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 19:45, 5 June 2007 view sourceAidenraininhell (talk | contribs)7 edits →Personal life← Previous edit Revision as of 19:47, 5 June 2007 view source 67.191.1.117 (talk) ←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 = pink
|Birth_name = Billie Joe Armstrong
|Born = {{Birth date and age|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 rock band ]. He has recently stated to the media that he has come out of the closet. He has addmitted that he is now fully gay, not BI as many thought he was. Him and his wife had also recently split.

==Early life==

Armstrong grew up in ], ]. He's the youngest of six children. His father, Andy, was a retired ] ], who worked as a ] musician and truck driver for ] to support the family. He died from ] on ], ] when Billie Joe was 10. 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 ], and then ], dropping out on ], ], 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 "Sweet Children" 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, ] replaced Sobrante. ] 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 ] and ] with over 85 million records sold worldwide{{Fact|date=February 2007}}.

==Collaborations==
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", 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 ], a record label co-owned by Billie Joe.

==Guitars==
Billie Joe received his second--and most famous--guitar, a Fernandes Stratocaster copy that he named "Blue", when he was eleven. He modified the guitar to have a ] 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 had a short split. In this time both Billie and Adrienne met other partners; Adrienne was engaged to be married, and Billie was seeing another girl. However Billie and Adrienne were eventually married on ], ] in a 5 minute ceremony. The day after their wedding, Adrienne found out she was pregnant. Their son, Joseph, was born on ], ].<ref>""</ref> Three years later on ], ], another boy, Jakob Danger Armstrong, was born.

Billie Joe 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. He also kisses men in concerts.<ref><br>''"It's an old tradition of Billie's that at every one of his concerts he kisses a guy."''</ref>

*Billie Joe Armstrong has also recently stated that he has finally come out. As stated before he says that he was bisexual but according to the media he has fully come out.

==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 Blimp for Favorite Band/Group - April 2005 and 2006
*Nickelodeon's Kid's Choice Awards Blimp for Favorite Song for Wake Me Up When September Ends - April 2006
*Grammy for Best Rock Album for American Idiot - February 2005
*Grammy for Record of the Year for Boulevard of Broken Dreams - February 2006
*Won 6 MTV VMA Moonmen for Boulevard of Broken Dreams and 1 for American Idiot - August 2005
*Won 2 American Music Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Album (American Idiot) and Favorite Alternative Artist - November 2005
*Won 2 ASCAP Honor Awards for Creative Voice and Song of the Year (Boulevard of Broken Dreams) - May 2006
*Won 2 MTV Europe Awards for Best Album and Best Rock Group - November 2005
*Accidentally tripped down stairs on the way down at the KCA'S/Kids Choice Awards while receiving his award for best album/song

==Discography==
<!-- Please do not add compilation albums to the discography -->
===Green Day===
*'']'' (2004) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
*'']'' (2002) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar
*'']'' (Compilation) (2001) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
*'']'' (2000) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica on "]"
*'']'' (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}}

{{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=
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Billie Joe}}
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

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

Revision as of 19:47, 5 June 2007