Who wouldn't have heard of Green Day? Probably everyone who knows anything about music or loves music. The band is well known for the rock songs that made them famous.
Further, their biggest hits include 'Basket Case,' 'Time Of My Life, 'Boulevard Of Broken Dreams, and 'Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life).'
Billie Joe Armstrong was born in Long Beach, California, on March 17, 1976. His parents are Jim and Mary, and his father is a retired Marine Corps officer. He is an only child. While attending High School in Long Beach, California, he learned how to play guitar.
More so, his family called him 'Billy Joe,' but his friends called him 'BJ.' Upon graduating from California State University, Long Beach, Billie received a diploma in Visual Arts.
He grew up listening to bands like Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Guns N Roses, Led Zeppelin, Ozzy Osbourne, The Beatles, and Aerosmith. He was the only teenager in his class with a stereo and used it to listen to the bands he loved.
However, when he reached high school, he formed the band 'Sum 41', which he would later leave. He was interested in recording and performing songs, and he made it a priority to make it big in the music industry.
Billie began to develop a friendship with Mike Dirnt when the two of them joined a band. At the same time, they played in a band called 'The Pinheads.' Mike and Billie met Tre Cool and their friend Jason White in high school. They formed a punk band called 'Dookie.'
In addition, their first album was a huge success, selling around 1.8 million copies in the United States. Green Day aimed to create the best band of all time as a band. So when Billie started working for 'Spin Magazine,' he was assigned to interview different celebrities.
During this time, he met Billie Gouldman, the lead singer of Green Day. After this, they decided to form a band and released 'Nerf Herder,' which featured Billie Joe as lead vocalist.
Billie Joe also got into making music videos for their songs. The songs that they did were 'Geek Stink Breath,' 'Piggy,' 'Holiday,' and 'Longview.' He also sang 'The Kids Aren't Alright.
Formation of Band
Green Day was formed in 1983 by Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt, who wanted to create a band to bring fun and excitement into people's lives.
Its first significant appearance was on the Warped Tour in 1991, where it played with bands like Nirvana and Blink-182. The band's first single 'Longview' was released in 1994, becoming one of the most successful songs of the 90s.
In 1996, Green Day released their album Dookie, followed by the release of 'Insomniac' in 1998. Green Day continued to release albums until 2004, and in 2005, they released the album 'American Idiot.'
In 2006, the band started working on their ninth album, '21st Century Breakdown'. On November 25, 2014, Green Day will release their latest album, Father Of All..., with Reprise Records.
Moreover, the band members are Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tre Cool, Tré Cool, Jason White, and Billy Joe Armstrong. The band members are also frontman and bassists, and their main focus is to create memorable and powerful music.
The band received many awards and nominations, including induction into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
Over to You
Lastly, you must wonder how a band can get a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Here is why Green Day is an influential band throughout history, and they are still trendy.