David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, for which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of the rock band Nirvana from 1990 to 1994.
At 17, Grohl joined the punk rock band Scream after the departure of their drummer Kent Stax. Grohl became the drummer for Nirvana after Scream broke up in 1990. Nirvana’s second album, Nevermind (1991), was the first to feature Grohl on drums and became a worldwide success. After Nirvana disbanded following the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994, Grohl formed Foo Fighters as a one-man project. The first Foo Fighters album was released in 1995, and a full band was assembled to tour and record under the Foo Fighters name; they have released 11 studio albums.
Grohl is the drummer and co-founder of the rock supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, and has recorded and toured with Queens of the Stone Age. He has also participated in the side projects Late! and Probot. Grohl began directing Foo Fighters music videos in 1997 and released his debut documentary, Sound City, in 2013. It was followed by the documentary miniseries Sonic Highways (2014) and the documentary film What Drives Us (2021). In 2021, Grohl released an autobiography, The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music. In 2022, he and the Foo Fighters starred as themselves in the comedy horror film Studio 666.
In 2010, Grohl was described by the Classic Rock Drummers co-author Ken Micallef as one of the most influential rock musicians of the previous 20 years. Grohl was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Nirvana in 2014 and as a member of Foo Fighters in 2021.
“What was Dave Grohl’s early life like?”
David Eric Grohl came into the world on January 14, 1969 in Warren, Ohio. His parents were Virginia Jean (née Hanlon), a teacher, and James Harper Grohl, a newswriter of German and Slovakian roots. His mother had Irish and English heritage. James was not only an esteemed journalist but also served as Robert Taft Jr.’s special assistant, renowned for accurately predicting significant elections.
Grohl’s family relocated to Springfield, Virginia during his childhood. At seven years old, his parents divorced and he was primarily raised by his mom. He began learning guitar when he was twelve but grew tired of formal lessons. Instead, he self-taught and started playing in bands with friends.
He spent the summer of his thirteenth year at cousin Tracey’s house in Evanston, Illinois where they were introduced to punk rock music through attending various concerts. This experience influenced Grohl’s musical direction drastically.
In Virginia, Grohl attended Thomas Jefferson High School initially where he occasionally played punk band songs over the school intercom as class vice-president. However, due to his declining grades linked to cannabis use, his mother decided that he should transfer to Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria.
After repeating a year there and spending another two years at Bishop Ireton High School, Grohl moved again to Annandale High School. During this time, he played with several local bands including Freak Baby where he taught himself drumming skills after a shift in the band line-up required him on drums rather than guitar.
Grohl learnt drumming techniques by listening to Rush and punk rock music rather than attending formal lessons with Neil Peart from Rush having a significant influence on him.
Eventually joining Dain Bramage in December 1985 after Mission Impossible disbanded, Grohl abruptly left the band less than two years later in March 1987 to join Scream. His main influences during his formative years as a musician were based at the 9:30 Club, a music venue in Washington, D.C., where he spent much of his teenage years.
What is the nature of Dave Grohl’s career?
What was Dave Grohl’s involvement in Scream from 1986-1990?
During his teenage years in Washington DC, Grohl considered joining the shock-rock band Gwar, who were in need of a drummer. At the age of 17, he auditioned for a spot with local favorites Scream to replace departing drummer Kent Stax. To increase his chances of being chosen, Grohl lied about his age, falsely claiming to be older. Unexpectedly, he was asked to join the band and dropped out of high school in his junior year. Grohl once stated, “I was 17 and extremely anxious to see the world, so I did it.”
For four years following this decision, Grohl toured widely with Scream and contributed to a live album (Your Choice Live Series Vol.10) as well as two studio albums – No More Censorship and Fumble – even writing and singing vocals for the song “Gods Look Down”. In 1987 during a tour stopover in Toronto, Grohl played drums for Iggy Pop at a CD release party at the renowned El Mocambo club. However, in 1990 Scream disbanded unexpectedly mid-tour due to bassist Skeeter Thompson leaving the group.
What was Dave Grohl’s involvement with Nirvana from 1990-1994?
While performing with Scream, Grohl developed a liking for the Melvins and subsequently established a friendship with them. During their 1990 West Coast tour, Melvins’ guitarist Buzz Osborne brought Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic, members of the band Nirvana, to watch Scream perform. When Scream disbanded, Grohl contacted Osborne who informed him that Nirvana was seeking a drummer. Grohl was invited to audition in Seattle after getting Cobain’s and Novoselic’s contact details from Osborne. He impressed them during his audition and joined the band shortly thereafter. Novoselic later recalled how they knew within two minutes that Grohl was just what they needed on drums.
Grohl found it hard to believe he had joined Nirvana as they looked nothing like their record cover where they resembled “psycho lumberjacks”. At the time of his joining, Nirvana had already recorded several demos for their subsequent album post-Bleach under producer Butch Vig. Their original plan was to release this album under Sub Pop but due to high interest generated from their demos, they ended up signing with DGC Records.
In 1991, Nirvana started recording Nevermind at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles. To everyone’s surprise, Nevermind turned out to be a worldwide hit. Concurrently, Grohl was working on his own music which he released in 1992 under the pseudonym “Late!” on an indie label Simple Machines.
As time went on in Nirvana, Grohl began contributing more towards songwriting. One such instance was when Cobain heard him working on “Color Pictures of a Marigold”, leading them to collaborate on it together. This song was later recorded by Grohl for Pocketwatch cassette.
Nirvana decided to re-record “Color Pictures of a Marigold” during In Utero sessions and released it as B-side on the “Heart-Shaped Box” single, renaming it “Marigold”. Grohl also composed the main guitar riff for “Scentless Apprentice”. Cobain, who originally wasn’t impressed with the riff, later admitted to being pleased with how the song turned out.
Before embarking on their 1994 European tour, Nirvana booked time at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle to work on demos. During most of this three-day session, Cobain was absent and Novoselic and Grohl ended up working on their own songs. Several of these songs were later part of Foo Fighters
What other work has Dave Grohl done?
What are Dave Grohl’s musical projects and contributions?
In addition to his primary bands, Dave Grohl has participated in numerous other musical endeavors. He drummed on Buzz Osborne’s 1992 solo EP, King Buzzo, and released a cassette under the pseudonym Late! on indie label Simple Machines. In 1993, he was recruited to recreate early Beatles music for the film Backbeat and joined an alt-rock supergroup known as the Backbeat Band.
In 1994, Grohl drummed on two tracks for Mike Watt’s album Ball-Hog or Tugboat? He then embarked on Foo Fighters’ first US tour in early 1995. Later that year, he performed with David Bowie at a concert celebrating Bowie’s 50th birthday. During the early 2000s, Grohl worked on a metal project called Probot in his basement studio and also played drums for Killing Joke’s second self-titled album.
Grohl continued collaborating with various artists throughout the early 2000s. He contributed to Tony Iommi’s album Iommi, Tenacious D’s debut album and their subsequent projects including their movie The Pick of Destiny and its soundtrack. He also contributed to Cat Power’s You Are Free and Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs for the Deaf albums.
Grohl made guest appearances at several events such as Paul McCartney’s Anfield concert in Liverpool in June 2008 and at the tribute for McCartney during the Kennedy Center Honors in December 2010. In July 2009, he collaborated with Josh Homme and John Paul Jones under the band name Them Crooked Vultures.
In addition to performing with Tenacious D at BlizzCon in October 2010, Grohl filled in temporarily as drummer for Cage the Elephant during their tour in October 2011 after Jared Champion fell ill. In December that same year, following Joey Castillo’s departure from Queens of the Stone Age, Grohl returned to drum on their 2013 album …Like Clockwork.
Grohl remained active into the 2010s, directing a documentary titled Sound City, replacing Chris Fryar as drummer for Zac Brown Band at the 2013 CMA Awards, collaborating with RDGLDGRN and Swedish metal band Ghost. In August 2018, Grohl released “Play,” a solo recording combined with a mini-documentary.
In 2020 and 2021, he engaged in an online drumming duel with young drummer Nandi Bushell and subsequently invited
Is Dave Grohl Involved in Television?
Grohl has held the record for the most appearances as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, with 14 appearances since his debut in 1992. His performances have included collaborations with various bands and artists such as Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures, Mick Jagger, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Grohl has also participated in several SNL sketches including “People Getting Punched Just Before Eating” and “Helen Mirren’s Magical Bosom”.
Additionally, he voiced the character Daniel Dotson in MTV’s animated series Daria’s film-length installment “Is It Fall Yet?” in August 2000. He also contributed to Cartoon Network’s Metalocalypse by voicing Abdule Malik, a controversial Syrian dictator.
In February 2013, Grohl acted as a guest host on Chelsea Lately for one week where he interviewed various guests including Elton John. This was not his first time hosting; he had previously done so during “Celebrity Guest Host Week” in December 2012.
David Letterman chose Grohl and his band Foo Fighters to be the final musical act on Late Show with David Letterman on May 20, 2015. Letterman has expressed that “Everlong”, which they performed that night was his favorite song.
Grohl also made appearances on The Muppets and Sesame Street where he had a drumming contest with Animal and appeared on the show respectively.
A documentary authorized by Dave Grohl titled “What Drives Us” was released through The Coda Collection on April 30, 2021. Most recently on October 8th of the same year, Grohl was featured as a guest storyteller reading an interpretation of The Beatles song ‘Octopus’s Garden’ on CBeebies Bedtime Story.
Is Dave Grohl Involved in Filmmaking?
Grohl took on the role of director for numerous Foo Fighters music videos including “Monkey Wrench” (1997), “My Hero” (1998), “All My Life” (2002), “White Limo” (2011), and “Rope” (2011). He also directed all the videos from the Sonic Highways and Concrete and Gold phases. Beyond his work with Foo Fighters, Grohl directed Soundgarden’s music video for “By Crooked Steps” in 2014.
In 2013, Grohl made his debut as a feature-length film director with Sound City, a documentary about the history of the renowned Sound City Studios recording studios in Van Nuys. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013. Coinciding with the release of Sonic Highways, Grohl directed an eight-episode miniseries carrying the same name that details the creation and recording of the album in eight different American cities. It was first aired on HBO on October 17, 2014.
Fast forward to 2021, Grohl directed What Drives Us, a full-length documentary focusing on van touring. It was made available on April 30, 2021, through Amazon Prime via the Coda Collection.
What is Cal Jam in relation to Dave Grohl?
The Cal Jam 17 music festival was initiated as a tribute to California Jam, and in acknowledgment of the release of Foo Fighters’ ninth studio album, Concrete and Gold. This event also marked the beginning of their North American tour. Curated by Grohl and Foo Fighters, the festival took place from October 6-7, 2017 at Glen Helen Amphitheater. It attracted an attendance of 27,800 people, with 3,100 individuals camping on site. However, it wasn’t without incident; nine arrests were made during the festival. Following its success, Cal Jam 18 was organized from October 5-6, 2018 in San Bernardino, California. This year’s edition was particularly noteworthy for featuring both the Foo Fighters and a Nirvana reunion.
What does Dave Grohl’s musicianship and equipment entail?
Grohl is a self-instructed musician who does not have the ability to read musical notes, he instead plays entirely by listening. His two main guitars are designed after the Gibson ES-335 model. Grohl’s primary instrument for recording is an original cherry red Gibson Trini Lopez Standard, which he purchased in the early 1990s for its attractive diamond-shaped sound holes. He also owns a unique Pelham blue Trini Lopez from 1965 that he bought from a UK doctor.
The primary guitar Grohl uses on stage is his signature Pelham Blue Gibson DG-335, which was custom-made by Gibson based on the specifications of the Trini Lopez Standard but with a different color and stop tailpiece as opposed to Trini Lopez’s trapeze tailpiece. He has another signature guitar named “Memphis Dave Grohl ES-335” in silver finish which closely resembles the DG-335. As part of Foo Fighters’ comeback in 2023, Grohl introduced a white-finished DG-335 that echoed the aesthetic of But Here We Are. Grohl employs D’Addario strings ranging from 0.11 to 0.49 gauge but due to his intense playing style, he uses a thicker 0.42 gauge for A string and 0.60 gauge for low E string. His main acoustic guitar is an Elvis Presley model black Gibson Dove.
Grohl’s drum kit provided by Drum Workshop comprises five varied-sized toms spanning from 5×8 inches to 16×18 inches, three crash cymbals measuring at 19-inch and two at 20-inch respectively, an 18-inch China cymbal, a standard kick drum and snare drum along with hi-hat and a large-sized ride cymbal measuring at 24 inch.
What are Dave Grohl’s advocacy efforts, philanthropic contributions and views?
In May 2006, Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters sent a heartfelt message to two miners trapped in a rockfall at the Beaconsfield mine in Tasmania, Australia. When one of the miners asked for the Foo Fighters album In Your Honor to be delivered to them via iPod, Grohl responded with a message offering them tickets to any Foo Fighters concert along with two cold beers upon their rescue. In October 2006, one miner accepted this offer and met Grohl after a concert at the Sydney Opera House. This meeting inspired Grohl to create an instrumental piece titled “Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners”, which was included in their 2007 album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.
Grohl has also been active in advocating for various social issues. He has publicly supported same-sex marriage by wearing a White Knot ribbon and has been involved in gay rights activism since the early ’90s. He has counter-protested against anti-gay demonstrations by Westboro Baptist Church twice and is a firm believer in gun control. After the D.C. sniper attacks in 2002, he called for stricter gun laws.
Regarding drug use, Grohl admitted he hasn’t used cocaine, heroin or speed and quit using cannabis and LSD when he was 20. He featured in an anti-drug video for BBC in 2009 revealing his experiences with substance abuse. A self-confessed coffee addict who consumes up to six cups each morning, he once suffered chest pains due to caffeine overdose.
In politics, Grohl backed Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2012 and played “My Hero” at that year’s Democratic National Convention. More recently, Foo Fighters supported Joe Biden’s campaign for president in 2020 and performed during his inauguration ceremony in 2021.
What is known about Dave Grohl’s personal life?
In 1994, Grohl tied the knot with Jennifer Leigh Youngblood, a photographer hailing from Grosse Pointe, Michigan. However, their marriage ended in divorce in 1997 after separating in December 1996. Grohl remarried on August 2, 2003, to Jordyn Blum. The couple resides in Los Angeles and is blessed with three daughters who were born in 2006, 2009 and 2014.
As of a Stereogum article published in 2012, Grohl was considered the third-richest drummer globally with an estimated fortune of $260 million. He was surpassed by Ringo Starr and Phil Collins.
Grohl confessed during a June 2011 interview that half of his hearing capability had been lost due to constant exposure to loud music from his performances throughout his career. In February 2022, while featuring on The Howard Stern Show, he revealed he suffers from hearing loss affecting both his personal and professional life. His tinnitus condition compelled him to read lips for nearly two decades—a task made challenging by the universal mask-wearing mandate during the COVID-19 crisis.
Despite these challenges, Grohl remains resilient when it comes to making music. He chooses not to use in-ear monitors known for their protective features because he feels it isolates him from the natural ambiance sound and disrupts communication with his bandmates. He reassures that despite his hearing issues, he can still discern minute sonic details—even minor changes between cymbal crashes—due to certain frequencies that are still perceptible to him.
What Honors Has Dave Grohl Received?
In August 2009, Dave Grohl was honored by his birthplace, Warren, Ohio with the key to the city. During this occasion, he performed several songs including “Everlong,” “Times Like These,” and “My Hero.” The city further showed its appreciation for Grohl by dedicating a downtown roadway known as “David Grohl Alley” in his honor. This alley features murals created by local artists. In 2012, Warren paid tribute to Grohl in a big way by unveiling gigantic drumsticks weighing 902 lb (409 kg). These drumsticks set a new Guinness World Record, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. The public got their first glimpse of these record-setting drumsticks on July 7 during a concert at the Warren Amphitheater. On December 4, 2014, Rolling Stone published its first solo cover story on Grohl.
What further reading is available about Dave Grohl?
In his 2020 publication, “Killing Joke: Are You Receiving?”, Jyrki “Spider” Hämäläinen provides an in-depth exploration of the subject. This book is published by New Haven Publishing Ltd, based in Milton Keynes. The ISBN for this particular edition is 978-1912587407.
