Dave Grohl

Background

Dave Grohl does it all. He sings, plays the guitar, drums, bass, and is even behind the camera. This multi-decorated Grammy award winner is a household name in the music industry. Known for his ever-present smile and eccentricity, Grohl has the world in a chokehold with his music. On January 14, 1969, the legend was born to Virginia Jean and James Harper in Warren, Ohio. However, the Grohl family soon moved to Springfield, Virginia, where he was raised. Being a Capricorn of German, Irish and Slovak descent, in addition to having divorced parents by the age of seven, growing up couldn’t have been easy for Grohl. However, his interest in the guitar at age 12 provided a healthy outlet.

Although he was introduced to punk rock music by his cousin, Tracey, Grohl’s interest in the genre was born at a Naked Raygun concert in 1982. From then, he was hooked. While in high school, Grohl played for many local bands as a guitarist, including Freak Baby. Even as a guitarist, Grohl started learning to play drums by listening to punk rock and ‘rush.’ He later switched to the drummer of the same band. Several bands later, and as a high school junior dropout at age 17, Grohl started playing for Scream in 1986. He toured for four years with this band before its disbandment, and then Nirvana came along. In 1991, the band signed with DGC Records and produced “Nevermind.” This album shot Grohl to international stardom, however, Nirvana was short-lived after Kurt Cobain’s tragic death in April 1994. In 1995, after dealing with depression and recording a 15-track demo as the sole instrumentalist playing all parts, Grohl formed the band, the Foo Fighters, who went on to record 10 studio albums.

Grohl is a gifted multi-instrumentalist who has struggled with drug addiction, bereavement, and divorce. Grohl’s first marriage to Jeniffer Youngblood in 1994 was dissolved in 1997, and he married Jordyn Blum in 2003. The couple has three children together. Grohl has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice — first with Nirvana in April 2014 and then with the Foo Fighters in 2021. As a musician and a filmmaker, this superstar has received roughly 16 Grammy Awards. His list of accomplishments is endless. Grohl has created soundtracks for blockbuster movies, toured around the world, collaborated with the most extraordinary acts, graced magazine covers, made movies and documentaries, hosted live T.V. shows, and so much more.