Some country artists, like Carrie Underwood and Alan Jackson, are quite happy with their given name and use it as their stage name as well. But some, for various reasons, choose to go by something other than the name they were given, including these five country artists.
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Jason Aldean
Jason Aldean‘s first name really is Jason, but his last name is not Aldean. In fact, Aldean’s middle name is actually Aldine, with Williams as his last name.
There really isn’t a big story behind Aldean’s name change. When the Georgia native moved to Nashville, there was reportedly a well-known session singer named Jason Williams. Not wanting to be confused, he decided to go by his middle name. His freshman album was named Jason Aldean.
But Aldean isn’t giving up on his middle name entirely. His son’s full name is Memphis Aldine Williams.
“I want to carry that name on,” Aldean says (via Taste of Country). “It was my grandfather’s name. So it’s kind of a family name. So that’s what we’re going with.”
Jelly Roll
Jelly Roll was born Jason Bradley DeFord, but he was known as Jelly Roll long before he was famous. In fact, the name goes back to his childhood, growing up in Antioch, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville.
“My mother named me that whenever I was a little chubby kid,” Jelly Roll reveals on The Bobby Bones Show. “Been fat my whole life. I spent the next 30 years trying to grow into the name.”
Jelly Roll might have looked the part at one time, but not anymore. He has since lost nearly 300 pounds.
Shania Twain
Shania Twain was born Eileen Regina Edwards in Timmins, Ontario. Twain is the name of her stepfather, Jerry Twain, whom her mother later married after divorcing her first husband, Shania Twain’s biological father.
Shania Twain started her career by performing with her given first name. But when she decided to pursue a career in country music, she changed her name to Shania.
“I needed a stage name that sounded a little less like my grandmother’s name,” Twain tells Home Now Radio. “Because I’m named after my grandmother, both my grandmothers, Eileen and Regina. I think, in my mind, I was just not really wanting to be called my grandmother’s name on stage, so I decided to change it to Shania Twain. I met somebody with the name Shania, thought it was beautiful, and Shania Twain was born.”
Gary LeVox
LeVox is a far cry from the name Gary LeVox had when he was born. His real name is Gary Wayne Vernon Jr.
“I like my name, don’t get me wrong,” he tells Hook & Barrell. “But I just thought it wasn’t very cool, and I needed to come up with something cooler,”
Instead, he changed it to LeVox, thanks to something he saw in the recording studio. While in the studio, he saw a piece of tape that said “LE VOX.” The phrase means lead vocals. But for LeVox, it meant an entirely new surname. He started using it professionally and never looked back.
Wynonna Judd
Wynonna Judd was born Christina Claire Ciminella, but her name change happened before she became famous. When Judd was just 12 years old, she legally changed her name, even then dreaming of a career in country music.
“I was born Christina,” she says (via Yahoo!). “And I changed my name because I knew that I needed a new name with my new guitar that I was going to buy when I got into show business.”
Interestingly, Judd’s mother and duo partner, Naomi Judd, also changed her name. Her given name was Diana. Ciminella is the last name of the man Naomi Judd married, although not Wynonna Judd’s biological father. When the couple divorced, both mother and daughter, along with Wynonna Judd’s sister, Ashley Judd, took on Naomi Judd’s maiden name.
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