\n\n183 cm<\/a> (6′ 1”)\n <\/td>\n | \n N\/A\n <\/td>\n | \n N\/A\n <\/td>\n | \n N\/A\n <\/td>\n | \n N\/A\n <\/td>\n | \n N\/A\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nBefore Fame<\/h2>\nHe began to play the guitar at the age of twelve and discovered punk rock through his cousin a year later.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/i> Biography<\/h2>\n<\/i> Biography Timeline<\/h2>\n\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1969<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n David Eric Grohl was born on January 14, 1969, in Warren, Ohio, the son of teacher Virginia Jean (n\u00e9e Hanlon) and newswriter James Harper Grohl (1938\u20132014). In addition to being an award-winning journalist, James had also served as the special assistant to Sen. Robert A. Taft and was described as “a talented political observer who possessed the ability to call every major election with uncanny accuracy”. Grohl is of German, Irish, and Slovak descent. When he was a child, Grohl’s family moved to Springfield, Virginia. When Grohl was seven, his parents divorced, and he subsequently grew up with his mother. At the age of 12, he began learning to play guitar. He grew tired of lessons and instead taught himself, and he eventually began playing in bands with friends. At that age, “I was going in the direction of faster, louder, darker while my sister, Lisa, three years older, was getting seriously into new wave territory. We’d meet in the middle sometimes with Bowie and Siouxsie And The Banshees”. At 13, Grohl and his sister spent the summer in Evanston, Illinois, at their cousin Tracy’s house. Tracy introduced them to punk rock by taking the pair to shows by a variety of punk bands. His first concert was Naked Raygun at The Cubby Bear in Chicago in 1982 when he was 13 years old. Grohl recalled, “From then on we were totally punk. We went home and bought Maximumrocknroll and tried to figure it all out.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1985<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n During his developing years as a drummer, Grohl cited John Bonham as his greatest influence, and eventually had Bonham’s three-rings symbol tattooed on his wrist. Mission Impossible rebranded themselves Fast before breaking up, after which Grohl joined the hardcore punk band Dain Bramage in December 1985. Dain Bramage ended in March 1987 when Grohl quit without warning to join Scream, having produced the I Scream Not Coming Down LP. Many of Grohl’s early influences were at the 9:30 Club, a music venue in Washington, D.C. He said, “I went to the 9:30 Club hundreds of times. I was always so excited to get there, and I was always bummed when it closed. I spent my teenage years at the club and saw some shows that changed my life.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1987<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n At age 17, Grohl auditioned with local Washington, D.C. favorites Scream to fill the vacancy left by the departure of drummer Kent Stax. In order to be considered for the position, Grohl lied about his age, claiming he was older. To Grohl’s surprise, the band asked him to join and so he dropped out of high school in his junior year. He has been quoted as saying, “I was 17 and extremely anxious to see the world, so I did it.” Over the next four years, Grohl toured extensively with the band, recording a couple of live albums (their show of May 4, 1990 in Alzey, Germany being released by Tobby Holzinger as Your Choice Live Series Vol.10) and two studio albums, No More Censorship and Fumble, on which Grohl penned and sang vocals on the song “Gods Look Down”. During a Toronto stop on their 1987 tour, Grohl played drums at the Iggy Pop show.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1992<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n Upon its release, Nevermind (1991) exceeded all expectations and became a worldwide commercial success. At the same time, Grohl was compiling and recording his own material, which he released on a cassette called Pocketwatch in 1992 on indie label Simple Machines. Rather than using his own name, Grohl released the cassette under the pseudonym “Late!”<\/p>\n Apart from his main bands, Grohl has been involved in other music projects. In 1992, he played drums on Buzz Osborne’s Kiss-styled solo-EP King Buzzo, where he was credited as Dale Nixon, a pseudonym that Greg Ginn adopted to play bass on Black Flag’s My War. He also released the music cassette Pocketwatch under the pseudonym Late! on the now defunct indie label, Simple Machines.<\/p>\n Grohl is an advocate for LGBT rights. He has worn a White Knot ribbon to various events to promote whiteknot.org. When questioned about the knot, he responded, “You know what that’s about? I believe in love and I believe in equality and I believe in marriage equality”. Grohl’s gay rights activism dates back to the early 1990s, when he and the other members of Nirvana performed at a benefit to raise money to fight Oregon Ballot Measure 9. “Measure 9 goes against American traditions of mutual respect and freedom, and Nirvana wants to do their part to end bigotry and narrow-mindedness everywhere,” the group stated. The ballot measure was ultimately defeated on November 3, 1992. Grohl has also participated in two counter-protests against the Westboro Baptist Church for their anti-gay stance, once by performing “Keep It Clean” on the back of a flatbed truck and most recently by Rickrolling them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1993<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n In 1993, Grohl was recruited to help recreate the music of The Beatles’ early years for the movie Backbeat; he played drums in an “all-star” lineup that included Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs, indie producer Don Fleming, Mike Mills of R.E.M., Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, and Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum. A music video was filmed for the song “Money” while Grohl was with Nirvana on their 1994 European tour, footage of Grohl was filmed later and included.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1994<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n Following Cobain’s death in April 1994, Grohl retreated, unsure of where to go and what to do with himself. In October 1994, Grohl scheduled studio time, again at Robert Lang Studios, and quickly recorded a fifteen-track demo. With the exception of a single guitar part on “X-Static” played by Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs, Grohl performed all of the instruments himself.<\/p>\n Later in 1994, Grohl played drums on two tracks for Mike Watt’s Ball-Hog or Tugboat?. In early 1995, Grohl and Foo Fighters played their first US tour, the Ring Spiel Tour both opening for Watt and playing with Eddie Vedder as Watt’s supporting band.<\/p>\n Grohl married Jennifer Leigh Youngblood, a photographer from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, in 1994 and later divorced in 1997, after separating in December 1996. On August 2, 2003, he married Jordyn Blum and they have three daughters: Violet Maye (born April 15, 2006), Harper Willow (born April 17, 2009), and Ophelia Saint (born August 1, 2014).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1995<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n After passing the demo around, Grohl found himself with considerable major label interest. Nirvana’s A&R rep Gary Gersh had subsequently taken over as president of Capitol Records and lured Grohl to sign with the label. Grohl did not want the effort to be considered the start of a solo career, so he recruited other band members: former Germs and touring Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear and two members of the recently disbanded Sunny Day Real Estate, William Goldsmith (drums) and Nate Mendel (bass). Rather than re-record the album, Grohl’s demo was given a professional mix by Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock and was released in July 1995 as Foo Fighters’ debut album.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1996<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n During a break between tours, the band entered the studio and recorded a cover of Gary Numan’s “Down in the Park”. In February 1996, Grohl and his then-wife Jennifer Youngblood made a brief cameo appearance on The X-Files third-season episode “Pusher”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1997<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n The effort was released in May 1997 as the band’s second album, The Colour and the Shape, which eventually cemented Foo Fighters as a staple of rock radio. The album spawned several hits, including “Everlong”, “My Hero”, and “Monkey Wrench”. Just prior to the album’s release, former Alanis Morissette drummer Taylor Hawkins joined the band on drums. The following September, Smear (a close friend of Jennifer Youngblood) left the band, citing a need to settle down following a lifetime of touring. Smear was subsequently replaced by Grohl’s former Scream bandmate Franz Stahl. Stahl was kicked out of the band prior to recording of Foo Fighters’ third album and was replaced by touring guitarist Chris Shiflett, who later became a full-fledged member during the recording of One by One.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 2000<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n In 2000, the band recruited Queen guitarist Brian May to add some guitar flourish to a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar”, a song which Foo Fighters previously recorded as a B-side. The friendship between the two bands resulted in Grohl and Taylor Hawkins being asked to induct Queen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Grohl and Hawkins joined May and Queen drummer Roger Taylor to perform “Tie Your Mother Down”, with Grohl standing in on vocals for Freddie Mercury. May later contributed guitar work for the song “Tired of You” on the ensuing Foo Fighters album, as well as on an unreleased Foo Fighters song called “Knucklehead”.<\/p>\n Grohl lent his drumming skills to other artists during the early 2000s. In 2000, he played drums and sang on a track, “Goodbye Lament”, from Tony Iommi’s album Iommi. In 2001, Grohl performed on Tenacious D’s debut album, and appeared in the video for lead single “Tribute” as a demon. He later appeared in the duo’s 2006 movie Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny as the devil in the song “The Pick of Destiny”, and performed on its soundtrack. He also performed drums for their 2012 album Rize of the Fenix. In 2002, Grohl helped Chan Marshall of Cat Power on the album You Are Free and played with Queens of the Stone Age on their album Songs for the Deaf. Grohl also toured with the band in support of the album, delaying work on the Foo Fighters’ album One by One. In 2004, Grohl drummed on several tracks for Nine Inch Nails’ 2005 album With Teeth, later returning to play drums on ‘The Idea of You’ from their 2016 EP Not the Actual Events. He also drummed on the song “Bad Boyfriend” on Garbage’s 2005 album Bleed Like Me. Most recently, he recorded all the drums on Juliette and the Licks’s 2006 album Four on the Floor and the song “For Us” from Pete Yorn’s 2006 album Nightcrawler. Beyond drumming, Grohl contributed guitar to a cover of Neil Young’s “I’ve Been Waiting For You” on David Bowie’s 2002 album Heathen.<\/p>\n In August, 2000, Grohl voiced Daniel Dotson, an egotistical art instructor, in Is It Fall Yet?, the first of two film-length installments for MTV’s animated series Daria.<\/p>\n In 2000, while on tour with Foo Fighters in Australia, Grohl was arrested by Australian police while driving a scooter under the influence of alcohol following a concert on the Gold Coast in Queensland. He was fined $400 and had his Australian driving permit revoked for three months. Following the incident, Grohl stated, “So, people, I guess if there’s anything to learn here, it’s: don’t drive after a few beers, even if you feel entirely capable like I did.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 2002<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n On November 23, 2002, Grohl achieved a historical milestone by replacing himself on the top of the Billboard Modern rock chart, when “You Know You’re Right” by Nirvana was replaced by “All My Life” by Foo Fighters. When “All My Life” ended its run, after a one-week respite, “No One Knows” by Queens of the Stone Age took the number one spot. Between October 26, 2002 and March 1, 2003 Grohl was in the number one spot on the Modern rock charts for 17 of 18 successive weeks, as a member of three different groups.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 2003<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n Also in 2003, Grohl stepped behind the kit to perform on Killing Joke’s second self-titled album. The move surprised some Nirvana fans, given that Nirvana had been accused of plagiarizing the opening riff of “Come as You Are” from Killing Joke’s 1984 song “Eighties”. However, the controversy failed to create a lasting rift between the bands. Foo Fighters covered Killing Joke’s “Requiem” during the late 1990s, and were even joined by Killing Joke singer Jaz Coleman for a performance of the song at a show in New Zealand in 2003. Also in 2003, at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards, Grohl performed in an ad-hoc supergroup with Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, and Steven Van Zandt for a performance in tribute of then-recently deceased singer\/guitarist Joe Strummer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 2004<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n During the early 2000s, Grohl spent time in his basement studio writing and recording a number of songs for a metal project. Over the span of several years, he recruited his favorite metal vocalists from the 1980s, including Lemmy of Mot\u00f6rhead, Conrad “Cronos” Lant from Venom, King Diamond, Scott Weinrich, Snake of Voivod and Max Cavalera of Sepultura, to perform the vocals for the songs. The project was released in 2004 under the nickname Probot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 2005<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n Near the end of 2001, Foo Fighters returned to the studio to work on their fourth album. After four months in the studio, with the sessions finished, Grohl accepted an invitation to join Queens of the Stone Age and helped them to record their 2002 album Songs for the Deaf. (Grohl can be seen drumming for the band in the video for the song “No One Knows”.) After a brief tour through North America, Britain and Japan with the band and feeling rejuvenated by the effort, Grohl recalled the other band members to completely re-record their album at his studio in Virginia. The effort became their fourth album, One by One. While initially pleased with the results, in another 2005 Rolling Stone interview, Grohl admitted to not liking the record: “Four of the songs were good, and the other seven I never played again in my life. We rushed into it, and we rushed out of it.”<\/p>\n Grohl and Foo Fighters released their fifth album In Your Honor on June 14, 2005. Prior to starting work on the album, the band spent almost a year relocating Grohl’s home-based Virginia studio to a brand new facility, dubbed Studio 606, located in a warehouse near Los Angeles. Featuring collaborations with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Norah Jones, the album was a departure from previous efforts, and included one rock and one acoustic disc.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 2006<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n In May 2006, Grohl sent a note of support to the two trapped miners in the Beaconsfield mine collapse in Tasmania, Australia. In the initial days following the collapse one of the men requested an iPod with the Foo Fighters album In Your Honor to be sent down to them through a small hole. Grohl’s note read, in part, “Though I’m halfway around the world right now, my heart is with you both, and I want you to know that when you come home, there’s two tickets to any Foos show, anywhere, and two cold beers waiting for yous. Deal?” In October 2006, one of the miners took up his offer, joining Grohl for a drink after a Foo Fighters acoustic concert at the Sydney Opera House. Grohl wrote an instrumental piece for the meeting, which he pledged to include on the band’s next album. The song, titled “Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners”, appears on Foo Fighters’ 2007 release Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, and features Kaki King.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 2007<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n Foo Fighters’ sixth studio album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace was released on September 25, 2007. It was recorded during a three-month period between March 2007 and June 2007, and its release was preceded by the first single “The Pretender” on September 17. The second single, “Long Road to Ruin”, was released on December 3, 2007, followed by the third single, “Let It Die”, on June 24, 2008.<\/p>\n He has also appeared in several sketches on SNL. On October 13, 2007, he performed in the SNL Digital Short People Getting Punched Just Before Eating. On February 6, 2010, he appeared as a middle-aged punk rock drummer reuniting the group “Crisis of Conformity” (fronted by Fred Armisen) after 25 years in a skit later on in the episode. On March 9, 2011, he appeared in the SNL Digital Short Helen Mirren’s Magical Bosom and the sketch Bongo’s Clown Room.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 2008<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n In June 2008, Grohl was Paul McCartney’s special guest for a concert at the Anfield football stadium in Liverpool, in one of the central events of the English city’s year as European Capital of Culture. Grohl joined McCartney’s band singing backup vocals and playing guitar on “Band on the Run” and drums on “Back in the U.S.S.R.” and “I Saw Her Standing There”. Grohl also performed with McCartney at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, again playing drums on “I Saw Her Standing There”. Grohl also helped pay tribute to McCartney at the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors along with No Doubt, Norah Jones, Steven Tyler, James Taylor, and Mavis Staples. He sang a duet version of “Maybe I’m Amazed” with Norah Jones on December 5, 2010.<\/p>\n Grohl has been vocal in his views on drug misuse, contributing to a 2009 anti-drug video for the BBC. “I have never done cocaine, ever in my life. I have never done heroin, I have never done speed,” he said in a 2008 interview, adding that he stopped smoking cannabis and taking LSD at the age of 20. In the BBC video, he said, “I’ve seen people die. It ain’t easy being young, but that stuff doesn’t make it any easier”. However, he is a well-known coffee addict, and drinks on average six cups of coffee every morning. In 2009, he was admitted to a hospital with chest pains from a caffeine overdose.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n |