Taylor Hawkins

Taylor Hawkins

Oliver Taylor Hawkins (born on February 17, 1972 in 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 a short-lived experimental band called Sylvia. His cousin,Kevin Harrell (student of Ole Miss) 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, the Foo Fighters. Taylor started a band named Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, in which he plays drums and sings.

Hawkins has said that his drumming has been influenced by Roger Taylor of Queen and Stewart Copeland of The Police. He was voted "Best Rock Drummer" in 2005 by UK drumming magazine, Rhythm.

At Live Earth in 2007, Hawkins was part of SOS Allstars with Roger Taylor of Queen and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Hawkins also recorded the drums on Coheed and Cambria's 4th album, Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow.

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 erupted between Dave Grohl and then drummer, William Goldsmith, eventually causing Goldsmith to leave the band. 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. In need of a drummer, Grohl contacted Alanis Morissette's touring drummer Taylor Hawkins to see if he could recommend anybody. Grohl was surprised when Hawkins volunteered himself. Hawkins made his Foo 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 and 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 "I Feel Free," which appeared as the B-side of "DOA" and on the EP Five Songs and a Cover. Live, he occasionally provides backing vocals and, at times, lead vocals while Dave Grohl plays drums.

Other projects

Hawkins also recorded the drum tracks for the Coheed and Cambria album "Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow", as Coheed and Cambria's drummer Chris Pennie was not able to record due to contractual reasons.

Hawkins latest stint behind the drums can be heard on Eric Avery's (former Janes Addiction) first solo effort "Help Wanted" released on Danger Bird Records. Hawkins' and Avery's good friend Flea of RHCP along with Shirley Manson of Garbage can also be heard on this album.

Equipment

• Taylor's Current Tour Kit:
  • Gretsch Drums and Zildjian Cymbals

Hawkins also uses DW, Tama or Yamaha Hardware, Remo drum heads, Shure drum microphones and Zildjian Taylor Hawkins Signature sticks. He is a former endorser of Tama drums.

Trivia

• He is a fan of the band Queen, and its late lead singer, Freddie Mercury. Hawkins also played on a track called "Cyborg", from Queen guitarist Brian May's 1998 solo album, Another World, and also at VH1's Rock Honors 2006 While Queen performed We Will Rock You. He and Dave Grohl both played drums for the song. They also performed Tie Your Mother Down at a Hyde Park concert in which Taylor sang the vocal.
• Sang lead vocals on the Foo Fighters' songs "Cold Day In The Sun," the band's covers of Joe Walsh's "Life of Illusion," Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar," and Cream's "I Feel Free".
• After leaving the Orange County-based band Altered State, joined up as drummer for Sass Jordan.
• Left Sass Jordan to act as drummer for Alanis Morissette.
• Worked as a retail salesman/cashier for the Guitar Center located in Lake Forest, California.
• Once dated Good Will Hunting actress Minnie Driver.
• Once dated model Celia (Clea) Irvine.
• Appeared as the drummer in the Alanis Morissette video ""You Oughta Know".
• Appeared briefly in Alanis Morissette's video for "You Learn" during the pie fight scene.
• He is a close friend of Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.
• 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.

"Dear Taylor I missed you a lot there was a period of time when I was too mad to even bring up your name and it killed me to hear you discount the time we spent together I knew all along that we had different tastes in moderations and we couldn't hang out forever and while it lasted it was hilarious."

• While spending time with a few other bands in 1997 at an amusement park he was "accidentally" shot by Green Day's Tre Cool with a BB gun.
• His 2001 collapse after the V festival was not a result of heroin as rumored. It was in fact due to an overdose of prescribed painkillers combined with alcohol.
• Is a (pot?) smoker.
• Married his wife Alison in 2005. They had a baby boy named Oliver Shane Hawkins in August 2007.
• Has insulted Sylvester Stallone for his involvement in the Rambo series, referring to the Rambo series as a fine display of "Hawt Hawt Pu Secks"
• His name is incorrectly displayed as "Tyler Hawkins" in a "bubble" on the Pop-up Video edition of Alanis Morissette's music video for "Jagged Little Pill"
• Recorded the drums in the new Coheed & Cambria album Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume 2: No World for Tomorrow
• Sometimes plays with a Police cover band called "The Cops" when he's playing, "Fallout" otherwise.
• Ranked #93 in worlds top drummers, behind fellow band mate/best friend,Dave Grohl(#86)
• Taylor played "YYZ" with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush on stage at a concert in Toronto on March 22,2008.
• At the Manchester leg of their European Tour, Foo Fighters band member Dave Grohl announced that "every Monday is now Taylor Hawkins Day".

See also

• Foo Fighters

External links

• taylorhawkins.com
• Hawkin's Poor Brain - a collection of Taylor's interviews
• Grohl and Hawkins Interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos