David Wayne Williams (February 29, 1972 – August 14, 2002) was an American vocalist best known as the lead singer for the metal band Drowning Pool.
He grew up in Princeton, Texas living with his parents Charles Edward and Jo-Ann Williams.
In 1999, he joined Drowning Pool, who had formed in 1996 and had previously performed as an instrumental three-piece. The band released their debut album with Williams, Sinner, in 2001. Williams soon gained recognition for his performances with the band; his nickname "Stage" came from Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, who gave it to him because of his known stage personality.
However, on August 14, 2002, Williams was found dead in Drowning Pool's tour bus in Manassas, Virginia. An autopsy established that he had died from heart failure caused by cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease), which went undiagnosed until his death.
#adriansmith #ironmaiden #rockfileradio Adrian Frederick "H" Smith (born 27 February 1957) is an English musician, best known as one of the three guitarists in the heavy metal band, Iron Maiden, for whom he regularly writes and, along with bassist Steve Harris, performs backing vocals on some songs.
Growing up in Camden, London, Smith gained an interest in rock music at 15 and formed a friendship with future Iron Maiden guitarist Dave Murray, who would inspire Smith to take up the guitar himself. Upon leaving school at 16, he formed his own band, Urchin, which he would lead until their demise in 1980. Having already been offered a position as their second guitarist the previous year, Smith joined Iron Maiden in November 1980, replacing Dennis Stratton. Following a short-lived solo project entitled A.S.A.P, he left Iron Maiden in 1990, forming his own group, Psycho Motel, before joining Bruce Dickinson's solo outfit in 1997. Along with Dickinson, he returned to Iron Maiden in 1999, after which the band gained renewed success, and recently formed the side project, Primal Rock Rebellion.
#nealschon #journey #badenglish #rockfileradio Neal George Joseph Schon (born February 27, 1954) is an American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist best known for his work with the bands Journey and Bad English. He is Journey's only constant member, having participated in every album and tour to date. He was also a member of the rock band Santana before forming Journey.
Schon was born at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, the son of Barbara and Matthew Schon. His father was an accomplished musician, arranger, composer and played and taught all reed instruments with emphasis on jazz tenor saxophone; his mother was a big band singer. Schon first picked up the guitar at the age of 5. A quick learner, he joined Santana as a teenage prodigy at the age of 15. He went to Aragon High School in San Mateo, but dropped out (with his parents' blessing) before graduating. Schon had famously been asked by Eric Clapton to join Derek and the Dominos, but since Santana called him first, he decided to join Santana for the album Santana III. Schon also played in Azteca before moving on in 1973 to form Journey, a group he continues to lead today.
Timothy Robert Commerford (born February 26, 1968; also known by his various monikers/stage names Timmy C, Y. tim K., Simmering T, Tim Bob, and tim.com) is an American musician, best known as the bassist and backing vocalist for the American rap metal band Rage Against the Machine (1991–2000; 2007–present) and the now-defunct supergroup, Audioslave (2001–2007).
Timothy was born in Irvine, California, the youngest of six children. His father, an aerospace engineer, worked on the Space Shuttle, and his mother was a teacher/mathematician. He is of French and Irish descent. In the fifth grade, he met future bandmate Zack de la Rocha. Around this time, his mother was diagnosed with cancer. Shortly thereafter, his father divorced and remarried. Commerford stayed with his father, while his mother moved to Sacramento, California to live with her sister while seeking treatment. During this time, de la Rocha introduced him to bass, and Commerford soon found an outlet in music and poetry, playing bass in the band Juvenile Expression. Commerford's mother died of brain cancer in 1988.
In 1993, Commerford was introduced to mountain biking by his future father-in-law, Jimbo Insko. Commerford is known as a biking enthusiast, having featured in Mountain Biking UK magazine issue 242. In 1995, Rage Against the Machine was forced to cancel a concert after Commerford broke his wrist in a biking accident. In 2006, he rode a bike from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara with a group of people (including John McEnroe) to see Pearl Jam and Sonic Youth play at the Santa Barbara Bowl.
Jonathan Cain (born Jonathan Leonard Friga, February 26, 1950, Chicago, Illinois) is an American musician, best known for his work with The Babys, Journey and Bad English.
At the age of eight Cain began accordion lessons, and by the time he was in his teens he was playing accordion and piano at parties and in clubs. He also plays guitar, bass and harmonica. Cain attended East Leyden High School in Franklin Park, Illinois. He was a survivor of the Our Lady of the Angels School Fire of 1958, in which 95 students and nuns died. He later attended the Chicago Conservatory of Music before moving to Nashville, Tennessee for a time and then eventually to Los Angeles, California.
In 1976, Cain released his first record as the Jonathan Cain Band, Windy City Breakdown, on Bearsville Records. In 1979, he joined The Babys, appearing on their albums Union Jacks and On the Edge. In 1980 Cain left The Babys to join the rock band Journey, taking Gregg Rolie's place on keyboards. Cain aided Journey's rise to the top of the charts with his first collaborations on the album Escape, composing and playing the piano on songs such as "Don't Stop Believin'", described by Allmusic as "one of the best opening keyboard riffs in rock". Perhaps his most notable contribution was as sole author of the classic Journey ballad "Faithfully", a song about life on the road while in a band. Cain would go on to appear on at least 13 other Journey albums and compilations. In addition, Cain has released eight solo albums and contributed to solo albums by fellow Journey member Neal Schon.
George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and music and film producer who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian mysticism and helped broaden the horizons of his fellow Beatles as well as their Western audience by incorporating Indian instrumentation in their music. Although the majority of the Beatles' songs were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, most Beatles albums from 1965 onwards contained at least two Harrison compositions. His songs for the group included "Taxman", "Within You Without You", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something", the last of which became the Beatles' second-most covered song.
Harrison's earliest musical influences included George Formby and Django Reinhardt; Carl Perkins, Chet Atkins and Chuck Berry were subsequent influences. By 1965 he had begun to lead the Beatles into folk rock through his interest in the Byrds and Bob Dylan, and towards Indian classical music through his use of the sitar on "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)". Having initiated the band's embracing of Transcendental Meditation in 1967, he subsequently developed an association with the Hare Krishna movement. After the band's break-up in 1970, Harrison released the triple album All Things Must Pass, a critically acclaimed work that produced his most successful hit single, "My Sweet Lord", and introduced his signature sound as a solo artist, the slide guitar. He also organised the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh with Indian musician Ravi Shankar, a precursor for later benefit concerts such as Live Aid. In his role as a music and film producer, Harrison produced acts signed to the Beatles' Apple record label before founding Dark Horse Records in 1974 and co-founding HandMade Films in 1978.
Harrison released several best-selling singles and albums as a solo performer, and in 1988 co-founded the platinum-selling supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. A prolific recording artist, he was featured as a guest guitarist on tracks by Badfinger, Ronnie Wood and Billy Preston, and collaborated on songs and music with Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and Tom Petty, among others. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 11 in their list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". He is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee – as a member of the Beatles in 1988, and (posthumously) for his solo career in 2004.
Harrison's first marriage, to model Pattie Boyd in 1966, ended in divorce in 1977. The following year he married Olivia Harrison (née Arias), with whom he had one son, Dhani. Harrison died in 2001, aged 58, from lung cancer. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in India, in a private ceremony according to Hindu tradition. He left an estate of almost £100 million.
Noah "Wuv" Bernardo Jr. (born February 24, 1974) is the drummer and a founding member of P.O.D., a San Diego-based band. According to a FAQ he is Filipino, Italian, German and Chamorro. He is also a second cousin of the band's frontman Sonny Sandoval and is friends with WWE superstar Rey Mysterio. Recently it has been announced that Wuv will be handling drum duties for the band StillWell, a side project of Fieldy, the bassist of metal band Korn. Wuv has been playing drums most of his life. During acoustic sets, he normally plays the rhythm guitar. He also has a side project called Southtown Generals, with Rasta Tim Pacheco.
George Thorogood (born February 24, 1950) is an American blues rock vocalist/guitarist from Wilmington, Delaware, United States, known for his hit song "Bad to the Bone" as well as for covers of blues standards such as Hank Williams' "Move It On Over," Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?" and "House Rent Boogie/One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" by John Lee Hooker and Amos Milburn respectively.
George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers have released sixteen studio albums, including two that were certified Platinum, six that have been certified Gold, and have sold 15 million albums worldwide. The band's early success contributed to the rise of folk label Rounder Records.
Chris Vrenna (born February 23, 1967) is an American musician, Grammy-winning producer, engineer, remixer, songwriter, programmer, and founder of the electronic band Tweaker. Vrenna also played drums for the industrial/rock band Nine Inch Nails from 1989 until 1997. Vrenna was also the keyboardist and drummer of the American rock band Marilyn Manson from 2004 until late 2011.
Soon after graduating from McDowell High School in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1985, Vrenna moved to Chicago, quickly becoming a part of the Chicago industrial music scene and was briefly a member of Die Warzau and Stabbing Westward.
He later reconnected with Trent Reznor, whom he met during high school in Pennsylvania, when they both were in local Cleveland, Ohio band the Exotic Birds. He also toured as a live drummer for KMFDM during the Money era tours, in 1992. He records under the name Tweaker, and has released four albums under that name: The Attraction to All Things Uncertain (2001), 2 a.m. Wakeup Call (2004), Call The Time Eternity (2012), and And Then There's Nothing (2013). Tweaker toured select North American dates with Skinny Puppy in 2004.
As producer, remixer, or engineer Vrenna has worked with U2, Nine Inch Nails, Scar the Martyr, Gary Numan, Lords of Acid, God Lives Underwater, Megadeth, Rammstein, Metallica, The Rasmus, Weezer, P.O.D., David Bowie, Slipknot, Cold, underwater, Scarling., The Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Green Day, Live, Adema, the Wallflowers, TheStart, Dir en grey, and Psyclon Nine. He has also worked with the industrial group Pigface and produced songs and albums for underground girl groups TCR, Jack Off Jill, and Rasputina.
Vrenna has also worked on music for several video games, including Doom 3 (as producer with Clint Walsh), Quake 4, American McGee's Alice, Enter the Matrix, Sonic The Hedgehog, Area 51, and Need for Speed: Most Wanted. In 2004, he started soundtrack work on Tabula Rasa, a massive multiplayer online game. He also helped compose the theme song to the animated series Xiaolin Showdown.
Michael F. Wilton (born February 23, 1962) also known as The Whip, for how fast his fingers "whip" around the guitar fretboard, is an American guitarist for the progressive metal band Queensrÿche, which he co-founded in 1982.
After high school, Wilton attended the Cornish Institute of Allied Arts in Seattle, where he studied among others music theory, jazz improvisation, gamelan music and classical music (piano and guitar). This was a big step in his life as he began to appreciate more ethnic and improvisational music, which later gave him influences as a progressive rock musician. After studying for 1,5 years, he ran out of money, but by this time, he had met bass guitarist Eddie Jackson and drummer Scott Rockenfield. In 1980, Wilton and Rockenfield had founded a band called Cross+Fire, which DeGarmo and Jackson joined shortly thereafter. The quartet began to play at parties, by which time they called themselves The Mob. In late summer of 1982, Geoff Tate was involved as vocalist to record a four-song demo. The band changed its name to Queensrÿche, and the demo was released in 1983 as the eponymous EP Queensrÿche.
Wilton remains a guitarist in Queensrÿche to date. After DeGarmo left Queensrÿche in 1998, Wilton gradually began performing most of the songs that previously featured DeGarmo doing the main solo live, including "Silent Lucidity", "The Mission", "En Force", "I Am I", "Take Hold of the Flame", "Best I Can", "The Killing Words", "Bridge", "The Lady Wore Black" and "Anybody Listening?", amongst others. Queensrÿche had first taken in Kelly Gray as guitarist, who was replaced in 2002 by Mike Stone, and in February 2009 by Parker Lundgren, initially as a touring guitarist but mainly as a rhythm guitarist only joining in for dual guitar solos in songs like "Neue Regel" and "London". After the band's 2009 American Soldier tour, Wilton took over all of the solos.
Brad Ernest Whitford (born February 23, 1952) is the rhythm guitarist for the hard rock band Aerosmith.
Whitford graduated from Reading Memorial High School in 1970. After attending the Berklee College of Music, Whitford played in local bands Cymbals of Resistance, Teapot Dome, Earth, Inc., and finally a band called Justin Thyme before joining Aerosmith in 1971, replacing original guitarist Ray Tabano. Aerosmith would go on to be one of the most successful bands of the 1970s. However, following a string of less successful albums in the late 1970s, Whitford left the band in 1981 to work on his own project with singer Derek St. Holmes, simply called Whitford/St. Holmes. The project was dissolved after a sole self-titled album was released in 1981.
Whitford briefly toured with The Joe Perry Project, featuring former Aerosmith band mate Joe Perry, before both Perry and Whitford rejoined Aerosmith in 1984. In the mid-late 1980s, all band members completed drug rehabilitation, including Whitford, who completed programs to combat his alcohol abuse. Whitford remains sober to this day and continues to be an active force in Aerosmith.
Whitford also served as a producer for a well-known Boston band, The Neighborhoods, who were led by a rabid Aerosmith fan, David Minehan. When, in 1994, Whitford was forced to leave unexpectedly in the middle of an Asian tour due to family illness, Minehan was flown to Japan where he performed in Whitford's place for several days until Whitford returned.
Whitford missed the start of Aerosmith's 2009 summer tour after requiring surgery as a result of a head injury sustained while getting out of his Ferrari, joining the tour after a month.
In 2010, Whitford was announced as one of the guitarists to take part in the Experience Hendrix tour, playing songs performed and inspired by Jimi Hendrix along with other musicians such as Joe Satriani, Sacred Steel, Jonny Lang, Eric Johnson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Ernie Isley, Living Colour, Hubert Sumlin, Chris Layton, and bassist Billy Cox.
Along with fellow Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, Whitford was included in the Guitar World book The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2007.
Thomas Scott "Flip" Phillips (born February 22, 1973) is an American musician and songwriter. He is the drummer and co-founder of the bands Creed, Alter Bridge, and Projected.
Phillips grew up in Madison, Florida. He started out playing in a band called Crosscut at 18. In 2004, he joined Alter Bridge with fellow then-former Creed members bassist Brian Marshall and lead guitarist Mark Tremonti. He is a self-taught drummer, starting at age 18, and has also played piano and saxophone. Phillips is credited with playing drums and keyboards on Creed's 2001 album Weathered. In early 2012, Phillips joined the supergroup Projected with musicians from Sevendust and Submersed.
He now lives in Central Florida with his wife, April, and their daughter, Cadence.
Phillips cites the following drummers as his influences: Will Calhoun (Living Colour), Matt Cameron (Soundgarden/Pearl Jam), Lars Ulrich (Metallica), John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), Morgan Rose (Sevendust), and Neil Peart (Rush). His favorite bands are Living Colour, Tool, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Rush and favorite albums are Time's Up (Living Colour), The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall (Pink Floyd), Led Zeppelin IV (Led Zeppelin), and Superunknown (Soundgarden).
Jeremiah Griffin "Jerry" Harrison (born February 21, 1949) is an American songwriter, musician and producer. He achieved fame as the keyboardist and guitarist for pioneering New Wave band Talking Heads and as an original member of The Modern Lovers.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Harrison played with Jonathan Richman in The Modern Lovers when he was an architecture student at Harvard University. Harrison was introduced to Richman by mutual friend and journalist Danny Fields and the pair bonded over their shared love of the Velvet Underground. He joined The Modern Lovers in early 1971, playing on their debut album in 1972 (not released until 1976), and left in February 1974 when Richman wished to perform his songs more quietly. Subsequent to his work with The Modern Lovers, Harrison joined Talking Heads; the latter band already had a single out when Harrison joined them.
After the 1991 break-up of Talking Heads, Harrison turned to producing and worked on successful albums by bands including Hockey, Violent Femmes, The BoDeans, The Von Bondies, General Public, Live, Crash Test Dummies, The Verve Pipe, Rusted Root, Stroke 9, The Bogmen, Black 47, Of A Revolution, No Doubt, Josh Joplin and most recently The Black and White Years, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Bamboo Shoots. He was the producer of the debut album by The Gracious Few (featuring members of Live and Candlebox). In 2013 he was confirmed to be producing an album by Live with their new singer Chris Shinn.
Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the grunge band Nirvana. Cobain formed Nirvana with Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1985 and established it as part of the Seattle music scene, having its debut album Bleach released on the independent record label Sub Pop in 1989.
After signing with major label DGC Records, the band found breakthrough success with "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from its second album Nevermind(1991). Following the success of Nevermind, Nirvana was labeled "the flagship band" of Generation X, and Cobain hailed as "the spokesman of a generation". Cobain, however, was often uncomfortable and frustrated, believing his message and artistic vision to have been misinterpreted by the public, with his personal issues often subject to media attention. He challenged Nirvana's audience with its final studio album In Utero (1993). It did not match the sales figures of Nevermind but was still a critical and commercial success.
During the last years of his life, Cobain struggled with heroin addiction, illness and depression. He also had difficulty coping with his fame and public image, and the professional and lifelong personal pressures surrounding himself and his wife, musician Courtney Love. On April 8, 1994, Cobain was found dead at his home in Seattle, the victim of what was officially ruled a suicide by a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. The circumstances of his death at age 27 have become a topic of public fascination and debate. Since their debut, Nirvana, with Cobain as a songwriter, has sold over 25 million albums in the US, and over 75 million worldwide. Together with Nirvana band mates Novoselic and Dave Grohl, Cobain was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, which was the first year in which the band was eligible.
#walterbecker #steelydan #rockfileradio Walter Carl Becker (born February 20, 1950) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and co-songwriter in Steely Dan.
Becker met his future songwriting partner Donald Fagen while studying at Bard College. After a brief period of activity in New York, the two relocated to California in 1971 and formed the nucleus of Steely Dan, who enjoyed a critically and commercially successful ten-year career. Following the group's disbanding, Becker relocated to Hawaii and reduced his musical activity, working primarily as a record producer.
Becker and Fagen reformed Steely Dan in 1993 and have remained active, most notably including their 2000 Two Against Nature album, which won four Grammy Awards. Becker has also released two solo albums, 1994's 11 Tracks of Whack and 2008's Circus Money.
Daniel Patrick Adair (born February 19, 1975 Vancouver) is a Canadian drummer, percussionist, and producer. He is best known for his work with Nickelback and his previous work with 3 Doors Down. He also works with the Canadian band Suspect and the instrumental fusion band Martone. Adair often uses the quote "The harder you work, the luckier you get." coined by Gary Player, to describe his career.
Adair auditioned for a guitarist by the name of David Martone, a Berklee College of Music graduate, who was looking to start an instrumental fusion band. Soon this new band by the name 'Martone' began to record its first album in 1999. Adair says that, "David was and still is the greatest guitarist I've ever worked with. Since then we've created lots of exciting, challenging instrumental fusion music together. David's music helped me push the limit with my playing, and he's been a large influence and inspiration to me. My playing had matured, and I quickly jumped into some great gigs in town."
In the Summer of 2002, Adair had the opportunity to audition for and secure the job as the touring and studio drummer for the multi-platinum, Mississippi based band 3 Doors Down. During his time with the band he recorded the studio album 'Seventeen Days' and live album 'Another 700 Miles', toured 14 countries and had multiple TV appearances.
In January 2005, Adair left 3 Doors Down to join the Canadian band Nickelback. Seven months later they released the album 'All the Right Reasons' which has been his biggest success as it debuted at #1 on the Billboard. During his time with Nickelback, Adair has also appeared on albums and performed with Theory of a Deadman, Bo Bice, Martone, Thornley, Faber Drive and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
