A Biography on Linkin Park
Recognized as a leader in the world of nu metal, alternative, and rap metal or rapcore, Linkin Park manages to artfully combine multiple genres of music while still maintaining their own distinctive sound. this is largely due to the band’s unique and winning combination of two vocalists with Mike Shinoda rapping and emceeing, and Chester Bennington on lead vocals.
An introduction is necessary for all six members of this alternative metal band.
- Chester Bennington, lead vocals- Mike Shinoda, emcee, vocals, keyboard, rhythm guitar- Rob Bourdon, drums- Brad Delson, lead guitar- Dave Phoenix Farrell, bass guitar, backing vocals- Joe Hahn, turntables, programming
Linkin Park was formed by three friends from high school in the southern California town of Agoura Hills, California. After graduation, budding musicians Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, and Rob Bourdon recruited Joe Hahn, Dave Farrell and mark Wakefield to form Xero in 1996, which failed to impress the record execs or land them a recording deal.
Soon Chester Bennington joined the ranks replacing Wakefield and the band changed their name to Hybrid Theory before finally settling on Linkin Park.
Their debut album, the familiarly named Hybrid Theory, was released by Warner Bros. Records in October of 2000 and was soon a commercial success, despite mixed reviews from critics. Four singles were released, including In the End, Crawling, One Step Closer, and Papercut.
Nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2002 Grammys, Hybrid Theory sold over 24 million copies and was recently certified diamond by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).
Named after a group of monasteries built high atop a formation of rocky pinnacles above the plains of Greece, Meteora, Linkin Park’s sophomore album, was released in March of 2003. the album spawned the widely popular single Somewhere I Belong, which quickly reached number one on the mainstream rock charts. Lying from you, Faint, Breaking the Habit, and Numb were four more singles released from Meteora, with each one reaching either the first or second spot, also on the mainstream music charts.
After the continued success of Meteora, Linkin Park took a break from recording full studio albums and instead focused on touring, doing side projects with other artists such as Jay Z and Depeche Mode, and participating in several charity events.
Besides raising money for victims of Hurricanes Charley and Katrina in 2004 and 2005, the band also took part in relief concerts to benefit those affected by the 2004 tsunami that killed over 200,000 people in 11 different countries. their charitable work continued on when they joined more than 1,000 musicians for the Live 8 concert to raise funds for global awareness.
Released in May of 2007, Minutes to Midnight, the band’s third studio album, debuted at number one in the United States, Canada, the UK, along with 11 other countries around the world. After selling over five million copies thanks to their lead single What I’ve done, the album was certified double platinum and ended up at number 25 on Rolling Stone’s top 50 Albums of 2007. Dubbed as their softest and most melodic effort, Minutes to Midnight also yielded two more singles, Bleed It Out and Shadow of the Day, that have been regular fixtures on the charts throughout the year.