When an artist decides to name their band after themselves, this usually means that they're the band's lead vocalist and songwriter, such as the Dave Matthews Band or Danzig. However, these nine bands are named after people who aren't the lead vocalist, and sometimes they don't even write the music.
1. The J. Geils Band
How guitarist J. Geils ever established himself as the leader of the J. Geils Band is beyond me. Not only was he not the band's lead singer, he didn't even write the music, with most of the songs being written by lead singer Peter Wolf and keyboardist Seth Justman. In fact, J. Geils is so inessential to the J. Geils Band that they're currently touring without him.
2. Santana
Carlos Santana is one of the greatest guitarists of all time, so it's easy to understand why Santana was named after him, being the band's main attraction and all. Though he occasionally sings lead vocals, most of the time this job is handed off to other members of the band and, since 1999's Supernatural, guest vocalists.
3. Ted Nugent
So technically "Ted Nugent" isn't a band, but that only makes it stranger that he's not the sole lead vocalist on his albums. Nugent frequently has other singers taking the lead on his songs, such as Derek St. Holmes, Charlie Huhn, and Brian Howe.
4. Van Halen
Since Van Halen consists of the Van Halen brothers Eddie and Alex, it makes sense that the band would be named after them, though apparently the name wasn't even their idea. Lead singer David Lee Roth claims to have suggested the name Van Halen, apparently inspired by Santana.
5. The Alan Parsons Project
Much like Steely Dan, the Alan Parsons Project consists of a core songwriting duo supported by a large rotating group of musicians. Most of the project's music was written by producer Alan Parsons and keyboardist Eric Woolfson, though lead vocals were often handled by guest artists, with Parsons never once singing lead.
6. The Spencer Davis Group
Though the Spencer Davis Group was named after rhythm guitarist Spencer Davis, the group's most famous member was its lead guitarist and vocalist Steve Winwood, who would go on to form Blind Faith and Traffic.
7. The Dave Clark Five
It's not very often that you find a band where the drummer is the leader and primary songwriter, but that was Dave Clark's role in the Dave Clark Five. Keyboardist Mike Smith usually handled lead vocals, however.
8. Mike + The Mechanics
The "Mike" of Mike + The Mechanics is Genesis bassist Mike Rutherford, and though the band actually had two lead vocalists, Rutherford was neither one of them. Instead, lead vocals were taken by the band's two Pauls: Paul Carrack and Paul Young.
9. Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac is actually named for two of the band's members: drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie, who are the only constant members throughout the band's nearly 50-year history. However, neither one of them ever sang lead vocals (with the exception of 1995's "These Strange Times," sung by Mick Fleetwood), and they rarely contributed to songwriting.
What are some other bands named after members who aren't the lead singer? Let us know in the comments section!
