on a window sill." One of my goals is to have band by that name.

Bob

[Jim MacDaniel]

How about a nod to your state bird?...

Uncle Bob & The Northern Cardinals

[Jim Ferguson]

Uncle Bob & the Hicks

[JeffD]

Bob's All Star Band Marching and Lager Society

[Austin Koerner]

What about Tater and the Tater Peelin' boys?

Come on guys, just because it's bluegrass doesn't mean the names have to be cheesy and lame.

[Rroyd]

I was alway partial to "Ned Beatty and the Squealers," but that might not be the best name for a group doing a lot of gospel music at local churches.

[re simmers]

Maybe "Ned's Revenge?"

Bob

[billkilpatrick]

continuing in a biblical vein - with your F-style eastman you could call yourselves "uncle bob and his dead sea scroll ... s"

[JeffD]

There are a lot of good whiskeys in NC, perhaps one or two of them can inspire you. Er umm.... I mean the names, the names.

[Psyberbilly]

Jordan's Ford

[dcoventry]

I came up with this on anohter thread......

Fyslexic Dingers

It sounds good backwards, too.:grin:

[Uncle Bob]

You guys are Great!!! Thank you for all the suggestions for a band name.

I'm starting to like this name: The New River Gang What do you all think?

Keep 'um comin' :grin:

P.S. - Just saw Denny Roberts at the Big Lick BG Festival this afternoon - unreal! What a wonderful player.

[Uncle Bob]

Sorry about my P.S. typo: I meant Danny Roberts (I have problems: old age, bad fingers, tin ear, poor eye sight, feeble mind, mean wife, stupid dog, etc. - not pretty, but it's a life).

Anyway, I think this thread has pretty much run its course. Thanks again for all the name suggestions!

[journeybear]

So, is that the name? The New River Gang? That's just fine, a good, solid name. You done good. ;)

[Uncle Bob]

So, is that the name? The New River Gang? That's just fine, a good, solid name. You done good. ;)

Hey journeybear -

Yes, I think The New River Gang will be the name for my band. The wife thinks it's a stupid name, so it must be good! :mandosmiley:

Thanks again to the forum brotherhood for all the input.

[journeybear]

Oh lawdy! Now there's a rule of thumb if there ever was one! :))

[Pete Counter]

How about "Forked Stick" ? Thats from an off color joke! Or maybe "The Celia Yatter Band" (sounds like see ya later)

[JeffD]

"Javelina Highway" is a name I have been kicking around my head for a while.

[Willie Poole]

J.B. "New River Gang"...Does that mean the river is new or the gang, or is that the name of the river? I had some pickers drop out of my band some years ago and they just added "New" in front of my bands name and tried to book shows making people think it was the same band, much like "The New Quicksiler" spin off of Doyle`s band some years ago...

Willie

[journeybear]

Oh, man! :)) I dunno - you'd have to ask Uncle Bob. Is New River a river near him, or one he has fond memories of, or his favorite fishing spot? Is it a dry river bed most of the year except spring, when it fills with melted snow runoff, and becomes new? :confused: These are questions that may well be beyond our meager abilities to fully understand.

It does remind me of a highway sign from my old stomping grounds - "Four Mile River Road." I often wondered which was four miles long, the road or the river. :confused:

[Uncle Bob]

J.B. "New River Gang"...Does that mean the river is new or the gang, or is that the name of the river? I had some pickers drop out of my band some years ago and they just added "New" in front of my bands name and tried to book shows making people think it was the same band, much like "The New Quicksiler" spin off of Doyle`s band some years ago...

Hi Willie,

The New River is the main river in Ashe county, North Carolina, in the Blueridge mountains. It is one of the oldest rivers in the world, and one of the few major rivers in the United States to flow north instead of south, east, or west. There are 34 recorded creeks and streams that flow into the New River in Ashe County. In 1998 the river was designated an "American Heritage River" by President Bill Clinton, and it is famed for its beautiful rural scenery, clear water, fly fishing, and kayaking and canoeing.

I've got a little weekend place up in Ashe county and love to hang out around the New River. I thought The New River Gang had a nice ring to it for a band name.

[journeybear]

Asked and answered! :mandosmiley: New River being one of the oldest rivers in the world - sheer delightful irony. :)