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| Taylor Hawkins | |
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 Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Oliver Taylor Hawkins |
| Born | February 17, 1972 |
| Origin | Fort Worth, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Alternative rock Hard rock Post-grunge Progressive rock |
| Occupations | Musician, drummer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Drums, vocals, piano |
| Years active | 1995 - Present |
| Associated acts | Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders Foo Fighters Coheed and Cambria Alanis Morissette Chevy Metal |
Taylor Hawkins (born Oliver Taylor Hawkins, February 17, 1972, Fort Worth, Texas) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band, Foo Fighters.
Prior to joining the band in 1997, he was the touring drummer for Alanis Morissette on her Jagged Little Pill tour, as well as the drummer in the progressive experimental band called Sylvia which, after changing their name to Anyone, went on to sign with Roadrunner Records. His cousin, Kevin Harrell, introduced him to Dave Grohl after camping with him for several weeks in the Ozarks. Hawkins would eventually become the drummer for Grohl's band, Foo Fighters. He was voted "Best Rock Drummer" in 2005 by the UK drumming magazine, Rhythm.
In 2004, Hawkins formed his own side project, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, in which he plays drums and sings.
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Career
Early career
After leaving the Orange County-based band Sylvia (later emerging as ANYONE), he joined up as drummer for Sass Jordan, which in turn he left to act as drummer for Alanis Morissette. He has appeared in Morisette's videos for "You Oughta Know" and "You Learn". In the demo version of Alanis Morissette's song "Unsent" from the 1998 album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, a verse is dedicated to the friendship and rumored relationship between Hawkins and Morissette. In 2008, however, Morissette insisted on the Howard Stern show that they had never been in romantic relationships.
Foo Fighters
After touring through the spring of 1996, the band entered a Seattle studio with producer Gil Norton to record its second album. Conflict reportedly erupted between Dave Grohl and then drummer, William Goldsmith, eventually causing Goldsmith to leave the band.[1] The band regrouped in Los Angeles and almost completely re-recorded the album with Grohl on drums. The album, The Colour and the Shape, was released on May 20, 1997. Grohl called up Hawkins to recommend the band a new drummer, and to Grohl's surprise, Hawkins volunteered himself. He then auditioned for the band and subsequently joined the band, making his debut in time for the album's release.
In addition to his drumming duties with the Foo Fighters, Hawkins is also an accomplished rock singer, guitarist and pianist. He took over lead vocals for Foo Fighters on "Cold Day in the Sun," a song on the acoustic half of the double album In Your Honor which was later released as a single, and the cover of Cream's "I Feel Free", which appeared as the B-side of "DOA" and on the EP Five Songs and a Cover. Hawkins also provides lead vocals for the band's cover of the Pink Floyd hit, "Have A Cigar" (which featured Brian May on lead guitar) (and was released as part of the Mission: Impossible 2 soundtrack album), as well as a cover of Joe Walsh's "Life of Illusion". Live, he occasionally provides backing vocals and, at times, lead vocals and guitar while Grohl plays drums. This has led to a running joke whereby Grohl greets the end of Hawkins' stint as lead vocalist with the quip "You know, for a drummer you're not a bad singer", to which Hawkins retorts "Neither are you".[citation needed]
Other projects
In 2006, Hawkins released a self-titled LP with his side-project, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders. He occasionally plays with a Police cover band alternately called "The Cops" and "Fallout".
At Live Earth in 2007, Hawkins was part of SOS Allstars with Roger Taylor of Queen and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Taylor played "YYZ" with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush on stage at a concert in Toronto on March 22, 2008.
Hawkins recorded the drum tracks for the Coheed and Cambria album "Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow", as the band's regular drummer Chris Pennie was not able to record due to contractual reasons. Also, Hawkins toured with Coheed and Cambria shortly during the months of the album. Hawkins can also be heard drumming on Eric Avery's (formerly of Jane's Addiction) first solo effort, Help Wanted and on Kerry Ellis's album, 'Wicked in Rock'. Hawkins and Grohl split drumming duties on Harmony & Dissidence, the latest album by Foo Fighters band-mate Chris Shiflett's own side-project, Jackson United.
Hawkins played on the track "Cyborg", from Queen guitarist Brian May's 1998 solo album, Another World; he also played drums at VH1's Rock Honors 2006 while Queen performed "We Will Rock You". He sang backing vocals on the Queen + Paul Rodgers single, "C-lebrity".
Hawkins was commissioned to complete an unfinished recording of a song by Beach Boys' drummer Dennis Wilson entitled "Holy Man" by writing and singing new lyrics. The recording was released in June 2008 as part of a deluxe edition of Wilson's lone 1977 solo album, Pacific Ocean Blue.
While the Foo Fighters were on break, Hawkins played in a three piece cover band, Chevy Metal, that played lesser known tracks by ZZ Top, Aerosmith, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.
Influences
Hawkins has said that his drumming has been chiefly influenced by Roger Taylor of Queen and Stewart Copeland of The Police.
- "My earliest Queen memory is of the movie King Kong. I went to see that movie when I was six years old and a typical 70s kid. On the drive home with my parents I heard We Will Rock You on the car radio. Somehow in my mind there was now a correlation between King Kong and the sound of Roger Taylor's drums. Somehow they fitted so well with the image of this monster stomping through the city that I couldn't separate the two".
Taylor is also a fan of U2 stating,
- "To be honest, I'm probably more of an older U2 fan. I was a really huge fan of 'Boy', 'October', 'War' and 'The Unforgettable Fire'. I like their new stuff here and there, but my favorite stuff is really the early, underproduced stuff."
Equipment
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This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2009) (Find sources: Taylor Hawkins – news, books, scholar) |
This is a list of equipment in Hawkins' current tour kit.
Gretsch drums:
- 18" x 24" Bass Drum
- 6" x 14" Snare Drum
- 5" x 8" Rack Tom
- 7" x 8" Rack Tom
- 9" x 13" Rack Tom
- 16" x 16" Floor Tom
- 16" x 18" Floor Tom
- 14" Remo Roto Toms
Zildjian cymbals:
- 15" Avedis New Beat Hi-Hats
- 19" A Custom Crash
- 20" A Custom Crash
- 22" A Custom Ride
- 21" K Brilliant Crash Ride
- 22" A Custom EFX
Hawkins also uses DW, Gibraltar Hardware, Remo drum heads, Latin Percussion Percussion, Shure drum microphones and Zildjian Taylor Hawkins Signature sticks.
Personal life
He has dated Good Will Hunting actress Minnie Driver and model Celia (Clea) Irvine. He has been married to his wife Alison since 2005. They had a baby boy named Oliver Shane Hawkins in August 2007 and are expecting a second child in 2009.[2]
His 2001 collapse after the V Festival was a result of an overdose of drugs and prescribed painkillers combined with alcohol. Reportedly the first sight Taylor saw upon awakening in the hospital was Grohl, who had not left his bedside the entire time.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2005). "Biography" AllMusicGuide.com (accessed April 28, 2006)
- ^ Taylor Hawkins and Wife Expecting Second Child Celebrity Baby Blog, February 13, 2009
External links
- taylorhawkins.com
- Hawkin's Poor Brain - a collection of Taylor's interviews
- Grohl and Hawkins Interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos
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