Top Ten Musicians With Two First Names

Today, we're gonna be looking at musicians with two first names. This means that both their first name and their last name can be used as a first name. Feel free to add to this list; if you do, please give me some extra background into their name (especially if they created a stage name).
The Top Ten
1 Bob Dylan Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, author, and artist who has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than five decades.

Bob's real last name was Zimmerman. He changed it to Dylan after reading poetry by Dylan Thomas.

2 Jack Bruce John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce was a Scottish musician, singer and songwriter known primarily for his contributions to the British supergroup Cream, which also included guitarist-singer Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker.

His real first name was John (Jack is considered to be a diminutive form of John).

3 Billy Joel William Martin Joel is an American singer-songwriter, composer and pianist. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man", he has been making music since the 1960s, releasing popular albums throughout the '70s, '80s and '90s.
4 Nick Mason Nicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English musician and composer, best known as the drummer of legendary rock band Pink Floyd.
5 Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (1935 - 2022) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and pianist, often known by his nickname, The Killer. He has been described as "rock and roll's first great wild man." A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made his first recordings in 1956 at Sun Records in Memphis, with his signature song, "Great Balls on Fire", later being featured in Top Gun.

Apparently, "Jerry Lee Lewis" is his real full birth name.

6 Adam Clayton Adam Charles Clayton is a British-Irish musician, best known as the bass guitarist of the rock band U2. He has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965.
7 Lou Reed Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed (March 2, 1942 – October 27, 2013) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was the guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of the Velvet Underground, and his solo career spanned five decades. The Velvet Underground was unsuccessful during their active years, but gained a significant cult following to become one of the most widely acclaimed and influential bands in rock history. Brian Eno famously stated that, while the Velvet Underground's debut album sold only 30,000 copies, "everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band".

Reed is a first name? Never knew that.

8 Kim Gordon Kim Althea Gordon is an American musician, songwriter, and visual artist. Born in Rochester, New York, Gordon was raised in Los Angeles, California, and studied art at the Otis Art Institute.
9 Elmore James Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and bandleader. He was known as "King of the Slide Guitar" and was noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice.

I was thinking of Elmore when I saw this list. He was one of the first Blues artists I was introduced to. Still love him two-and-a-half-years on.

His birth name was Elmore Brooks. He took his supposed father's surname when he moved in to live with Elmore's mother.

10 John Paul Jones John Baldwin, better known by his stage name John Paul Jones, is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known as the bassist for the English rock band Led Zeppelin. ...read more.
The Contenders
11 Jeff Lynne Jeff Lynne is an English rock musician who founded the Electric Light Orchestra and has performed with and produced other artists, including George Harrison.
12 Michael Anthony Michael Anthony Sobolewski, known professionally as Michael Anthony, is an American musician who is currently the bass player in the rock supergroup Chickenfoot. Anthony is best known as the former bass player for the hard rock band Van Halen.

His full name was Michael Anthony Sobolewski; he had it legally changed when Van Halen started to take off.

13 Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer-songwriter, musician and humanitarian activist who rose to fame as the original lead singer and flautist of the progressive rock band Genesis.
14 Brian May Brian Harold May is an English musician, singer, songwriter and astrophysicist, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen.
15 Roger Taylor Roger Meddows Taylor is an English musician , multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter born on July 26th, 1949 in Kings Lynn, Norfolk. He was the drummer of the band Queen and wrote few of many hits such as "Under Pressure", "A Kind Of Magic" and "Radio Ga Ga". Despite being well known in Queen ...read more.
16 Nick Drake Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter and musician, known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. A singular talent who passed almost unnoticed during his brief lifetime, his work has posthumously achieved wider notice and recognition.
17 George Michael Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, known professionally as George Michael, was an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and philanthropist who rose to fame as a member of the music duo Wham!.
18 Michael Jackson Michael Jackson (Michael Joseph Jackson; August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, dancer, and songwriter. He passed away from cardiac arrest caused by a propofol and benzodiazepine overdose on June 25, 2009. He donated (at least) a remarkable 500,000,000 dollars to charity. Michael is also known as The King of Pop (a title given to him by Elizabeth Taylor) or under the initials MJ. Dubbed the King of Pop, he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. ...read more.
19 Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell, professionally known as Joni Mitchell, is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Drawing from folk, pop, rock, and jazz, Mitchell's songs often reflect social and environmental ideals as well as her feelings about romance, confusion, disillusionment, and joy.

Thanks to whoever added her. She's always been an incredible songwriter. Give her some votes.

20 Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is an English singer, pianist and composer. Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967 on more than 30 albums, John has sold over 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He has ...read more.
21 Alex James Steven Alexander James, FRSA is an English musician and songwriter, as well as a journalist and cheesemaker. Best known as the bassist of the band Blur, he has also played with temporary bands Fat Les, Me Me Me, WigWam and Bad Lieutenant.

The bassist for Blur. Apparently, "Alexander" is his middle name. His real first name is Steven.

22 Anne-Marie Anne-Marie Rose Nicholson is an English singer-songwriter. She has attained several charting singles on the UK Singles Chart, including Clean Bandit's "Rockabye", which peaked at number one. Her other popular songs include "Alarm", "Ciao Adios", "Friends", "2002", "Don't Play", and "Kiss My (Uh Oh)".
23 Etta James Etta James was an American singer who spanned a variety of music genres including blues, R&B, soul, rock and roll, jazz and gospel.
24 James Taylor James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling artists of all time, and he has sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
25 Rod Stewart Roderick David "Rod" Stewart is a British rock singer-songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry.
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