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Billie Joe Armstrong was born in Piedmont, California, a small town surrounded by the city of Oakland, and was raised in Rodeo, California, the youngest of six children of Ollie (Jackson) and Andrew "Andy" Marsicano Armstrong. His father worked as a jazz musician and truck driver for Safeway Inc. to support his family. He died of esophageal cancer on September 10, 1982. The song "Wake Me Up When September Ends" is a memorial to his father. He has five older siblings: David, Alan, Marci, Hollie, and Anna. His mother worked at Rod's Hickory Pit restaurant in El Cerrito. Armstrong and Mike Pritchard's first live performance was at Rod's Hickory Pit in 1987; their first performance under the name Green Day was in Davis, a college town approximately an hour's drive northeast of San Francisco Bay.
Armstrong's interest in music started at a young age. He attended Hillchest Elementary School in Rodeo, where a teacher encouraged him to record a song titled "Look for Love" at the age of five on the Bay Area label Fiat Records. After his father died, his mother married a man whom her children disliked, which resulted in Armstrong's further retreat into music. At the age of 10, Armstrong met Mike Dirnt in the school cafeteria and they immediately bonded over their love of music. He became interested in punk rock after being introduced to punk rock by his brothers. Armstrong has also cited Minneapolis-based bands The Replacements and Husker Du as major musical influences.
Armstrong attended John Swett High School, also in Crockett, and later Pinole Valley High School in Pinole, California, but then dropped out to pursue his musical career.
In 1987, aged 15, Armstrong formed a band called Sweet Children with his childhood friend Mike Pritchard. In the beginning, Pritchard and Armstrong both played guitar, with John Kiffmeyer on drums, and Sean Hughes on bass. After a few performances, Hughes left the band in 1988; Pritchard then began playing bass and they became a three-piece band. They changed their name to Green Day in April 1989, choosing the name because of their fondness for marijuana. That same year, they released their debut EP 1,000 Hours through Lookout Records. They recorded their debut studio album 39/Smooth and the extended play Slappy in 1990, which were later combined with 1,000 Hours into the compilation 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours in 1991. Frank Edwin Wright III eventually became Green Day's drummer in late 1990 when Sobrante left Green Day in order to go to college. California punk band Rancid's lead singer Tim Armstrong asked Armstrong to join his band, but he refused owing to the progress with Green Day. Wright made his debut on Green Day's second album, Kerplunk. With their next album, Dookie (1994), the band broke through into the mainstream, and have remained one of the most popular rock bands of the 1990s and 2000s with over 60 million records sold worldwide. In 2009, their hit American Idiot became a musical on Broadway.
Apart from working with Green Day and side-band Pinhead Gunpowder, Armstrong has collaborated with many artists over the years. He has co-written for The Go-Go's ("Unforgiven") and former Avengers singer Penelope Houston ("The Angel and The Jerk" and "New Day"), co-written a song with Rancid ("Radio"), and sung backing vocals with Melissa Auf der Maur on Ryan Adams' "Do Miss America" (where they acted as the backing band for Iggy Pop on his Skull Ring album ("Private Hell" and "Supermarket"). Armstrong has produced an album for The Riverdales. He has also been confirmed to be part of a side project called The Network, which released an album called Money Money 2020. Money Money 2020 was released on Adeline Records, a record label co-owned by Armstrong. Armstrong also provided lead guitar and backing vocals on 3 songs for The Lookouts' final extended play IV (1989).
Hoping to clear his head and develop new ideas for songs, Armstrong traveled to New York City alone for a few weeks, renting a small apartment in the East Village of Manhattan. He spent much of this time taking long walks and participating in jam sessions in the basement of Hi-Fi, a bar in Manhattan. However, the friends he made during this time drank too much for his liking, which was the catalyst for Armstrong's return to the Bay Area. After returning home, Armstrong was arrested on DUI charges on January 5, 2003, and released on $1,200 bail.
In 2010, Armstrong joined the cast of American Idiot, which won two Tonys, for one week in the role of St. Jimmy. He replaced the original Broadway cast member Tony Vincent from September 28 to October 3. (American Idiot is an adaption of Green Day's concept album of the same name). Armstrong returned to the role of St. Jimmy for 50 performances beginning January 1, 2011.
On Thursday, July 26, 2012 it was announced he joined Season 3 of NBC's The Voice as a mentor for Christina Aguilera. He will mentor the artists on Aguilera's team where she serves as a coach.
In 1990, Armstrong met Adrienne Nesser at one of Green Day's early performances in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They married on July 2, 1994, and the day after their wedding, Adrienne discovered she was pregnant. Their first child, Joseph Marciano Armstrong, who was born on February 28, 1995, now plays drums in a Berkeley-based band named Emily's Army. Their second child, Jakob Danger Armstrong, was born on September 12, 1998. Billie Joe is the co-owner of Adeline Records, along with his wife.- Actor
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Johnny Ramone was born John William Cummings in Queens, New York. He went to be the guitar player for the Ramones, alongside Jeffrey Hyman and Douglas Colvin (later Joey Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone). They also hired Thomas Erdelyi (later Tommy Ramone) as drummer. Tommy disbanded in 1978 and asked Marc Steven Bell (later Marky Ramone) if he would like to become the drum player. He accepted it and Bell went by the stage name, Marky Ramone. In 1984, Johnny married his girlfriend, Linda Marie Danielle. She originally dated Joey Ramone. In 1989, Dee Dee Ramone disbanded as bass and Christopher John Ward, who went on be known as C. J. Ramone. In 1996, the Ramones disbanded after a tour. On April 15, 2001, Joey Ramone died of lymphoma. In 2002, the Ramones were inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. Later that same year on June 5, Dee Dee Ramone died of a heroin overdose. On September 15, 2004, Johnny Ramone died in Los Angeles after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 55 years old.- Actor
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Joey Ramone was born Jeffrey Ross Hyman and the lead singer of the four-member punk-rock band the Ramones. In 1974, the band began in Queens, New York, when as he said "The only thing that you heard on the radio was disco." By 1976, the band became a major force in the evolution of rock-n-roll; they have been lauded as the inventors of punk rock and are important influences in musical and popular culture. Joey began his musical career at age 13 playing the drums. By the age 19, he was playing in New York clubs, sometimes under the name Jeff Starship. Their big break came at the legendary CBGB, a where-it's-at club that also gave rise to the likes of Blondie and Talking Heads. The Ramones was one of the first acts signed to Seymour Stein's Sire Records. Twenty-one years later, and on another label, the group disbanded. In 1995, Joey Ramone was diagnosed with lymphoma. He died of the disease on April 15, 2001, a month before his 50th birthday.- Actor
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Michael James Ness was born April 3rd, 1962 in Lynn, Massachusetts. His family moved to Fullerton, California when he was young and he grew up in a broken home. He started Social Distortion as a teen in 1978, and was promptly arrested at their first show for spitting in a cop's face. Social D's first album, "Mommy's Little Monster" brought them fame around L.A., as did their first tour with Youth Brigade as documented in the 1983 movie, Another State of Mind (1984). After that, Ness went on a downward spiral of drugs and depravity. After arrests for burglary and hospital stays for overdoses, he cleaned up, reformed Social Distortion and released "Prison Bound" in 1987. Their next self-titled album (1990) brought them their first hits, with a cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and the songs "Story of My Life" and "Ball and Chain". After the release of 1992's "Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell", Social D laid low for a while but came back with new drummer, Chuck Biscuits, and the album "White Light White Heat White Trash" in 1996, bringing with them their biggest hit, "I Was Wrong." Social Distortion released a live album in 1997 and toured extensively through this time. Ness released two solo albums, "Cheating At Solitaire" and "Under the Influences" in 1999. He was dealt a huge blow in 2000 when his best friend and fellow band member Dennis Danell died from a brain aneurysm while moving into a new house in Orange County. He, as well as LA groups X, the Offspring and TSOL, played a benefit called 'When THe Angels Sing' in honor of Danell. Ness continues to play solo and with Social Distortion and is the father of a young boy, Julian.- Actor
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Although best known as the outspoken front man for legendary punk rock group The Clash, Joe Strummer also carved out an interesting niche as an actor once the band broke up. The Clash formed in 1976, and along with the Sex Pistols spearheaded the British punk rock scene. By 1979, The Clash had broadened their musical horizons at a time when most punk bands were painting themselves into a corner. By the early 1980s, The Clash were filling stadiums around the world; ultimately, trying to reconcile punk ethics with stardom took its toll on the band. The original line-up dissolved in 1983, and but with new members, Strummer soldiered on for a couple years longer. Ultimately embarrassed that The Clash had become a strange parody of itself, he split up the band once and for all, and then kept a low profile for a few years. When he returned, he decided to branch out in a new direction: acting.
Strummer first appeared on film playing himself in Rude Boy (1980), a quasi documentary look at The Clash through the misadventures of a young roadie who tours with the band. His first proper role as an actor was as the grimy gangster Simms in Alex Cox's cult classic Straight to Hell (1987). Apparently Strummer employed the method school of acting on the shoot, not changing his clothes for days in the hot Spanish sun.
His next notable appearance was as English Johnny in Jim Jarmusch's excellent Mystery Train (1989), a role clearly written for him by Jarmusch. His last appearance - speaking all of his dialogue in French - was in _Docteur Chance (1997)_ . Although not a professional actor by any means, Strummer's charisma went a long way, and he can be a treat to watch onscreen. Along with his acting work, Strummer also composed several film scores, including the excellent Walker (1987) and the raucous soundtrack to Permanent Record (1988).
After more than 10 years with only sporadic musical output, Strummer returned in a big way with the excellent 1999 album Rock Art & The X-Ray Style. With his new band, The Mescaleros, Strummer enjoyed a strong comeback that put him back in the spotlight. Sadly, just a few months before The Clash were due to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Strummer died of a congenital heart condition at the still young age of 50. His death came as a shock to fans around the world.- Director
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Thomas Matthew Delonge was born to Connie and Thomas Delonge on December 13, 1975 in Poway, California. He has an older brother named Shon and a younger sister named Kari. He attended Poway High School and was Homecoming King. A friend gave him a guitar for his 15th birthday. When he was away at camp as a kid, a guy started his interest in Punk rock. Blink-182 started in 1992. Tom is the guitarist and vocalist of the band. Box Car Racer was a side project he started in 2002 and released one album. Tom formed Angels & Airwaves after the break up of Blink-182 and will release their third album in 2009. He and his wife, Jen Jenkins, met at a party about 5 or 6 years before they were married on May 26, 2001. They had their first child on July 15, 2002 and named her Ava Elizabeth. Ava was born at 5:30 A.M. at California Scripps Hospital in Los Angeles and she weighed 7 pounds. They had their second child, Jonas Rocket, on August 16, 2006.- Actor
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Tim Armstrong was born in Albany, California, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Derailed (2005), Bulletproof Monk (2003) and Idle Hands (1999). He was previously married to Bree Leslie Armstrong. He is more famously known as lead singer and co-founder of the band Rancid.- Actor
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Along with fellow Sex Pistol member, Johnny Rotten, lanky, sneering, pock faced Sid epitomised the punk movement born in the mid 1970s in working class England. Sid Vicious (real name John Beverly) wasn't an original member of the Pistols, but rather joined the band after original bassist, Glen Matlock dropped out after personality clashes with lead singer Rotten. On stage, Sid (often stripped to the waist) would incite the audience to get wilder and more frenzied, and his infamous antics included spitting and spraying beer into the audience. The British establishment despised the Pistols with a passion, and Sid was viewed as a crude, foul mouthed hoodlum corrupting English youth with his unclean image. Unfortunately for a naive Sid, he fell into the company of alleged drug user, Nancy Spungen, and his world spiralled out of control leading to the break up of the Pistols (their last show being in San Francisco), and Sid's lame attempts to kick start his own solo career, which included a demented cover of the popular Frank Sinatra song "My Way", accompanied by a violent video clip. Vicious and Spungen took up residency in the Chelsea Hotel in New York City in early 1978, however their self destructive personalities meant a tragedy was fast approaching, and on October 12th 1978, Spungen was found dead in their hotel room from stab wounds. Vicious was charged by police with Spungen's murder and released on bail, pending trial. However, only four months later in February 1979, Vicious himself was found dead of a heroin overdose. Sid was dead at aged 21. His will requested his ashes be poured over Nancy's grave at the King David Cemetery in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Along with Janis Joplin, Brian Jones & Jimi Hendrix, Sid had assured himself a place in rock and roll history, as another iconic music figure dead at a young age.- Actor
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Jello Biafra is a compelling, enigmatic public speaker and musician. He has sung for many bands: his first band, Dead Kennedys, was a seminal early punk band and continues to define and influence American punk rock and its beneficiaries. A leader and follower of the "Do It Yourself" punk ethic of music production, he founded the Alternative Tentacles record label, which published the entire Dead Kennedys' catalog, and continues to publish established and emerging talent. As a practical joke, Biafra entered the San Francisco mayoral election in 1979, and came in fourth out of ten candidates. Biafra was a casualty in a right-wing U.S. cultural movement of the 1980s to censor adult content from recorded music and associated materials. Biafra was charged and exonerated in court on a charge of "Distribution of Harmful Matter to Minors", namely, an album containing a poster of "Penis Landscape" by H.R. Giger. The police raid on Biafra's home and his subsequent trial became an underlying theme of Biafra's public speeches and lyrics.- Composer
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One of the greatest punk vocalists in rock history, Bryan Keith Holland was born two days before the end of 1965 in Orange County, California to a father who was a hospital-administrator and a mother who was a school teacher. He is the third of four children of his family. Holland has cited bands/artists such as Aerosmith, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, KISS, Bob Marley, Queen, The Rolling Stones, UFO (with Michael Schenker) and Van Halen, among others, as his early influences.
By the time he was in high school, he got turned on to punk music by listening to the Adolescents, Agent Orange, Bad Brains, Bad Religion, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, The Clash, Descendents, Ramones, Sex Pistols, Social Distortion, T.S.O.L. and The Vandals. This was when he came up with an idea of starting a band and it wasn't until he formed "Manic Subsidal" in 1984 along with fellow band mate 'Greg K.' and later changed their name to "The Offspring" in 1985 after they found Noodles as their second guitarist.
After spending a few years on the local scene, his band released finally released its first album, simply titled "The Offspring", in 1989, which had been released in limited amounts only in a 12" Vinyl format and a CD release for the album wouldn't occur until 1995. Two years later, The Offspring were signed signed to Epitaph Records in 1991 and their second album "Ignition" came out in 1992. Their next album, "Smash" (1994), finally brought The Offspring into the mainstream success, containing hit singles as "Come Out and Play" and "Self-Esteem". The Offspring then released a number of more albums ("Ixnay on the Hombre" in 1997, "Americana" in 1998, "Conspiracy of One" in 2000 and "Splinter" in 2003) and his band has been very successful ever since.