Editing Queensrÿche (section)

===1980–1983: From the Mob to Queensrÿche===
The foundations for Queensrÿche began in the late 1970s. guitarist [[Michael Wilton]] started the band Joker with friends in 1978, and they were joined by guitarist [[Chris DeGarmo]] in 1979.<ref name="the_beginning">{{cite web|url=http://www.queensrychehistory.com/thebeginning.html |title=Before the Storm: The Early Days of Queensrÿche: The Beginning |author=Brett Miller |publisher=QueensrycheHistory.com |access-date=January 3, 2013}}</ref> In 1980, Wilton met drummer [[Scott Rockenfield]] at [[Easy Street Records]] in Seattle,<ref name="al_bio">{{cite web|url=http://anybodylistening.net/rockenfield.html |title=Rockenfield |publisher=Anybody Listening |access-date=December 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726210408/http://anybodylistening.net/rockenfield.html |archive-date=July 26, 2013 }}</ref> and they formed the band Cross+Fire together on July 18 that year.<ref name="testimony_rockenfield">{{cite web |url=http://www.anybodylistening.net/lawsuit/scottrockenfield.pdf |title=Declaration of Scott Rockenfield |publisher=Court declaration |date=July 10, 2012 |access-date=December 3, 2012 |archive-date=January 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114013725/http://www.anybodylistening.net/lawsuit/scottrockenfield.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> They [[cover version|covered]] songs from popular heavy metal bands such as [[Iron Maiden]] and [[Judas Priest]], and practiced in the garage of Rockenfield's parents<ref name="al_bio" /> which they called "The Dungeon" and fitted with egg cartons as acoustic cladding.<ref name="wikifact">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7-j4Buoi8Q | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211104/g7-j4Buoi8Q| archive-date=2021-11-04 | url-status=live|title=Queensryche – Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction? |via=YouTube |date=January 11, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Before long, DeGarmo and bassist [[Eddie Jackson (musician)|Eddie Jackson]] joined Cross+Fire, and the band name was changed to the Mob, after the [[Black Sabbath]] song "The Mob Rules".<ref name="storm_coming">{{cite web|url=http://www.queensrychehistory.com/thestorm.html |title=Before the Storm: The Early Days of Queensrÿche: The Storm is Coming |author=Brett Miller |publisher=QueensrycheHistory.com |access-date=January 3, 2013}}</ref> In need of a singer for a one-off performance at a local rock festival, they recruited Babylon frontman [[Geoff Tate]]. After Babylon broke up, Tate performed a few shows with the Mob, but left because he was not interested in performing heavy metal covers.<ref name="mobbed">{{cite web|url=http://www.queensrychehistory.com/mobbed.html |title=Before the Storm: The Early Days of Queensrÿche: I've Been Mobbed |author=Brett Miller |publisher=QueensrycheHistory.com |access-date=January 5, 2013}}</ref>

In 1981, the Mob put together sufficient funds to record a demo tape.<ref name="born">{{cite web|url=http://www.queensrychehistory.com/born.html |title=Before the Storm: The Early Days of Queensrÿche: The Rÿche Is Born |author=Brett Miller |publisher=QueensrycheHistory.com |access-date=January 5, 2013}}</ref> Still without a singer, Tate was once again enlisted to help, much to the disapproval of his then-current band, Myth. The group recorded the four songs "[[Queen of the Reich]]", "Nightrider", "Blinded", and "The Lady Wore Black", the latter of which Tate had written the lyrics for. For an entire year, they brought their demo to various labels and were rejected by all of them. The Mob were ultimately offered a management contract by Kim and Diana Harris, the owners of Easy Street Records.<ref name="testimony_wilton">{{cite web |title=Declaration of Michael Wilton |url=http://www.anybodylistening.net/wilton.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122131842/https://www.anybodylistening.net/lawsuit/wilton.pdf |archive-date=Nov 22, 2021 |accessdate=2013-07-23 |website=Anybodylistening.net |publisher=}}</ref> However, as Tate remained committed to staying in Myth, the band reluctantly searched for another singer.<ref name="born" />

Because the name "the Mob" was not available, their manager urged them to choose a different name.<ref name="testimony_wilton" /> They reportedly ran out of ideas, and decided to name the band after the first song on their demo tape, "[[Queen of the Reich]]".<ref name="born" /> The spelling "Queensreich" was modified to prevent association of the band with [[Nazism]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.faqs.org/faqs/music/queensryche-faq/ |title=Music: Queensrÿche FAQ |publisher=Faqs.org |access-date=July 31, 2010}}</ref> "ryche" is a Middle English cognate to "Reich" which, like the German word, can mean "realm", "kingdom" or "empire". The name "Queensrÿche" is written with a [[metal umlaut]] over the letter "y". As the band later joked: "The umlaut over the 'y' has haunted us for years. We spent eleven years trying to explain how to pronounce it."<ref name="umlaut">Gidley, Lisa. [http://www.spiraling.com/words/umlaut.html "Spinal Tap's main man explains the importance of the umlaut"]. ''www.spiraling.com''. Retrieved April 26, 2006.</ref> The umlaut is used on all of Queensrÿche's releases, except for their 2011 album, ''[[Dedicated to Chaos]]''.