Country Crooner Zac Brown Chooses Musical Baby Name
A few days ago we announced that actress Cynthia Nixon had become a mom for the third time and named her son Max Ellington Nixon Marinoni. But she wasn't the only star who welcomed a new baby last week; country musician Zac Brown (lead singer of the Zac Brown Band) became a dad for the fourth time. And like Nixon, he too was inspired by music when choosing a name for his newborn.
Zac Brown's wife, Shelly, gave birth to the couple's fourth daughter, Joni Mason Brown. Joni's three big sisters are Justice, Lucy, and Georgia Sloan.
It seems likely that Brown chose the name Joni, at least in part, as homage to the singer and songwriter, Joni Mitchell. Or perhaps he was inspired by Joni James, the 1950s pop star? Although, interestingly, Joni wasn't either Mitchell or Mason's given name. Joni Mitchell was born Roberta Joan Anderson, and James' was really Giovanna Carmella Babbo.
Mason, too, has a musical history: there's Mason Williams the American guitarist and composer as well as Mason's Children, the Grateful Dead song.
We think of Max and Mason as strong names that are direct and to the point, while Ellington and Joni, with their musical connotations, strike us as more elegant and poetic.
What do you make of Max Ellington and Joni Mason? What other musicians' monikers would make good baby names?
--V.L.
Comments
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Joni is lovely... kudos and congrats! Mason, however, does nothing for me - especially on a girl.
Really if you take most of the babies born these days names there is probably some musical person out there with that name as well. My son is named a name of a female singer in India (didn't know till after he was a few years old) and he has a name that wouldn't even make it in the top 10,000!
Not a fan of Joni at all. It seems very dated to me. What I would have loved would have been Joan called Joannie which I think is so sweet.
I love Joni it works well with her siblings. I am not surprised that he has a daughter name Georgia. (He's from there, I believe. I do not like Mason for her middle name.
Like Joni in the film "The Kids Are All Right."
It seems likely that Brown chose the name Joni, at least in part, as homage to the singer and songwriter, Joni Mitchell. Or perhaps he was inspired by Joni James, the 1950s pop star? Although, interestingly, Joni wasn't either Mitchell or Mason's given name. Joni Mitchell was born Roberta Joan Anderson, and James' was really Giovanna Carmella Babbo.
I absolutely respect and appreciate your point on each and every object.
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