Misplaced Pages

Billie Joe Armstrong: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 18:14, 14 April 2007 view sourceTweetsabird (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users1,852 editsNo edit summary← Previous edit Revision as of 18:15, 14 April 2007 view source Tweetsabird (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users1,852 edits ←Blanked the pageNext edit →
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox musical artist
|Name = Billie Joe Armstrong
|Img = Billie Joe Armstrong at mic in Cardiff.png
|Background = solo_singer
|Birth_name = Billie Joe Armstrong
|Born =|1972|2|17<br>{{flagicon|USA}} ], ], ]
|Instrument = ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
|Genre = ]<br>]<br>]<br>
}}
'''Billie Joe Armstrong''' (born ], ], in ], ]) is best known for his role as the main songwriter, lead ], and ] for the punk rock band ].

==Early life==
Armstrong grew up in ], the youngest of six children. His father, Andy, was a retired ] ], who worked as a ] musician and truck driver for Safeway to support the family. He died from ] 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 ] 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 the Bay Area label "Fiat Records".<ref>http://www.recordmecca.com/view_item.aspx?id=82</ref> As a teenager he originally was into ], but got into punk after hearing the ] song ].<ref>{{cite web | author= ]| year= 2005 | title="The Sex Pistols" | work=Rolling Stone| url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7235474/58_the_sex_pistols | accessdate= October 28 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> He attended high school at ], later attended ], and dropped out on February 16, 1990, to pursue his musical career. While in high school he was nicknamed "Two Dollar Bill", because he was supplying the school with ]s for two dollars.<ref>http://www.greendayauthority.com/TheBand/billiejoe.php</ref>

==Sweet Children and Green Day==
In 1987, Armstrong formed a band called ] with childhood friend ]. In 1989 they joined up with drummer ] and became known as Green Day, allegedly choosing the name for their fondness of ].<ref>http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyomusicconcerts/concert/359/tokyomusicconcertsinc.htm</ref>. That same year they recorded the EP ], on ]. Sobrante eventually left Green Day in order to go to college, and was eventually replaced by ], who made his debut on Green Day's second album, ]. With their next album, ], the band broke through into the mainstream, and have remained one of the most popular rock bands of the 1990s and 2000s with over 85 million records sold worldwide{{Fact|date=February 2007}}.

Apart from working with Green Day, and side-band ], Armstrong has proved himself busy in the music world, collaborating with many artists over the years. He has co-written for ] ("Unforgiven"), former Avengers singer ] ("The Angel and The Jerk" and "New Day"), co-wrote a song with ] ("Radio"), sung backing vocals with ] on ]' "Do Miss America" and recorded lead guitar with Green Day for two tracks, where they acted as the backing band for ] on his "Skull Ring" album ("Private Hell" and "Supermarket"). Armstrong has produced an album for ], and is also rumored to be part of a side project, ]. The Network released an album called ]. Many long-time Green Day fans who listened to the record remarked that it sounds just like a Green Day album{{Fact|date=March 2007}}, also Money Money 2020 was released on ], the record label Armstrong co-owns with his wife ].

==Guitars==
Billie Joe received his first guitar, a Fernandes Stratocaster copy that he named "Blue", when he was eleven. He modified the guitar to have a humbucking pickup in the bridge position. He initially installed a Bill Lawrence pickup but later switched to the Duncan JB model. He toured with this guitar from the band's early days and into their first few major-label tours. "Blue" also appears in several of their music videos starting with, ], and appearing most recently in ]. Billie has made several replicas of this guitar and uses them at concerts.
Today Armstrong mainly uses ] and ] Guitars. Twenty of his Gibson guitars are ] models from the mid to late ].<ref>http://www.gibson.com/bja/interview2.htm</ref> His Fender collection includes: ], ], ], ], and his Fernandes, "Blue". He states that his favorite guitar is a 1956 Gibson Les Paul Junior he calls "Floyd". He bought this guitar in 2000 just before recording their album '']''.<ref>http://www.gibson.com/bja/interview.htm</ref>

Armstrong also has his own line of ] guitars from Gibson.

==Personal life==
In Minneapolis, in 1990, Billie first met his wife, ]. They dated for a while and were married on ], ] in a 5 minute ceremony. The day after their wedding, Adrienne found out she was pregnant. Their son, Joseph Marciano Armstrong, was born in ].<ref>""</ref> Three years later on ], ], another boy, Jakob Danger Armstrong, was born.

Armstrong has stated that he is ],<ref>"", ] interview with Billie Joe Armstrong (24th January, 1995)<br>''"I think I've always been bisexual. I mean, it's something that I've always been interested in. I think everybody kind of fantasizes about the same sex. I think people are born bisexual, and it's just that our parents and society kind of veer us off into this feeling of Oh, I can't. They say it's taboo. It's ingrained in our heads that it's bad, when it's not bad at all. It's a very beautiful thing."''</ref> which is the subject of '']'' track "Coming Clean". In his 1995 interview, he explained his sexual attraction to men and women but explained that he had not been in a relationship with a man. He has however, kissed men in concert.<ref></ref><ref><br>''"It's an old tradition of Billie's that at every one of his concerts he kisses a guy."''</ref>

== Trivia ==
*In 2003, he was arrested for ] with a ] of .18, more than twice the state's legal limit of .08.<ref>http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/billiejoemug1.html</ref>
*He is of ], ], ], ], ], and ] descent.<ref>Blender Article By Jonah Weiner</ref>
*Provided the voice for ] in the movie '']'' and sang "Mechanical Man" for the film.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197633/</ref>
*Armstrong is registered as a ] to vote in California.<ref>http://www.eastbayexpress.com/2004-02-25/news/rock-the-hypocrisy/</ref>
*He suffers from panic attacks which have been the source of many ] songs such as: "]" and "]".<ref>http://www.vh1.com/artists/interview/1454006/20020516/green_day.jhtml</ref>
* He is 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) tall. <ref></ref>
*Just Billie and his acoustic guitar appeared on the "Short Music For Short People" Compilation with a song entitled "The Ballad of Wilhelm Fink." <ref>http://www.greendayauthority.com</ref>

==Awards==
*] awarded him an "Esky" for Best Frontman in the Esky Music Awards in the April 2006 issue.
*'']'' magazine awarded him the Worst Dressed Star and Hero of the Year in 2005
*The ] 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.

==Discography==
===Green Day===
*Bullet in a Bible (2005)
*] (2004) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
*Shenanigans (2002)
*International Superhits (2001)
*] (2000) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin
*] (1997) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
*] (1995) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar
*] (1994) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar, Percussion on "All By Myself (hidden track)"
*] (1992) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar, Drums on "]"
*] (1990) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar

===Pinhead Gunpowder===
*] (2003) -- Vocals, Guitar
*] EP (2000) -- Vocals, Guitar
*] EP (1999) -- Vocals, Guitar
*] (1997) -- Vocals, Guitar
*] (1995) -- Vocals, Guitar
*] (1995) -- Vocals, Guitar
*] EP (1992) -- Vocals, Guitar
===The Network===
*] (2003) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar

==Notes==
<div class="references-small">
<references />
</div>

==External links==
{{wikiquote|Billie Joe Armstrong}}
{{Commons}}
*
*, as well as information on his stint in Common Rider
* {{imdb name|id=0035626|name=Billie Joe Armstrong}}
*
*
*
* after his arrest in 2003 for drunk driving.

<!-- Metadata: see ] -->

{{Green Day}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Billie Joe}}

{{Persondata
|NAME=Armstrong, Billie Joe
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=Singer; Guitarist; Punk rock Musician
|DATE OF BIRTH= ] ]
|PLACE OF BIRTH=]
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}

]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Revision as of 18:15, 14 April 2007