Biography of Korn

The raging grunge-metal band Korn formed in the early '90s in Bakersfield, CA. High-school friends Fieldy and David jammed together on bass and drums (respectively); they later added guitarist James Shaffer to form Creep. Second guitarist Brian Welch soon joined, and vocalist Jonathan Davis became the last cog in the group, now called Korn. Signed to Immortal/Epic amidst the wake of the grunge boom, the band recorded its self-titled debut album with producer Ross Robinson. Released in October 1994, the album slowly gained ground on metal acts due to a heavy push on college radio and Korn's incessant tour schedule -- supporting Ozzy Osbourne as well as 311, Marilyn Manson, and KMFDM. The album went gold by the time of Korn's second release, 1996's Life Is Peachy. The album rose to number three on the charts, but proved less successful than its predecessor. ~ John Bush