Nicknames, especially the stories behind them, are fun, sometimes funny, and other times fascinating. This list contains a few of those nicknames; if you know of any others or can expand upon the reasons for a given nickname, please e-mail them to us .

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown: Brown received his nickname "Gatemouth" from a teacher in high school who said he had a "a voice like a gate." His brother, also a musician, would receive the nickname "wide mouth".

Captain Beefheart/Don Glen Vliet/Don Van Vliet: His pseudonym allegedly originated when he and Frank Zappa started collaborating together. The name "Captain Beefheart" came from an anecdote regarding his uncle's voyeurism. He had also said the name was in reference to his "beef in my heart against this society."

Chester Arthur "Howlin Wolf" Burnett: His grandfather told stories of Wolves in Mississippi, Chester was terrified after hearing what resembled a wolf, and ran upstairs, 'Howlin.'

Johnny Cash - "The Man in Black": Earned his nickname for his signature black attire. It began in 1957 when he made his Grand Ole Opry debut that year - he appeared all in black where the other performers were decked out in flamboyant, rhinestone-studded outfits.

Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten: She nicknamed her guitar "Stella"

Bo Diddley/Ellis Macdaniel: Took on his nickname "The Originator" due to his early influence he had on Rock & Roll, sometimes referred to as the founder.

Bob Dylan/Robert Allen Zimmerman, born Zushe ben Avraham with his Hebrew name being Shabtai Zisel ben Avraham: After becoming acquainted with Dinkytown Folk Music he decided to change his name, "What I was going to do as soon as I left home was just call myself Robert Allen.... It sounded like a Scottish king and I liked it." Though another performer had a similar sounding name, he decided to adopt the first name of the Scottish Poet Dylan Thomas, but couldn't decide - the letter D came on stronger." "Bob" originated from other popular musicians names at the time. (ref: Dylan Chronicles, Volume 1.)

"Ramblin" Jack Elliot: His nickname came from Odetta's mother, who commented, "That Jack Elliott, he sure can ramble."

Jerry Garcia/Jerome John Garcia: Was named after the famous American composer Jerome Kern.

Jamesetta Hawkins/Etta James: An alteration of her first name.

The Holmes Brothers: Wendall Holmes brother Sherman gave him his name Wendall after Wendall Willkie, the Republican candidate for the presidency against Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Sherman Holmes got his after the infamous General Sherman who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

B.B. King/Riley B. King: In 1978 Albert King spoke of his son, "I call B.B. my baby brother 'cause we're only eighteen years apart. I call him B.B. like everybody else, but his real name is 'Riley.' Now he's got them two B's up front of his name." (ref: Charles Sawyer, The Arrival of B.B. King, Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, 1980)

"Lead Belly" - Hudy William Leadbetter: Gained his nickname after his time in prison when other inmates nicknamed him "Lead Belly" due to his toughness.

Walter "Furry" Lewis: "Furry's" nickname was giving by his childhood friends, though when asked later why they called him that, he was unable to recall.

Memphis Minnie/Lizzie Douglas: Originally played under the name "Kid" Douglas, until she ran away to Memphis, Tennessee and became known as "Memphis Minnie."

Muddy Waters/Morganfield McKinley: Was initially called "Muddy" by his grandmother since he was always playing in creeks and streams around her home.

Willie Nelson/Red Headed Stranger: Nicknamed due to his long red hair, which would later be a name of one of his most popular albums.

U. Utah Phillips/Bruce Phillips: Born in Cleveland and raised in Utah, he took on the nickname U. Utah Phillips as an homage to one of his favorite country singers, T. Texas Tyler.

Gram Parsons/Cecil Ingram Connor III: Got his surname from his stepfather after his own father's death, also changing his name to Gram, short for Ingram.

Memphis Slim/John Len Chatman: Claimed to have been born Peter Chatman many speculate to honor his father. His name originates from where he was born, Memphis, Tennessee.

Cat Stevens/Stephen Demetre Georgiou: Became Cat Stevens, believing his birth name was too long for people to show interest in, so he took the name Cat Stevens. "I couldn’t imagine anyone going to the record store and asking for that Stephen Demetre Georgiou album. And in England, and I was sure in America, they loved animals." His girlfriend also thought he had eyes 'like a cat.' He adopted his most recent name Yusef Islam after his 1977 conversion to Islam. (ref:Salon.com)

Sonny Boy Williamson II/Alec "Rice" Miller: Referred to himself as Reverend Blue when he played at a local church at six years old. For a while he would tour as Little Boy Blue. He would go on to be called Willie Williamson, and Willie Miller. Eventually he took to calling himself Sonny Boy Williamson, even though there was another blues player who already established that as his name in Chicago.

Neil Young/Shakey: "Shakey" though at first seems hostile, anecdotes from his friend attest to it originating from his 'shakey' camera handling though, "his camera was none too steady." (ref: James Mcdonough Shakey: Neil Young's Biography Anchor Books, New York, New York: 2003.