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Billie Joe Armstrong

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Billie Joe Armstrong

Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972, in Rodeo, California) is the main songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist for the punk rock band Green Day.

Early life

Armstrong grew up in Rodeo, California, the youngest of six children. The official name on his birth certificate is "Billie Joe" he said in an interview in year 1995 that his name is just Billie Joe and not William Joseph. His father, Andy Armstrong, was a retired Minor League Baseball catcher, who worked as a jazz musician and truck driver for Safeway to support the family. He died of throat cancer on September 15, 1982 when Billie Joe was ten. His mother Ollie worked as a waitress at Rod's Hickory Pit, where Billie Joe and Mike Dirnt got their first gig during their teen years.

Billie Joe's interest in music started at a young age. He recorded a song titled "Look For Love" at the age of 5 on Bay Area label "Fiat Records".[1] As a teenager 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, later attended Pinole Valley High School, and dropped out on February 16, 1990, the day before he turned 18, to pursue his musical career. He was nicknamed "Two Dollar Bill", because he was supplying the school with joints for two dollars[2], and also played on the football team.

Musical 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. Green Day (in Oakland slang) literially means a day spent smoking pot. 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[9]), of the 1990's and 2000's with over 85 million records sold worldwide[citation needed].

Apart from working with Green Day, and side-band Pinhead Gunpowder, Armstrong has proved himself busy in the music world, collaborating with many artists over the years. He has co-written for The Go-Gos ("Unforgiven"), former Avengers singer Penelope Houston ("The Angel and The Jerk" and "New Day"), co-wrote a song with Rancid ("Radio"), sung backing vocals with Melissa Auf Der Maur on Ryan Adams' "Do Miss America" and recorded lead guitar with Green Day for two tracks, where they acted as the backing band for Iggy Pop on his "Skull Ring" album ("Private Hell" and "Supermarket"). Armstrong has produced an album for The Riverdales, and is also rumored to be part of a side project, The Network. The Network released an album called Money Money 2020. Many long-time Green Day fans who listened to the record remarked that it sounds just like a Green Day album, also Money Money 2020 was released on Adeline Records, the record label Armstrong co-owns with his wife Adrienne Armstrong.

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 Marciano Armstrong, was born in February 1995[3][4]and Jakob Danger Armstrong (born September 12, 1998).

Armstrong has stated that he is bisexual[5] although he has not been in a relationship with a man. He has however, kissed men in concert.[6]

Trivia

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  • Billie Joe does not own a computer.

Awards

  • Esquire's awarded him an "Esky" for Best Frontman in the Esky Music Awards in the April 2006 issue.
  • Kerrang! magazine awarded him the Best Dressed Star and Hero of the Year in 2005
  • The California Music Awards awarded him Outstanding Male Vocalist in 2001 and 2004
  • Nickelodeon's Kid's Choice Awards awarded him the best band trophy and best song trophy for Wake Me Up When September Ends in 2005.
  • A Grammy award in 2005 for the best rock alblum of the year for American Idiot and the best music video for Basket Case.

Discography

Green Day

Pinhead Gunpowder

The Network

Notes

  1. ^ http://www.recordmecca.com/view_item.aspx?id=82
  2. ^ http://www.greendayauthority.com/TheBand/billiejoe.php
  3. ^ See the Rolling Stone Interview on GDA "Rock's Bad Boy" Billie Joe even said that his son Joey was turning 11 in February and that he was teaching him to play guitar.
  4. ^ http://www.greendayauthority.com/TheBand/articles/rollingstone011206.jpg
  5. ^ Coming Clean, The Advocate interview with Billie Joe Armstrong (1995)
  6. ^ Seen here kissing bassist, Mike Dirnt
  7. ^ http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/billiejoemug1.html
  8. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197633/
  9. ^ http://www.theadvocates.org/celebrities/billie-joe-armstrong.html
  10. ^ http://www.geekstinkbreath.net/greenday/videography/basketcase/
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