You just pick a name that everyone can agree on. It really is that simple.

The Beatles played "beat music" which is what they called rock n roll in late 50s Britain. The Rolling Stones are named after a Muddy Waters song.

Led Zeppelin was an inside joke between musicians describing shitty gigs. "How'd the show go last night?" Oh we went over like a lead zeppelin. Totally dead.

Three Dog Night describes how cold it is based on how many dogs you had to cuddle with to stay warm.

The Band were rehearsing at Big Pink, their house in Woodstock, waiting for Bob Dylan to recover from a motorcycle accident. Every time they went into town to get food or whatever, the locals would say "Are you guys in the band?" because they could hear them working on their own songs. Yes we're The Band.

The MC5 were from Detroit, The Motor City and there were 5 of them.