From Fighting Roosters To Ancient Viking Warcraft, The Ever Changing Story To How Whiskey Myers Got Their Name

Whenever you ask the East Texas Southern rock and roll band Whiskey Myers how they got their name, you never know what answer you will receive. With Whiskey Myers just announcing their seventh studio album, Whomp Whack Thunder, it feels like the perfect time to revisit the tall tales they shared over the years.

While most bands can tell you point-blank how they got their name or what inspired their stage names, and some aren’t all that creative. But Whiskey Myers is one of the few groups that has chosen to keep what inspired the group’s name close to their chest. When the band formed, they vowed never to share how they got their name, but that never stopped them from answering the question.

True fans know this, however that does not mean they don’t have fun pulling the legs of those who aren’t aware, making the backstory to their name wilder and more colorful each time they get asked about it. In 2015, the band did an introduction video after their breakout album Early Morning Shakes, so fans could get to know the band and its members better. One of the questions asked was how they got their band name, kicking off the wild stories that would be told for years to come.

From an ancient Viking warcraft term, being a Roman word for “passion in the night,” to Cody Cannon saying it’s “Spanish for a fighting chicken.” To be honest, the chicken story comes up quite a lot, but maybe that’s just because Cody is the frontman and gets asked most of the questions:

In 2016, The State Journal-Register reported that:

“The band’s name came from a guy named Myers who ‘lived down by the river’ and ‘stayed drunk all the time.’ The boys nicknamed him “Whiskey,” then nicked the name for themselves when they started playing around.”

Which is probably the most accurate explanation for their name. Even though they have given their various answers over the years, that didn’t stop us here at Whiskey Riff from getting our version of the band’s name when the chance came to us. In 2023, we asked frontman Cody Cannon how they got the name Whiskey Myers, and the version we got did not disappoint.

“It’s from a fighting rooster. We used to be male strippers in Mexico, and we didn’t make very much money because we didn’t look good enough, so we had to start fighting chickens.

That was the name of the two chickens… the best roosters. We had two… they were bad***.”

@whiskeyriff #whiskeymyers #rebelsandrenegades #whiskeyriff #codycannon ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff

Quite the tall tale, eh? Hearing the various stories of how Whiskey Myers’ name came to be will never get old.

Before you go, fire up their lead single “Time Bomb” from their forthcoming record.

Whomp Whack Thunder tracklist:

1. Time Bomb
2. Tailspin
3. I Got To Move
4. Rowdy Days
5. Icarus
6. Midnight Woman
7. Break These Chains
8. Born To Do
9. Rock N Roll
10. Ramblin’ Jones
11. Monsters

Whiskey Myers will once again be on an extensive tour this year, and you can check out the complete list of dates below.

What We Were Born To Do Tour

June 6 || Des Moines, Iowa || Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park
June 7 || La Vista, Neb. || The Astro
June 8 || Rapid City, S.D. || The Monument – Summit Arena
June 10 || Bonner, Mont. || KettleHouse Amphitheater
June 12 || Fargo, N.D. || Scheels Arena
June 13 || Prior Lake, Minn. || Mystic Lake Casino Hotel – Mystic Amphitheater
June 14 || Gary, Ind. || Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana
June 15 || Interlochen, Mich. || Interlochen Center for the Arts – Kresge Auditorium
June 17 || Toledo, Ohio || Toledo Zoo & Aquarium – Amphitheater
June 18 || Huntington, W.V. || Mountain Health Arena
June 20 || Kansas City, Mo. || Starlight Theater
June 23 || Pittsburgh, Pa. || Stage AE
June 25 || Johnson City, Tenn. || Freedom Hall Civic Center
June 26 || Evansville, Ind. || Ford Center
July 17 || Macon, Ga. || Atrium Health Amphitheater
July 18 || Birmingham, Ala. || Coca-Cola Amphitheater
July 19 || Nashville, Tenn. || Ascend Amphitheater
July 20 || Salem, Va. || Salem Civic Center
July 22 || Manteo, N.C. || Roanoke Island Festival Park
July 24 || Charlotte, N.C. || Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre
July 25 || Virginia Beach, Va. || Virginia Beach Dome
July 26 || Richmond, Va. || Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront
July 27 || Cherokee, N.C. || Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort

Live in 25 Tour with Tedeschi Trucks Band
Aug. 7 || Bend, Ore. || Hayden Homes Amphitheatre
Aug. 8 || Bend, Ore. || Hayden Homes Amphitheatre
Aug. 9 || Quincy, Wash. || The Gorge Amphitheatre
Aug. 12 || Berkeley, Calif. || Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley
Aug. 15 || Stateline, Nev. || Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys
Aug. 18 || Phoenix, Ariz. || Arizona Financial Theatre
Aug. 19 || Albuquerque, N.M. || Isleta Amphitheater
Aug. 23 || Noblesville, Ind. || Ruoff Music Center
Aug. 24 || St. Louis, Mo. || Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Aug. 26 || Cincinnati, Ohio || Riverbend Music Center
Aug. 28 || Syracuse, N.Y. || Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview
Aug. 29 || Vienna, Va. || Wolf Trap
Aug. 30 || Vienna, Va. || Wolf Trap
Sept. 1 || Gilford, N.H. || BankNH Pavilion

Additional Dates

April 25 || Indio, Calif. || Stagecoach
May 10 || Palestine, Texas || Wiggy Thump
June 5 || Clinton, Iowa || Tailgate N’ Tallboys
June 21 || Milwaukee, Wisc. || Summerfest
June 27 || South Greenfield, Mo. || Baker-Spain Stampede
Oct. 11 || North Charleston, S.C. || Riverfront Revival
Nov. 7-9 || Miramar Beach, Fla. || Moon Crush “Whiskey Moon”

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