Restless rocker and icon Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters fame has turned the big 5-0. Over the course of 50 years, Grohl already has a lifetime of achievements under his belt. It all started when he was born on this day in 1969 in Warren, Ohio. He got his first taste of punk 13 years later, at a Naked Raygun show: "From then on we were totally punk. We went home and bought Maximumrocknroll and tried to figure it all out," Grohl recalls.
Through high school he performed in a number of local bands, and learned drums in a band called Mission Impossible. Grohl has cited Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham as his greatest influence. But it was Rush that made him want to be a drummer: “It was really the first time I ever heard a drummer in the forefront of the band."
At 17, Grohl joined the band Scream, dropped out of high school, and went on tour. "I was 17 and extremely anxious to see the world, so I did it," he recalls. He toured extensively for the next four years. His introduction to Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic is all thanks to Melvins' Buzz Osborne, who brought them to a Scream show during a 1990 tour stop on the West Coast.
When Scream disbanded, Osborne tipped Grohl off that Nirvana was looking for a drummer. One audition later and history was made. Their first gig together was North Shore Surf Club in Olympia, Washington, on October 11, 1990. Grohl soon after moved in with Cobain in Olympia for about eight months, where he crashed on the couch. Memories from that period are detailed in Foo song "Friend of a Friend."
"Friend of a Friend" has been performed by Foo 22 times to date, the last being in 2006
By the time Grohl joined Nirvana, the band had already released Bleach and were onto demoing songs for Nevermind. That was the first album Grohl recorded with them, and, as you obviously know, it went on to become a commercial success. At the same time, Grohl was also working on his own material. He even released a cassette under the pseudonym "Late!" and Cobain helped him with the track "Color Pictures of Marigold," which made it on as a B-side for the "Heart Shaped-Box" single.
"Marigold" has been performed by Foo 122 times to date, the last time being in 2010
Following Cobain's death, Grohl retreated for a few months, recorded a 15-track demo. Around that time he also briefly played with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He was offered a permanent spot by Petty, but Grohl declined.
After the demo got major label interest, and Grohl recruited top notch members for a new band - Nirvana touring member Pat Smear, and Sunny Day Real Estate's William Goldsmith and Nate Mendel - and the professional mixed demo became Foo Fighters' debut album.
The first track of the album, "This is a Call," was written during his Honeymoon with his then-wife Jennifer Youngblood. It represents a new beginning following the darkness of Cobain's suicide - “The verse is just bullsh*t, it’s nothing, I wrote it in a bathroom, but the chorus on the other hand means a lot to me,” said Grohl. “This was me finally saying goodbye to my past.”
"This is a Call" has been performed 853 times to date, the last time being in 2018
Foo Fighters went on to find massive commercial success of their own. The band's current line up features Mendel, Smear, Taylor Hawkins, Chris Shiflett, and Rami Jaffee. They have released nine full-lengths, the last being 2017's Concrete & Gold. They've won 10 Grammy Awards, among others. Foo Fighters are known as hit-making machines that continue to impress their fans with every release.
Nirvana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, and in 2018 at Grohl's festival Cal Jam, him and Novoselic performed a set of Nirvana songs with various special guests on vocals, including Joan Jett.
Foo Fighters top five performed songs to date are: "Everlong," "Monkey Wrench," "My Hero," "This is a Call," and "Learn to Fly." The Colour and Shape remains the top album the perform off of, and their most performed cover Queen's "Under Pressure," with 153 performances to date.
Grohl and the Foo boys will next perform at The Forum in Los Angeles for Chris Cornell's Tribute concert. Grohl is also still up to his usual antics, he recently fell off stage after chugging a beer. Age is nothing but a number! Happy Birthday Dave!
