Jonathan Davis
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| Jonathan Davis | ||
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 Jonathan Davis at the Gears of War promotional event hosted at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, October 25, 2006
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Jonathan Houseman Davis | |
| Born | January 18, 1971 (age 36) | |
| Origin | Bakersfield, California | |
| Genre(s) | alternative metal[1] | |
| Instrument(s) | Bagpipes Vocals Drums Glass Harmonica Harp |
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| Years active | 1993 - present | |
| Associated acts |
Korn Sexart |
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| Website | www.korn.com | |
Jonathan Houseman Davis (born January 18, 1971) is the vocalist for the multiplatinum nu metal[2] band, Korn. He was born and raised in Bakersfield, California, where he lived with his father and step-mother. Growing up, Davis faced many hardships (including alleged child abuse at the hands of his step-mother, sexual abuse from a bisexual male neighbor, and violent schoolyard bullying), which he later used to inspire his song writing.
As well as being the lead singer, he is also a drummer and has performed as such on the band's 4th release Issues, he also played drums during the cover of "Earache My Eye" on Follow the Leader. Jonathan also plays bagpipes in Korn. It has been noted that he could play nine instruments by the age of twelve including the clarinet, violin and piano.
Jonathan writes songs on guitar and other various instruments, such as a glass harmonica and bagpipes.
Jonathan was the last member to join Korn. James 'Munky' Shaffer and Brian 'Head' Welch discovered Jonathan in a bar, initially intending to only stay for a few minutes. Upon seeing Jonathan performing with his then-band Sexart, however, they were compelled to stay for the whole set, and as soon as the set was over approached Davis with an offer to join the band. Upon consulting a psychic, he agreed, and Korn was formed.
In early days, he was known for wearing Adidas tracksuits on stage, which became a some kind of "trademark" of all Korn fans. He also used to wear a customized sequined Adidas tracksuit. Later, that clothing brand was replaced by Puma, leaving Adidas in the dust. He has also performed wearing various dark colored kilts to reflect his style and his Scottish heritage.
With Jonathan the band became a sensation, hitting it big in their early days with songs such as Blind and A.D.I.D.A.S., and staying consistently popular since (though their popularity peaked at Follow the Leader). Since their inception in 1993, they have released 7 albums and a Greatest Hits compilation, achieving Platinum certification at least for each.
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[edit] Vocal Style
Davis has displayed a wide variety of vocal styles over the years. His scat, or incredibly fast and Gibberish-style singing, is very prominent in Korn. He screams, whispers, wails, and sometimes even weeps during songs. Many of his techniques can be traced to avant-garde vocalist Mike Patton. This unique combination has made Davis an individual and role model, influencing people like Evanescence's Amy Lee and Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour.
[edit] Personal life
Davis is the older half brother of former Adema vocalist, now vocalist for Midnight Panic, Mark Chavez. He helped promote Adema's second album, Unstable.
As a child, Davis was sexually abused by a close friend of his family. The song Daddy is about this abuse and the fact that his parents didn't believe it was happening.[3] Davis also wrote a song titled "Clown" which was inspired by an incident at an earlier performance where an upset individual swung and punched him on stage and insulted him.
Davis' earliest musical inspiration as a child was the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". It was also during his childhood that he received his first drum kit and began his interest in music, eventually leading to a life-long passion and eventually a professional career as the lead singer of Korn.
Davis suffered from asthma as a child, having a near fatal attack at the age of 5 which hospitalized him. He noted in a 2004 interview that he was in and out of the hospital frequently as a child. His asthma has improved greatly and he's "...pretty much outgrown it." [4]
Davis has married twice, marrying his high school sweetheart, Renee Perez, in 1998 in a Medieval themed ceremony. Together they had a son, Nathan Houseman Davis, but were divorced in 2001. On October 5, 2004, a decade after the release of Korn's first album he married again in Hawaii, this time to former adult film actress Devon Davis (who coincidentally already shared his last name). In 2005 their first child, Pirate Howsmon Davis, was born.
Davis has announced that he and his wife are expecting a new baby in April, a boy they plan to name Zeppelin.
Davis has been sober from drugs and alcohol since August 22, 1998.[citation needed] He has stated that he gave them up "cold turkey."
[edit] Illness
Jonathan Davis was unable to perform at the 2006 Download Festival after being admitted to a London hospital with an unconfirmed illness on June 10. It was later established to be idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, with doctors ordering Davis not to perform for several weeks. The band is hoping to provide new dates for the shows cancelled as a result of Davis' illness.[6]
Due to Davis' absence at the 2006 Download Festival, Korn played a shortened set with several guest vocalists from other bands present. These included Corey Taylor from Slipknot/Stone Sour, Matt Heafy from Trivium, Jesse Hasek from 10 Years, Benji Webbe from Skindred, M. Shadows from Avenged Sevenfold and Dez Fafara from Devil Driver.[7]
[edit] Trivia
- Davis bought the clown suit worn by John Wayne Gacy.
- Davis owns Ted Bundy's Volkswagen
- Davis owns the mailbag used by David Berkowitz
- Davis worked as a mortician for several years when he was younger.
- He plays World of Warcraft in the Stonemaul server under the name Hiver.
- His nickname is HIV (pronounced hiv). This nickname was given to him when he was a teenager due to the fact that he was very skinny, appearing to have AIDS.
- He helped produce Criss Angel's Mindfreak theme song.
[edit] References
- ^ All Music Guide - Korn. Retrieved on January 24, 2007.
- ^ All Music Guide - Korn. Retrieved on January 24, 2007.
- ^ Barry Walters (December 1999). Jonathan Davis, Public Freak on a Leash, Lashes Back. The Village Voice. Retrieved on January 28, 2007.
- ^ Karen Bondowski (2004). Korns' Jonathan Davis alive and well (sort of). concertlivewire.com. Retrieved on December 28, 2006.
- ^ For The Record: Quick News On 3 Doors Down, Korn, Pearl Jam, Tyler Perry, Monica, Mike Patton, The Cure & More. MTV (2005). Retrieved on December 28, 2006.
- ^ Jonathan Coen (2006). Davis Taken Ill, Korn Cancels European Tour. Billboard.com. Retrieved on December 28, 2006.
- ^ http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/korn_frontman_hospitalized_band_plays_with_various_vocalists.html
[edit] External links
