Greenday is an American punk rock trio composed of Tre Cool on drums, Mike Dirnt on bass and Billie Joe Armstrong on lead vocals and guitars. They have backup members for guitars (Jason White), keyboards (Jason Freese) and trumpet (Ronnie Blake).
Greenday's first major breakthrough was when they performed on Sesame Street. Since then, they have sold over 25 million records in the U.S. alone and over 65 million albums worldwide, making them one of the most successful punk rock bands.
During the mid-90s, Greenday revived the popularity of the punk rock scene. Their success and that of similar bands have influenced the new generation of punk rock bands like Good Charlotte and Sum41.
Green Day have won three Grammy Awards: Best Rock Album for "American Idiot," Best Alternative Album for "Dookie" and Record of the Year for the single "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."
Green Day's Early Years and the Success of "Dookie"
The story of Green Day started when childhood friends Mike Dirnt and Billy Joe Armstrong, who were both 14 years old in 1986, decided to form a two-person band that they called "Sweet Children."
In 1998 Al Sobrante joined the band as their drummer. The three-piece band soon switched their band name to "Green Day" after a marijuana incident and played their first performance at Sobrante's school in Contra Costa College, San Pablo, California.
When Larry Livermore of Lookout! Records saw Green Day perform, he offered the band a record deal. They immediately released their first EP in 1989 called "1,000 Hours" and their first LP in 1990 entitled "39/Smooth." The band recorded two other EPs.
In early 1991 Green Day released their second album, known as "Kerplunk!" under Lookout! Records, featuring Tre Cool on drums. The second album sold over 50,000 albums in the U.S. alone and over 2 million records worldwide.
Green Day Shifts to Reprise Records
With the release of the successful "Kerplunk!" album, Green Day was a focus of major record labels, and the band ultimately left Lookout! Records. Although many fans regarded Green Day as a sell-out, the trio had no choice but to move on and produce good punk rock music.
In 1994 "Dookie," which was recorded in a mere three weeks, became a major commercial hit. Songs like "Basket Case," "When I Come Around" and "Longview" all became number-one songs on different chards. The following year, Green Day was nominated for nine awards, winning Best Alternative Album.
Green Day's third album, "Insomniac," comprised a darker and more melodic style of songs, like "Walking Contradiction," "Stuck With Me" and "Brain Stew/Jaded." After winning an MTV Video Music Award, Green Day took a break from producing music and performing concerts, claiming exhaustion.
In 1996, after their much-criticized break, Greenday recorded and released their "Nimrod" album. Major hit songs like "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," "Redundant" and "Hitchin' a Ride" were products of the band's experimental style, far from their standard pop punk rock signature.
The Future of Green Day
When Green Day came back to the music scene in 2000, they released an album called "Warning:" which reflects a more mature version of their music. This album won eight awards at the California Music Awards in 2001. In 2004 Green Day released the 2004 "American Idiot" album, which instantly became number one on different music charts.
All throughout 2005, Green Day spent 150 dates promoting their album on a worldwide tour. The following year Green Day won awards for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," which spent an impressive 16 weeks in the number-one position on Billboard's Chart.
To this day, Green Day remains a strong influence to modern punk rock bands.
