Rob Bourdon
American former drummer (born 1979)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Gregory Bourdon (born January 20, 1979)[1][2] is an American former musician, best known as a co-founding member and the former drummer of the rock band Linkin Park.[3] He remained in the band until their hiatus in 2017; when the band members began working together out of the public eye in 2019, he declined to rejoin the band and was succeeded by Colin Brittain.
January 20, 1979
- Drums
- percussion
Rob Bourdon | |
|---|---|
Bourdon with Linkin Park at Rock'n'Heim 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Robert Gregory Bourdon January 20, 1979 Calabasas, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1996–2017 |
| Formerly of |
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| Website | linkinpark |
| Signature | |
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Early life
Bourdon was born in Calabasas, California.[1] He received classical piano lessons at a young age.[4] He was inspired to play the drums after attending an Aerosmith concert, where he was personally introduced to drummer Joey Kramer.[4][5] He also cites Tower of Power and Earth, Wind and Fire as his early influences.[5] Bourdon attended Agoura High School in Agoura Hills where he met future bandmates Brad Delson and Mike Shinoda, in the high school's jazz band.[5] Bourdon waited tables at a restaurant and worked as a party coordinator at a bowling alley prior to becoming a full-time musician.[6] He attended Santa Monica College where he studied accounting.[6]
Career
Bourdon and Brad Delson formed their own band, Relative Degree.[5] The band played a sell-out concert at the Roxy Theatre before breaking up.[5]
Bourdon later joined Delson and Mike Shinoda to form Linkin Park, then known as Xero, in 1996.[6] The band enjoyed mainstream success with their debut album, Hybrid Theory (2000), which would later go on to become 12× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[6] Bourdon served as Linkin Park's drummer for seven studio albums and many international tours.[6] Beyond drums and percussion, he also handled the band's business operations with Delson and bassist Dave Farrell.[4]
Bourdon played the drums for ten hours a day for seven consecutive days, mainly practicing "Keys to the Kingdom", during the production of the band's sixth studio album, The Hunting Party. He injured his back, but later recovered.[7]
He remained with Linkin Park through 2017, when the band went on hiatus following the death of vocalist Chester Bennington.[8] Bourdon later informed the other members that he wished to distance himself from the band, and did not participate in re-release promotional activities or the 2024 compilation album Papercuts. Linkin Park announced their reformation on September 5, 2024, with new members, including Colin Brittain replacing Bourdon.[9][10][11]
Musical influences
Bourdon's musical influences include Led Zeppelin, Tower of Power, Aerosmith, The Police, Bad Religion, Steely Dan, System of a Down, Incubus, and Dave Matthews Band.[12]
Personal life
Bourdon resides in Los Angeles,[13] and is Jewish.[14]
Discography
With Linkin Park
- Hybrid Theory (2000)
- Meteora (2003)
- Minutes to Midnight (2007)
- A Thousand Suns (2010)
- Living Things (2012)
- The Hunting Party (2014)
- One More Light (2017)
