List of Slipknot members
Slipknot is a heavy metal band formed by vocalist and percussionist Anders Colsefni, guitarists Donnie Steele and Josh "Gnar" Brainard, bassist Paul Gray, drummer Joey Jordison and percussionist Shawn Crahan, in Des Moines, Iowa.[1] Since its inception in 1995, the band has gone through multiple lineup changes, many occurring before the release of its debut album Slipknot, in 1999. The band is known for its large lineup, which consists of nine members, including a vocalist, two guitarists, a bassist, a primary drummer and two additional percussionists, a sampler, and a turntablist.[2]
In 1996, during the mixing stage of the band's demo album Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat., Slipknot saw its first lineup change when guitarist Donnie Steele left the band and was replaced by Craig Jones.[3] Shortly after, drummer Jordison suggested they would need a full-time sampler and Jones fit the position as "he liked doing that anyway."[4] Mick Thomson was brought in to fill the open position on guitar. After the release of Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. the band members were working on new material which required more vocal melody and vocalist Colsefni struggled with this.[5] In 1997, Corey Taylor was recruited from local band Stone Sour and after practicing with Slipknot "everything just clicked."[6][7] As a result, Colsefni was moved to backing vocals and percussion. However, Colsefni became unhappy with his new role and left the band a month later.[8]
Wanting to retain their percussive edge, the band chose Greg Welts as Colsefni's replacement.[9] Towards the end of 1997, each member chose a number as his alias.[10] Slipknot considered including a DJ in their lineup, but had difficulty finding one because "the people [they] knew who were DJs all sucked!"[11] Sid Wilson approached the band after seeing them live. He proceeded to impress the band with his ability and his antics, especially his crowd surfing skills.; Wilson was considered "Slipknot material" and his hiring brought the lineup to nine members.[12] In 1998, Welts was asked to leave the band and was replaced by Brandon Darner,[13] who, in turn, didn't stay for long and was replaced by Chris Fehn.[14][15] The final change in the lineup came in the latter stages of the recording of the band's debut album, Slipknot, in 1999; during a break in recording, Brainard decided to leave the band and was replaced by Jim Root.[16]
This lineup remained unchanged until May 2010, when bassist Paul Gray was discovered dead in a hotel room near his Iowa home. On June 21, the cause of his death was confirmed as an accidental overdose of morphine and fentanyl, a synthetic morphine substitute.[17] The band's performances in 2011, 2012 and 2013 were played with former guitarist Donnie Steele filling in for Gray, although he was kept backstage.[18][19] Joey Jordison parted ways with the band in late 2013. The band recruited bassist Alessandro Venturella and drummer Jay Weinberg for the recording of their first album in six years in 2014, titled .5: The Gray Chapter, and subsequent tours. As of 2015, the two are now official members of the band.
Members
Current
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Shawn "Clown" Crahan (#6) | 1995–present | all Slipknot releases | |
 |
Craig "133" Jones (#5) | 1996–present | all Slipknot releases from Slipknot demo (1998) to present | |
 |
Mick Thomson (#7) | 1996–present | guitars | all Slipknot releases from Slipknot demo (1998) to present |
 |
Corey Taylor (#8) | 1997–present | vocals | all Slipknot releases from Slipknot demo (1998) to present |
 |
Sid Wilson (#0) | 1998–present | turntables | all Slipknot releases from Slipknot demo (1998) to present |
 |
Chris Fehn (#3) | 1998–present |
|
all Slipknot releases from Slipknot (1999) to present |
 |
Jim Root (#4) | 1999–present | guitars | all Slipknot releases from Slipknot (1999) to present – "Purity" and "Me Inside" only on Slipknot |
| Alessandro Venturella | 2014–present | bass | .5: The Gray Chapter (2014) | |
.jpg) |
Jay Weinberg | 2014–present | drums | .5: The Gray Chapter (2014) |
Former
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donnie Steele |
|
|
Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. (1996) and .5: The Gray Chapter (2014) | |
 |
Joey Jordison (#1) | 1995–2013 | drums | all Slipknot releases from Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. (1996) to (sic)nesses (2010) |
 |
Paul Gray (#2) | 1995–2010 |
|
all Slipknot releases from Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. (1996) to (sic)nesses (2010) |
| Josh "Gnar" Brainard (#4) | 1995–1998 | guitars |
| |
| Anders Colsefni | 1995–1997 |
|
Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. (1996) | |
| Greg "Cuddles" Welts (#3) | 1997–1998 | custom percussion | Slipknot demo (1998) | |
| Brandon Darner (#3) | 1998 | custom percussion | none | |
| Quan Nong | 1995 | guitars | none |
Timeline
References
- Arnopp, Jason (2001). Slipknot: Inside the Sickness, Behind the Masks. Ebury. ISBN 0-09-187933-7.
- McIver, Joel (2003). Slipknot: Unmasked (Again). Omnibus. ISBN 0-7119-9764-0.
Footnotes
- ↑ Arnopp 2001, pp. 40–42
- ↑ "Allmusic Slipknot biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
- ↑ Arnopp 2001, pp. 50–51
- ↑ Arnopp 2001, p. 57
- ↑ Arnopp 2001, p. 70
- ↑ McIver 2003, pp. 41–42
- ↑ Arnopp 2001, p. 74
- ↑ McIver 2003, pp. 44–45
- ↑ McIver 2003, p. 47
- ↑ Arnopp 2001, pp. 80–81
- ↑ McIver 2003, p. 50
- ↑ Arnopp 2001, pp. 91–93
- ↑ McIver 2003, p. 54
- ↑ McIver 2003, p. 57
- ↑ Arnopp 2001, pp. 78–79
- ↑ McIver 2003, pp. 61–63
- ↑ Goldsmith, Belinda (2010-06-22). "Slipknot Bassist Died of 'Accidental' Overdose". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
- ↑ "Slipknot reveal Paul Gray replacement for summer gigs". BBC. 2011-03-11. Retrieved 2011-03-12.
- ↑ Adler, Shawn (2011-05-24). "Slipknot Reveal Donnie To Replace Deceased Bassist Paul Gray". Retrieved 2011-07-13.
External links
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