By: Faith Rinker

The names of Patsy Cline and Hank Williams are a part of country music history forever! However, did you know that those are not their real names? Despite countless references to “Hank Williams” in country music lyrics, his real name is Hiram King Williams. He chose to change his first name to sound a little more generic and a little less ethnic. I would have loved it if he had gone by King Williams. Patsy Cline would have been a legend regardless of her name as well, she was born Virginia Patterson Hensley, but changed her name after she married Gerald Cline and her manager suggested she go by Patsy.

Eric Church is known as a bit of a rebel in country music, would you think of him as a rebel if you had to call him Kenneth? The “Drink In My Hand” singer was born Kenneth Eric Church, but his father’s name is also Ken, so before he even got in the music business he started to go by Eric so it was less confusing to his family. 

I think many are familiar with Faith Hill’s story. Her real name is Audrey Faith Perry, she got her last name from her first marriage to Daniel Hill, and since her career took off shortly after that, her management thought it would be best if she didn’t change it and confuse her fans. Faith’s now husband, Tim, also adopted a new name after he found out his father was MLB pitcher Tug McGraw, so Samuel Timothy Smith, his real name, became Tim McGraw. 

I think Garth Brooks had it harder than most, it’s hard to imagine his real name being shouted from arena’s full of people…”Troyal, Troyal, Troyal!” Doesn’t have much of a ring to it, but honestly neither does Garth. But he Troyal Garth Brooks, decided his stage name would be Garth Brooks, and now we can’t imagine shouting any other name but his!

Christina Claire Ciminella sounds like a candle that you use to keep mosquitoes away. Thank goodness Wynonna Judd decided to change her last name legally, with eventual pushing to change her first name after she heard a song about Winona, Az.

Conway Twitty borrowed his first and last names from Conway, Ark., and Twitty, Texas. Before that, he was known as Harold Lloyd Jenkins.

John Denver wisely dropped his real name, John Henry Deutschendorf, I’m thinking because it sounds like you are about to sneeze.

And finally, I have to turn in my Luke Bryan fan card…I didn’t realize Luke Bryan was NOT his real name. Thomas Luther Bryan changed his name to Luke, but honestly I would have loved him if you had called him “Princess Consuelo Banana-Hammock.” (FRIENDS referance, anyone?)