Last Name Basis / Music

Examples of Last-Name Basis in music.

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• Every Starflyer 59 release since 2001 lists the last name and first initial of each band member, rather than their full names. Apparently the band would also address each other by last name during tours.
• Many duos (and sometimes trios) are billed under their last names such as Simon & Garfunkel, Loggins and Messina, Crosby, Stills, (and) Nash, (and Young), and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, among others.
  • Before they hit it big, The Indigo Girls, Emily Saliers, and Amy Ray, once considered calling themselves "Saliers and Ray".
• Folk singer Harry Nilsson was initially billed under his last name, Nilsson.
• Hikaru Utada was billed on her U.S. albums as simply "Utada".
• (Scott) Weiland, formerly of Stone Temple Pilots, was credited as "Weiland" on their debut album Core, but would go by his full name beginning with their second album, Purple.
• Electronic musician Isao Tomita (perhaps best known for his electronic rendition of Arabesque No.1), is/was usually billed on his albums (at least in the U.S.) as simply "Tomita".
• The majority of most classical composers, such as (Ludwig Van) Beethoven, (Wolfgang Amadeus) Mozart, (Johann Sebastian) Bach, —(Johannes) Brahms, (Pyotr Ilyich) Tchaikovsky, and many others.
• (Stephen) Morrissey.
• (Amie Ann) Duffy.
• (Leslie) Feist.
• (Władziu) Liberace, nicknamed "Lee" or "Walter" in his personal life.
• On Michael Jackson's Off The Wall album, Paul McCartney who wrote the song "Girlfriend" was credited only as McCartney. Elsewhere, songwriters are credited with their first initial and last name.
• (Carlos) Santana - also the name of the band.
• Romanian pan flutist (Gheorghe) Zamfir, although he has also been credited under his full name as well.
• "The King of the Mambo" (Damáso) Peréz Prado.
• The stage name of the British Electronic Dance Music producer Stonebank is his actual surname (Michael Stonebank).
• Album cover designer (John) Kosh.
• Played with by German singer Lou Bega, most famous for "Mambo No. 5". His stage name is derived from his real last name of Lubega.
• Country Music singer-songwriter (Michael Wilson) HARDY, who really does spell his name in all-caps.

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