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Joey Jordison

He is the founding member of the band "Slipknot" and one of the biggest drummers in Metal, please welcome Joey Jordison.

(Photo: joeyjordison.com)


1. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa on April 26, 1975, to Steve and Jackie Jordison.

2. He embraced music at an early age, which he attributes to his parents' influence. the first song his mother played to him already before he was out to the world was "The Spinners – The Rubberband Man" (1976).

3. He played guitar until receiving his first drum kit as a gift from his parents at age eight and started his first band while in elementary school.

4. His parents divorced when he was young and Jordison and his two sisters moved to leave with their mother who worked in a funeral parlor where Jordison would occasionally help.

5. He started drumming along with KISS records. Not only he was a huge fan, but also badly wanted to learn how to play the drum solo from the "100,000 Years" song, so he practiced it constantly. Once he got it done he felt his destiny is to play drums.

6. Still a teenager he formed the speed-metal thrash band "Modifidious", in which he played drums. The band helped Jordison break new ground, playing live as support to local bands including "Atomic Opera", featuring Jim Root, and "Heads on the Wall", featuring Shawn Crahan.

(Photo: Jeff Hahne)


7. The band released two demos in 1993: "Visceral" and "Mud Fuchia".

8. Jordison cites Keith Moon, John Bonham, Peter Criss, Gene Krupa, and Buddy Rich as his main influences.

9. In 1995, "Modifidious" disbanded because of a shift in interest from thrash metal and Jordison joined a local band called "The Rejects" as a guitarist, with whom he only played a couple of shows.

10. Jordison was also involved in a band with Paul Gray and vocalist Don Decker, named "Anal Blast".

11. In the same year Paul Gray approached Jordison offering him to join a new project called "The Pale Ones". He attended rehearsals in a dark basement in Iowa and immediately wanted to be part of this new band.

12. Much of the band's early development was retrospectively attributed to late-night planning sessions between Gray, Shawn Crahan, and Jordison at a Sinclair gas station where Jordison worked night shifts.

13. It was there, in late 1995, that Jordison suggested changing the band name to "Slipknot" after their song of the same name.

(Photo: Slipknot)


14. Two years later, after several lineup changes, two demo albums, and a number of crazy performances, the band managed to generate interest from the record companies and finally signed a seven-album contract with "Roadrunner Records".

15. Today most of you are probably familiar with the band, which is wearing overalls, and masks, and its members are called by numbers and not by names. Jordison's number is "1".

16. In 1999 the band released their first album which is named after the band. A strong, screaming, short, and ripping album that only managed to reach 51st place on the "Billboard 200" but became a legend in the genre. Thanks to this album, "Slipknot" gained immense exposure and began to create its fanatical fan base, known as "The Maggots".


17. Jordison said that this album was and will always be some of the absolute best memories of his life. It was amazing to be part of a dream come true, a bunch of guys who do not care about anything but making their own music, in their own way.

18. In 2001, the second album, "Iowa," was released. This album has already reached number three on the charts and the tour to promote the album became a "sold out" in many stadiums across the United States from the very beginning.


19. In 2002, Jordison revived his band "Murderdolls". He was the guitarist, and he recruited Wednesday 13 as a vocalist, while drummer Ben Graves and bassist Eric Griffin completed the band's lineup. They signed with Roadrunner Records and released an EP entitled "Right to Remain Violent" in 2002.

20. In the same year they released their debut album "Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls".

21. "Slipknot's" third album "Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses" was released in 2004. The recordings for the album were very difficult even though the famous producer Rick Rubin was recruited for the mission. The album made it to second place on the charts and granted the band its first Grammy win in 2006. Right after the album's tour, the band went into another hiatus.

(Photo: Jo Hale)


22. In the same year at the "Download Festival", Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich was hospitalized for an unknown illness. James Hetfield searched amongst other bands performing at the festival to find a replacement for Ulrich; Jordison, Flemming Larsen (Ulrich's drum technician), and Dave Lombardo of "Slayer" volunteered. Jordison performed on 8 of the 13 songs of the set and was called the band's "hero of the day".

23. In 2007 "Korn" recruited Jordison to join them on tour when drummer David Silveria went on hiatus from the band. He also appeared in the music video for their single "Evolution".

24. In 2008 "Slipknot" releases its fourth album "All Hope Is Gone" which flies straight to the number one spot. It is the last album to feature the founding member and bass player Paul Gray who died two years later.


25. In 2010 with only Jordison and Wednesday 13 remaining from the original line-up. The "Murderdolls" release their second studio album "Women & Children Last".

26. In August 2010 Jordison was voted the best drummer of the previous 25 years by readers of "Rhythm" magazine, ahead of drummers such as Mike Portnoy, Neil Peart, Phil Collins, and Dave Grohl.

27. On December 12, 2013, "Slipknot" announced through its official website that Joey Jordison had left the band after 18 years, citing "personal reasons". In response, Jordison released a statement insisting that he had in fact been fired from the band.

(Photo: Mary Ouellette)


28. Only in 2016 it was revealed that during "Slipknot" tour Jordison suddenly started suffering from "Transverse Myelitis", a neurological disease that cost him the ability to play the drums. The disease impacted mainly his legs for which he recovered only many years later.

29. In the same year Jordison formed a new extreme metal band called "Sinsaenum". They released their debut album "Echoes Of The Tortured" the same year. The second album, called "Repulsion for Humanity", was released in 2018.

(Photo: Anthony Dubois)


30. Jordison cooperated with many artists as a drummer, guitar player, and producer such as Marilyn Manson, Otep, Rob Zombie, and many more...


31. Joey dies on July 26, 2021, at the age of 46. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed, although his family stated he died “peacefully in his sleep.”


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