Bands Named After Places

Popular bands often morph through several different names and lineups before they hit it big. By the time they’re topping charts and filling arenas, no one bothers to ask what they used to go by and who was left by the wayside.

One way to end the name game: Go for a sense of place. Or an actual place, for that matter.

Here’s a short list of bands who kept it simple by going geographical:

Alabama: One of the most popular country acts of all time.

Asia: Alleged “supergroup” combined elements of Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Yes, among others, but never really lived up to the hype.

Boston: Distinctive if somewhat over-produced sound resulted in sales of 17 million copies of their debut recording.

Chicago: Originally “Chicago Transit Authority,” the jazz-rock group pared things down and went on to sell tons of records.

The E Street Band: Bruce Springsteen’s support group has been backing The Boss since the early 1970s.

Kansas: Topeka-based band charted big with “Carry On My Wayward Son” and “Dust in the Wind.”