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On this day, January 14, 1969, Dave Grohl was born.
Dave Grohl
Grohl performing in 2019
Born: David Eric Grohl; January 14, 1969 (age 54); Warren, Ohio, U.S.
David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He rose to fame as the drummer for the grunge band Nirvana and then became the founder, lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter for the alternative rock band Foo Fighters. He is also the drummer and co-founder of the rock supergroup Them Crooked Vultures and had short-lived side projects called Late! and Probot. Grohl has also recorded and toured with Queens of the Stone Age.
At the age of 17, Grohl joined the punk rock band Scream after the departure of drummer Kent Stax. He joined Nirvana soon after Scream's disbandment. Nirvana's second album Nevermind (1991) was the band's first to feature Grohl and became a worldwide commercial success. Following the suicide of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain on April 4, 1994, Grohl formed Foo Fighters as a one-man project. In 1995, the project's self-titled debut album was released by Roswell and Capitol Records. After the success of the album, Grohl assembled a band for touring and further recording under the Foo Fighters name and the band has since released nine studio albums.
In 2010, Grohl was described by Classic Rock Drummers co-author Ken Micallef as one of the most influential rock musicians of the last 20 years. He first established himself as a respected drummer with Nirvana and, alongside bandmates Cobain and Krist Novoselic, was inducted into the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Michael Stipe during the band’s first year of eligibility. In 2021, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a second time as a member of Foo Fighters, also in their first year of eligibility.
In addition to his acclaimed musical talent, Grohl successfully branched out into directing Foo Fighters music videos in 1997, eventually leading to his debut as a documentary filmmaker with Sound City (2013). This was followed by documentary miniseries, Sonic Highways (2014), and the documentary television program, What Drives Us (2021). After working with his mother, Virginia Hanlon Grohl, on a book titled From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars (2017), Grohl later published The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music (2021), which chronicles his journey from an adolescent musician to his current life as the founder of the Foo Fighters.
{snip}
Early life
David Eric Grohl was born in Warren, Ohio, on January 14, 1969, the son of teacher Virginia Jean (née Hanlon) and newswriter James Harper Grohl (1938–2014). He is of German, Irish, and Slovak descent. In addition to being an award-winning journalist, James had also served as the special assistant to Senator Robert Taft Jr. and was described as "a talented political observer who possessed the ability to call every major election with uncanny accuracy". When he was a child, Grohl's family moved to Springfield, Virginia. When he was seven, his parents divorced, and he was subsequently raised by his mother. At the age of 12, he began learning to play guitar. He grew tired of lessons and instead taught himself, eventually playing in bands with friends. He said, "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 the age of 13, Grohl and his sister spent the summer at their cousin Tracey’s house in Evanston, Illinois. Tracey 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. Grohl recalled, "From then on we were totally punk. We went home and bought Maximumrocknroll and tried to figure it all out." In Virginia, he attended Thomas Jefferson High School as a freshman and was elected class vice-president. In that capacity, he managed to play pieces of songs by punk bands like Circle Jerks and Bad Brains over the school intercom before his morning announcements. His mother decided he should transfer to Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria because his cannabis use was negatively impacting his grades. He stayed there for two years, beginning with a repeat of his first year. After his second year, he transferred yet again to Annandale High School. While in high school, he played in several local bands, including a stint as guitarist in a band called Freak Baby. It was during this period that he taught himself to play drums. When Freak Baby kicked out its bass player and reshuffled its lineup, Grohl switched to drums. The reconstituted band renamed itself Mission Impossible.
Grohl said he did not take drumming lessons and instead learned by listening to Rush and punk rock. Rush drummer Neil Peart was an early influence: "When I got 2112 when I was eight years old, it fucking changed the direction of my life. I heard the drums. It made me want to become a drummer." 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 right shoulder. 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."
{snip}
Grohl performing in 2019
Born: David Eric Grohl; January 14, 1969 (age 54); Warren, Ohio, U.S.
David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He rose to fame as the drummer for the grunge band Nirvana and then became the founder, lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter for the alternative rock band Foo Fighters. He is also the drummer and co-founder of the rock supergroup Them Crooked Vultures and had short-lived side projects called Late! and Probot. Grohl has also recorded and toured with Queens of the Stone Age.
At the age of 17, Grohl joined the punk rock band Scream after the departure of drummer Kent Stax. He joined Nirvana soon after Scream's disbandment. Nirvana's second album Nevermind (1991) was the band's first to feature Grohl and became a worldwide commercial success. Following the suicide of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain on April 4, 1994, Grohl formed Foo Fighters as a one-man project. In 1995, the project's self-titled debut album was released by Roswell and Capitol Records. After the success of the album, Grohl assembled a band for touring and further recording under the Foo Fighters name and the band has since released nine studio albums.
In 2010, Grohl was described by Classic Rock Drummers co-author Ken Micallef as one of the most influential rock musicians of the last 20 years. He first established himself as a respected drummer with Nirvana and, alongside bandmates Cobain and Krist Novoselic, was inducted into the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Michael Stipe during the band’s first year of eligibility. In 2021, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a second time as a member of Foo Fighters, also in their first year of eligibility.
In addition to his acclaimed musical talent, Grohl successfully branched out into directing Foo Fighters music videos in 1997, eventually leading to his debut as a documentary filmmaker with Sound City (2013). This was followed by documentary miniseries, Sonic Highways (2014), and the documentary television program, What Drives Us (2021). After working with his mother, Virginia Hanlon Grohl, on a book titled From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars (2017), Grohl later published The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music (2021), which chronicles his journey from an adolescent musician to his current life as the founder of the Foo Fighters.
{snip}
Early life
David Eric Grohl was born in Warren, Ohio, on January 14, 1969, the son of teacher Virginia Jean (née Hanlon) and newswriter James Harper Grohl (1938–2014). He is of German, Irish, and Slovak descent. In addition to being an award-winning journalist, James had also served as the special assistant to Senator Robert Taft Jr. and was described as "a talented political observer who possessed the ability to call every major election with uncanny accuracy". When he was a child, Grohl's family moved to Springfield, Virginia. When he was seven, his parents divorced, and he was subsequently raised by his mother. At the age of 12, he began learning to play guitar. He grew tired of lessons and instead taught himself, eventually playing in bands with friends. He said, "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 the age of 13, Grohl and his sister spent the summer at their cousin Tracey’s house in Evanston, Illinois. Tracey 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. Grohl recalled, "From then on we were totally punk. We went home and bought Maximumrocknroll and tried to figure it all out." In Virginia, he attended Thomas Jefferson High School as a freshman and was elected class vice-president. In that capacity, he managed to play pieces of songs by punk bands like Circle Jerks and Bad Brains over the school intercom before his morning announcements. His mother decided he should transfer to Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria because his cannabis use was negatively impacting his grades. He stayed there for two years, beginning with a repeat of his first year. After his second year, he transferred yet again to Annandale High School. While in high school, he played in several local bands, including a stint as guitarist in a band called Freak Baby. It was during this period that he taught himself to play drums. When Freak Baby kicked out its bass player and reshuffled its lineup, Grohl switched to drums. The reconstituted band renamed itself Mission Impossible.
Grohl said he did not take drumming lessons and instead learned by listening to Rush and punk rock. Rush drummer Neil Peart was an early influence: "When I got 2112 when I was eight years old, it fucking changed the direction of my life. I heard the drums. It made me want to become a drummer." 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 right shoulder. 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."
{snip}
Here is Dave Grohl at age 16, playing with Mission Impossible at northern Virginia's Lake Braddock Community Center in summer 1985. Hat tip to someone at ARLnow for aiming me in the direction of these videos.
Mission Impossible - Live at Lake Braddock Community Center - 1985 (full set)
Sohrab Habibion
2.2K subscribers
1,361 views Apr 10, 2020
Mission Impossible
Live at Lake Braddock Community Center, Burke, VA
July 25, 1985
Chris Page - Vocals
Bryant Mason - Guitar
David Smith - Bass
Dave Grohl - Drums
https://www.discogs.com/artist/279287-Mission-Impossible-3
Sohrab Habibion
2.2K subscribers
1,361 views Apr 10, 2020
Mission Impossible
Live at Lake Braddock Community Center, Burke, VA
July 25, 1985
Chris Page - Vocals
Bryant Mason - Guitar
David Smith - Bass
Dave Grohl - Drums
https://www.discogs.com/artist/279287-Mission-Impossible-3
Here's Mission Impossble again, now at the Bethesda Community Center.
Mission Impossible - Live at Bethesda Community Center - 1985 (full set)
Sohrab Habibion
2.2K subscribers
934 views Jun 14, 2020
Mission Impossible
Live at Bethesda Community Center, Bethesda, MD
November 29, 1985
Chris Page - Vocals
Bryant Mason - Guitar
David Smith - Bass
Dave Grohl - Drums
https://www.discogs.com/artist/279287-Mission-Impossible-3
Sohrab Habibion
2.2K subscribers
934 views Jun 14, 2020
Mission Impossible
Live at Bethesda Community Center, Bethesda, MD
November 29, 1985
Chris Page - Vocals
Bryant Mason - Guitar
David Smith - Bass
Dave Grohl - Drums
https://www.discogs.com/artist/279287-Mission-Impossible-3
Here he is few weeks later with Dain Bramage. Back to Lake Braddock.
Dain Bramage - Live at Lake Braddock Community Center - 1985 (full set)
Sohrab Habibion
4,182 views Apr 30, 2020
Dain Bramage
Live at Lake Braddock Community Center, Burke, VA
December 20, 1985
Reuben Radding - guitar, vocals
David Smith - bass
Dave Grohl - drums
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Grohl
https://www.discogs.com/artist/491844...
Sohrab Habibion
4,182 views Apr 30, 2020
Dain Bramage
Live at Lake Braddock Community Center, Burke, VA
December 20, 1985
Reuben Radding - guitar, vocals
David Smith - bass
Dave Grohl - drums
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Grohl
https://www.discogs.com/artist/491844...
If the date is correct, here is two weeks later, Scream. Once again, this is at the Lake Braddock Community Center. In a few days, Dave will turn 17.
Scream - Live at Lake Braddock Community Center - 1986 (full set)
Sohrab Habibion
2.2K subscribers
2,588 views Apr 19, 2020
Scream
Live at Lake Braddock Community Center, Burke, VA
January 3, 1986
Peter Stahl - vocals
Franz Stahl - guitar & vocals
Robert Lee Davidson - guitar
Skeeter Thompson - bass & vocals
Kent Stax - drums
https://www.dischord.com/band/scream
https://southernlord.com/band/scream/
Sohrab Habibion
2.2K subscribers
2,588 views Apr 19, 2020
Scream
Live at Lake Braddock Community Center, Burke, VA
January 3, 1986
Peter Stahl - vocals
Franz Stahl - guitar & vocals
Robert Lee Davidson - guitar
Skeeter Thompson - bass & vocals
Kent Stax - drums
https://www.dischord.com/band/scream
https://southernlord.com/band/scream/
Sun Jan 15, 2023: On January 14, 1969, Dave Grohl was born.
Sat Jan 15, 2022: On January 14, 1969, Dave Grohl was born.