Mark Beech's 1988 predecessor, The A-Z of Names in Rock generated over 50 radio interviews, 15 articles, 7 features in nationals and two serializations. This extended and updated version covers more genres than just rock (e.g. pop, punk, indie, reggae, soul, country, blues, folk, jazz, heavy metal, grunge and rap artists and bands) and will appeal to music fans internationally, as well as being the must-buy book for pub quiz fans. With almost 3,000 entries, it's a chance to discover why artists chose their names ? and which ones shouldn't have. An informative and often humorous read, ?the world's leading expert on music names? (BBC), Mark Beech, is guaranteed another best-seller. The Kinks Ray Davies said it was in honour of their ?kinky boots, similar to those worn by Honor Blackman in The Avengers? Bono (Paul Hewson KBE) The U2 frontman, also known as Bono Vox, named after Bona Vox hearing aids AUTHOR: Mark Beech's music column has been syndicated in 300 newspapers internationally, including the US. He has written for The Sunday Times and appeared on Bloomberg TV and received rave reviews for his 1988 book, The A-Z of Names on Rock which generated over 50 radio interviews and was highly recommended by leading DJs including the legendary John Peel. Mark has interviewed thousands of stars and bands as diverse as Sting and The Smiths. His first book on rock names was inspired by an interview he did with Sting. Mark performed (very briefly) with failed punk band Marius and the Firebombers. SELLING POINTS: Everything you need to know about music names in one handy, comprehensive volume Origins of 2,800 names discussed, ranging from a couple of sentences to several paragraphs Lists bands and their former, less famous names Accessible but informative language ILLUSTRATIONS 120 colour illustrations