Unwanted first names in music

[Satchmo Distel]

Steven Morrissey.

[Satchmo Distel]

Can we say that the numerous Johnnys were rejecting "John" or Bills "William"? When did Ingram Parsons become known as Gram?

Count Basie is more of a honorific title because his friends called him Bill. Duke Ellington OTOH seems to have always been Duke.

Billie Holiday ditched Eleanora after she started singing in clubs. Named after Billie Dove.

Siouxsie presumably doesn't take kindly to Susan except from family.

Cannonball Adderley also went by his birth name Julian.

[Satchmo Distel]

When did Barney Sumner revert to Bernard?

Barney Hoskyns?

[Guy Profumo]

Have we done Quentin Cook yet?

(Search returns no results)

[Jah Womble]

But Cook then chose 'Norman' - which is arguably even less rock 'n' roll.

When did Barney Sumner revert to Bernard?

Barney Hoskyns?

In his case, it was more about the alternating surnames in his Joy Division days: his stepfather's name Dicken (a name he binned off and reinstated after leaving school), the Germanic affectation Albrecht, and finally his mother's name, Sumner.

[Satchmo Distel]

Adam had no Faith in being a Terence.

[Satchmo Distel]

Ex-Reg: Marty Wilde and Elton John

However, Roger Barrett was apparently never happy being called Syd. John Ritchie OTOH...

Richard Starkey

[Disco Child Ballads]

They clearly had a habit of changing their first names in The Housemartins. Stan Cullimore's first name is actually Ian.

[G-Man]

Save to say that most of the respective moms of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich didn't call their sons by those names. Dave was a David and Mock is a Michael (and their moms probably called them by their more formal names). Dozy was a Trevor, Beaky is a John, and the recently late Tich was an Ian.