Billie Joe Armstrong

Billie Joe Armstrong Mini-bio Billie Joe Armstrong is the main songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist for the multiplatinum-selling rock band Green Day. He is known for his distinctive voice, which is usually of a higher pitched tone than most lead singers, and has proved very influential to other punk-oriented singers. He has two children; Joseph Marciano (born March 16, 1995) and Jakob Danger (born September 12, 1998). Armstrong grew up the youngest of six children growing up in Rodeo, California. His official name on his birth certficate is "Billie Joe" rather than the more traditional "William Joseph" because his mother Ollie was on pain killers at the time of his birth. His father, Andy Armstrong, was a retired Minor League Baseball catcher, who worked as a jazz musician and truck driver to support the family. He died of lung cancer when Billie Joe was ten. His mother worked a waitress at Rod's Hickory Pit, where Billie Joe and Mike Dirnt worked during their teen years. As a kid he originally was into metal music, but got into punk after hearing the Sex Pistols song Holidays in the Sun. He attended high school at John Swett High School, and Pinole Valley High School where he played on the football team. He dropped out on February 16, 1990, the day before he turned 18, to pursue his musical career. Early life Billie Joe Armstrong was brought into this world on February 17, 1972, the youngest of six children. His father, Andy, was a part time jazz musician and a truck driver for Safeway, while his mother was a waitress at a local restaurant named Rod's Hickory Pit. Billie started singing when he was just 5 years old. He would go around to hospitals and sing to the patients to make them feel better. Then he got to record his first song, "Look for Love" at a local recording company named Fiat Records. Billie got his first electric guitar, the infamous "Blue" (a Fernandez Stratocaster), when he was 11. Billie still uses Blue to this day and has several replicas of it. At the age of 10, Billie's father died of cancer to the esophagus which spread throughout his body. His mother continued to work at Rod's Hickory Pit (a barbecue joint owned by Richard and Alice Cotton) in Vallejo, California, to support herself and her six kids. Billie Joe and Mike later worked there as busboys. 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 Ollie worked at Rod's Hickory Pit. Armstrong and Mike Dirnt got their first gig at Rod's Hickory Pit during their early years. Armstrong's interest in music started at a young age. He attended Oakland's Hillcrest Elementary School, 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".[ Two years after his father died, his mother married a man whom her children despised, which made Armstrong retreat further into music. Armstrong dedicated a song to him called "Why Do You Want Him".[ At age 12 while attending Carquinez Middle School in Crockett, CA, he met Mike Dirnt, and they immediately bonded over their love of music. As a teenager he originally was into metal music, but got into punk after hearing the Sex Pistols song "Holidays in the Sun".Armstrong has also cited The Replacements and Hüsker Dü, both from Minneapolis, as major influences. He attended John Swett High School, also in Crockett, and then Pinole Valley High School, in Pinole, CA, dropping out on February 16, 1990, a day before his 18th birthday, to pursue his musical career. Music Career In 1987, Armstrong formed a band called Sweet Children with childhood friend Mike Dirnt. In 1989 they joined up with drummer Al Sobrante and become known as Green Day. That same year they recorded the EP 1,000 Hours, on Lookout! Records. Sobrante eventually left Green Day in order to go to college, and was eventually replaced by Tré Cool, who made his debut on Green Day's second album, Kerplunk!. With their next album, Dookie, the band broke through into the mainstream, and have remained one of the most popular rock bands, (and the most successful punk band , of the 1990's and 2000's with over 85 million records sold worldwide The members of the band. Billie Joe Armstrong (Guitar and Lead Vocals) Mike Dirnt (Bass and Backing Vocals) and Tré Cool (Drums). Green Day is an American rock trio formed in 1987. The band has consisted of Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals, guitar), Mike Dirnt (bass guitar, vocals), and Tré Cool (drums, percussion) for the majority of its existence. Green Day was originally part of the punk rock scene at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. Its early releases for independent record label Lookout! Records earned them a grassroots fanbase, some of whom felt alienated when the band signed to a major label.Nevertheless, its major label debut Dookie (1994) became a breakout success and eventually sold over 10 million copies in the U.S. and 15 million worldwide. As a result, Green Day was widely credited, alongside fellow California punk bands The Offspring and Rancid, with reviving mainstream interest in and popularizing punk rock in the United States.Green Day's three follow-up albums, Insomniac, Nimrod and Warning did not achieve the massive success of Dookie, but they were still successful, reaching double platinum, double platinum, and gold status respectively. Green Day's 2004 rock opera American Idiot reignited the band's popularity with a younger generation, selling five million copies in the U.S. The band's eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown, was released on May 15, 2009. Personal Life In 1990 while playing a show in Minnesota, Armstrong met local resident Adrienne Nesser when she went up to him after the show, asking where she could buy a copy of the band's album. The two kept in touch over the phone, and Armstrong arranged two tours around Minnesota, simply for the purpose of seeing her. In 1994 she moved to California, and the two became engaged. They were married two weeks later on July 2, 1994. Because of financial issues, the couple spent a week in the Claremont Hotel for their honeymoon, a 10-minute walk away from their house. The day after the wedding, Adrienne found out she was pregnant with their first son. He has two children; Their first son, Joseph Marcicano Armstrong, was born in February 1995 and Jakob Danger (born September 12, 1998). VITAL STATS Billie Joe Armstrong Information: Birth Name: Billie Joe Armstrong Birthday: February 17, 1972 Nickname: BJ, Billie Eye Color: Green Natural hair Color: Reddish Brown Height: 5'7 Trade Mark: Black shirt and a red necktie Martial Status: Married Adrienne Nesser (July 2, 1994) CHILDREN : Joseph Marciano; born in March of 1995, and Jakob Danger; born September of 1998. Notable feature(s): Education: John Swett High School Pinole Valley High School (dropped out) Family: Billie's father, Andy, died of cancer when he was 10 years old (September 1982). His mom, Ollie, raised him from then on. He has 5 older siblings (David, Allen, Marcy, Holly, and Anna). Resides in: California, USA Religious affiliations: INSTRUMENTS : Guitar, harmonica, mandolin, drums, piano, and most recently, the saxophone. RECORD COMPANY : Billie and Adrienne have co-ownership of Adeline Records. OTHER BANDS : Billie still plays with Pinhead Gunpowder. He has also played with The Influents, Corrupted Morals, Rancid, the Lookouts, Goodbye Harry, and Blatz. Political affiliation: Personal interests/hobbies: Charities/Causes: Other: Soundtrack Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) (writer: "21 Guns") Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (IMAX DMR version) (Hong Kong: English title: IMAX version) aka Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - The IMAX Experience (USA: IMAX version) "Ketnetpop" (1 episode, 2008) "Ketnetpop2" (Belgium: Flemish title: second season title) Ketnetpop: Het concert (2008) TV episode (writer: "American Idiot") Shoot 'Em Up (2007) (writer: "Private Hell") The Simpsons Movie (2007) (writer: "American Idiot") Surf's Up (2007) (writer: "Holiday", "Welcome to Paradise") Accepted (2006) (writer: "Holiday") Rebell in Turnschuhen (Germany) "CSI: NY" (1 episode, 2005) Supply & Demand (2005) TV episode (writer: "Holiday") "Meet the Barkers" (1 episode, 2005) It's Moving Day for the Barkers! (2005) TV episode (writer: "Warning") The 47th Annual Grammy Awards (2005) (TV) (performer: "Across the Universe") Mayor of the Sunset Strip (2003) (writer: "Longview", "Time of Your Life (GoodRiddance)") American Pie 2 (2001) (writer: "Scumbag") Freddy Got Fingered (2001) (writer: "Blood, Sex And Booze") "Friends" (1 episode, 1999) The One with the Girl Who Hits Joey (1999) TV episode (performer: "Angel and the Jerk") Varsity Blues (1999) (writer: "Nice Guys Finish Last") Joe's Apartment (1996) (writer: "86") Actor The Simpsons Movie (2007) (voice) .... Green Day My Night at the Grammys (2007) (TV) Live Freaky Die Freaky (2006) (voice) .... Charlie "Haunted" .... Ghostly Betting Man (1 episode) Simon Redux (????) TV episode .... Ghostly Betting Man "King of the Hill" .... Face (1 episode, 1997) The Man Who Shot Cane Skretteburg (1997) TV episode (voice) .... Face

Album


1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours is a collection of early recordings by American punk rock band Green Day, released in 1991. Although it is often referred to as the group's first album, this is not factually correct. Their first album was 39/Smooth, whereas 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours includes that album in its entirety as well as two complete EPs and a track from a previous compilation album.







Dookie is the third studio album and the major label debut by American punk rock band Green Day. The album was the band's first collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo. Released on February 1, 1994 through Reprise Records, Dookie became a worldwide commercial success, reaching number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 and charting in seven countries. The album helped to propel Green Day into mainstream popularity, amid claims from the punk rock community that the band had "sold out".
Dookie produced five hit singles for the band: "Longview", the re-recorded "Welcome to Paradise", "Basket Case", "She" and "When I Come Around". As of 2008[update], Dookie is the band's best-selling album, with over 15 million copies sold worldwide. It is Green Day's only diamond album. Dookie won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1995.





Insomniac is the fourth studio album from the punk rock band Green Day. It was released on October 10, 1995, through the Reprise Records label. Though it reached number two in the United States and went double Platinum (According to the RIAA) [1] by 1996, Insomniac did not have the sales endurance of its predecessor, Dookie, largely due to its slightly darker lyrical tone and heavier, more abrasive sound. [2] The album is the band's third-best selling album behind Dookie and American Idiot with over 7 million copies sold worldwide.







Nimrod is the fifth album by the punk rock band Green Day, released on October 14, 1997 on Reprise Records. The album entered the Billboard U.S. charts at #10, and achieved double platinum status, although it did not revive Green Day's sales to the level of Dookie. Nimrod achieved critical respect and yielded the acoustic hit







Warning is the sixth full length album by Green Day, released in 2000. Building upon predecessor Nimrod, Warning eschews their trademark punk rock sound and incorporated acoustic elements. Warning was also the first Green Day album that was not produced by Rob Cavallo since Kerplunk, although he did have a hand in its production and was credited as Executive Producer. Warning reached number four on the Billboard charts and went gold. Despite its high critical response, it represented the lowest commercial slump in the band's career since their first album. It is also the only Green Day album, apart from the debut, not to go platinum. The album has sold over 1 million units worldwide as of 2008.




International Superhits! is a greatest hits album by Green Day. It was released on 13 November 2001 by Reprise Records. It contains the singles that the band has released, from Dookie (1994), their major label debut, up through their most recent album at the time, Warning (2000). It also includes two previously unreleased tracks. It was released simultaneously with the International Supervideos! DVD, which had music videos for many of the songs on this album. For the songs "Maria" and "Poprocks & Coke" videos were recorded. Reaching #40 US and #15 UK upon its release, International Superhits! has sold 1.3 million units in the US as of August 2006 where it went platinum. It has continued to be a popular release, being critically well-received.



American Idiot is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band Green Day. It was co-produced with longterm collaborator Rob Cavallo and released on September 21, 2004 through Reprise Records. In mid-2003, the band began recording songs for an album titled Cigarettes and Valentines. However, the master tracks were lost and the band decided to start over rather than re-record Cigarettes and Valentines. They decided to produce a rock opera, inspired by the work of The Who and numerous musicals. It follows the life of "Jesus of Suburbia", a sort of anti-hero created by Billie Joe Armstrong. Following early recording at Oakland, California's Studio 880, the band finished the album in Los Angeles. The album achieved popularity worldwide, charting in 26 countries and reaching number one in nineteen of them, including the United States and the United Kingdom. Since its release, American Idiot has sold over 14 million copies worldwide, including 267,000 in its opening week. The album won numerous awards including a Grammy for Best Rock Album, and was received mostly well by music critics.



Bullet in a Bible is a live CD, DVD, Blu-Ray and UMD release by Green Day, which was issued on November 15, 2005. Directed by Samuel Bayer, director of all the videos of American Idiot, Bullet in a Bible documents the two biggest shows that Green Day headlined in their career, playing to over 130,000 people at the Milton Keynes National Bowl in the United Kingdom on 18 and 19 of June 2005. Fourteen of the twenty songs performed at these shows are included on the disc. Bullet in a Bible reached #6 in the United Kingdom and debuted at #8 in the United States. Bullet in a Bible will be issued on vinyl for the first time on November 10, 2009, after American Idiot's vinyl release.




21st Century Breakdown is the eighth studio album by American punk rock band Green Day. It is the band's second rock opera, following American Idiot, and its first record to be produced by Butch Vig. The band commenced work on the record in January 2006. 45 songs were written by vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong by October 2007, but the band members did not enter studio work with Vig until January 2008. The writing and recording process spanned three years and four recording studios and was finished in April 2009. 21st Century Breakdown was released through Reprise Records on May 15, 2009. Armstrong has described the album as a "snapshot of the era in which we live as we question and try to make sense of the selfish manipulation going on around us, whether it be the government, religion, media or frankly any form of authority". The singles, "Know Your Enemy" and "21 Guns" exemplify the themes of alienation and politically-motivated anger present in the record. Critical response to 21st Century Breakdown was generally positive. Most critics considered the composition and Armstrong's lyrics a success, although a minority of reviewers treated the album's concept as flawed. The record achieved Green Day's best chart performance to date by reaching number one on the album charts of various countries, including the United States Billboard 200, the European Top 100 Albums, and the United Kingdom Albums Chart.