Greta Van Fleet Named Their Band After an Elderly Woman From Their Hometown

When Greta Van Fleet was desperately trying to come up with a name for their classic rock cover band after booking their first gig — a set at the annual Auto Fest in their hometown of Frankenmuth, Michigan —  in 2012, they never could have thought it'd be displayed on marquees around the world. Neither could its 88-year-old namesake.

The serendipitous moment arose when brother Josh, Jake, and Sam Kiszka were sitting in their garage brainstorming ideas. The band's then drummer Kyle Hauck got dropped off by his grandfather, who was off to cut wood for Gretna Van Fleet. The lightbulb went off for Josh, and after dropping the "n," they had found their band name.

With the amount of success the classic rock revivalists have garnered since that fateful day, including four Grammy nominations, releasing a critically acclaimed debut album, and touring the world, their namesake has also become a local celebrity in the small town of 5,000 people. 

“Every day, out in town, somebody will stop me,” Van Fleet explained to Detroit Free Press. “People are so excited to meet me.”

And though she's more into classical music and old pop standards, she gave the boys the green light to adapt her name and has been supportive ever since. 

“It’s not my favorite music, and the boys know that,” she admitted. “But I think they’re very talented, and I support them.”

The members, on the other hand, are grateful to have a name so unique to where they're from. "We're off in the world, traveling all the time," Sam said. "We're not really based out of anywhere now. So it's kind of nice to bring that piece of home everywhere we go."

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