When you’re special, there’s a rule. And that rule is that you get a nickname. Whether you’re a basketball player, football hero, or rock star, the nickname finds you whether you like it or not. Big-time basketball dunker Dominique Wilkins was known as “The Human Highlight Film.” Football player Walter Payton was known as “Sweetness.” And when it comes to music, these three rockers here below boast others.
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We wanted to explore three artists who earned some pretty prestigious nicknames throughout their careers. A trio of hit songwriters and performers who are known practically just as well by their nicknames as they are by their given ones. Indeed, these are three of the most iconic classic rock nicknames in music history.
Bruce Springsteen: “The Boss”
In 1972, the New Jersey-born Bruce Springsteen founded a new recording group, the E Street Band. Not only did he front the project but took it upon himself to collect and dole out the band’s pay each night. It was due to this behavior he earned the nickname “The Boss.” Others have said Bruce was an avid player of the board game Monopoly and that also contributed to his boss status. Further, as the nickname grew, the term “boss” in the 1980s was used to mean something good and that only solidified the usage of Bruce’s moniker when he was at the top of his game.
Bob Dylan: “The Bard”
Not only was Bob Dylan called “The Bard,” but Bob Dylan wasn’t even his name to begin with. Born Robert Allen Zimmerman, the aspiring songwriter and performer took on the last name Dylan as a nod to the poet Dylan Thomas. But even before that, he was thinking about using the last name Dillon. But as his career grew and he became known for his poignant and poetic writing, people began calling him “The Bard” as a nod to his poetry.
Jim Morrison: “The Lizard King”
Jim Morrison was an odd duck. Or should we say an odd lizard. As he was known as “The Lizard King” while the frontman for The Doors. The nickname, he said, was ironic and tongue-in-cheek even if others took it a bit more seriously. But the moniker originated from a poem he wrote called “The Celebration of the Lizard.” Either way, it’s a strange term to be known as but befitting of a strange guy who seemed as mystical as he was goofy.
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