In the first half of the 20th century, it was common practice for “hillbilly” or country performers to countrify their names. At the beginning, this often meant using family titles (Grandpa Jones) or playing to hayseed stereotypes (The Possum Hunters). With the singing cowboy craze and the rise of Western swing, the tides turned toward western renamings – references to Texas and cowboy life. The list is far from exhaustive, but here are a few notable country renamings:
Sarah Ophelia Colley → Minnie Pearl
Louis Marshall Jones → Grandpa Jones
Beecher “Pete” Kirby → Bashful Brother Oswald
Cynthia May Carver → Cousin Emmy
Myrtle Eleanor Cooper → Lulu Belle
Dr. Bate and His Augmented Orchestra → Possum Hunters
Binkley Brothers Barn Dance Orchestra → Dixie Clod Hoppers
Henry Haynes → Homer
Kenneth Burns → Jethro
Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski → Pee Wee King
Ellen Muriel Deason → Kitty Wells
Ruby Agnes Owens → Texas Ruby
Maurice Woodward Ritter → Tex Ritter
David Luke Myrick → T. Texas Tyler
Sollie Paul Williams → Tex Williams
Lloyd Estel Copas → Cowboy Copas
The practice of renaming continues today – for example, neither Tim McGraw nor Faith Hill use their given names. And it’s still done for marketing purposes, just as it was when Opry founder George D. Hay worked his performers into the hick mold. Now, though, the renamings aren’t hayseed or western… so what are they? Why can’t Faith Hill be Audrey Perry? What assumptions about the country audience underlie contemporary renamings?
Also, feel free to (1) add to the list above or (2) suggest countrified names for contemporary country stars.
Gary Wayne Vernon, Jr. -> Gary LeVox
“LeVox” doesn’t sound very country at all. I submit that his countrified name should be Creepy Cousin Gary or Tex Vernon (he’d have to start wearing a hat).