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GREEN DAY BAND PAGE
 GREEN DAY
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CURRENT NAME
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Green Day | |
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FORMER NAMES
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- | |
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ORIGIN
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USA | |
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STATUS
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Active | |
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FORMED IN
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- | |
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LABEL
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Reprise Records | |
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GENRE
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Punk rock | |
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STYLE
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LYRICAL THEME
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- | |
| BAND ADDED | 2004-08-17, 00:00 | |
| LAST UPDATE | 2004-08-17, 00:00 | |
Biography | Band members | Discography | Shows | Forum
| Band biography |
Green Day were part of the northern California underground punk scene. Childhood friends Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, vocals) and Mike Dirnt (bass; born Michael Pritchard) formed their first band, Sweet Children, in Rodeo, CA, when they were 14 years old. By 1989, the group had added drummer Al Sobrante and changed its name to Green Day. That year, the band independently released its first EP, 1,000 Hours, which was well-received in the California hardcore punk scene. Soon, the group had signed a contract with the local independent label, Lookout. Green Day's first album, 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hour, was released later that year. Shortly after its release, the band replaced Sobrante with Tre Cool (born Frank Edwin Wright, III); Cool became the band's permanent drummer.
Throughout the early '90s, Green Day continued to cultivate a cult following, which only gained strength with the release of their second album, 1992's Kerplunk. The underground success of Kerplunk led to a wave of interest from major record labels; the band eventually decided to sign with Reprise. Dookie, Green Day's major-label debut, was released in the spring of 1994. Thanks to MTV support for the initial single, "Longview," Dookie became a major hit. The album continued to gain momentum throughout the summer, with the second single, "Basket Case," spending five weeks on the top of the American modern rock charts. At the end of the summer, the band stole the show at Woodstock '94, which helped the sales of Dookie increase. By the time the fourth single, "When I Come Around," began its seven-week stay at number one on the modern rock charts in early 1995, Dookie had sold over five million copies in the U.S. alone; it would eventually top eight million in America, selling ! over ten million copies internationally. Dookie also won the 1994 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance.
Green Day quickly followed Dookie with Insomniac in the fall of 1995; during the summer, they hit number one again on the modern rock charts with "J.A.R.," their contribution to the Angus soundtrack. Insomniac performed well initially, entering the U.S. charts at number two, and selling over two million copies by the spring of 1996, yet none of its singles — including the radio favorite "Brain Stew/Jaded" — were as popular as those from Dookie. In the spring of 1996, Green Day abruptly canceled a European tour, claiming exhaustion. Following the cancellation, the band spent the rest of the year resting and writing new material, issuing Nimrod in late 1997. Their long-awaited follow-up, Warning, was released three years later.
Currently in 2003/2004, Green Day are currently working in a L.A. studio on their first album since 2000's Warning. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has stated that, "We've got about thirty-five songs we're going to record. It's a lot of material. We're trying to get one theme throughout the album, because we're in the album business, not in the business of making singles." The band hopes to have the album out in late summer or early fall.
This biography was written by Stephen Thomas Erlewine for Allmusic.com.
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