List of Bad Religion band members
| Bad Religion | |
|---|---|
 Bad Religion in Stockholm, 2004 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | BR |
| Origin | Woodland Hills, California, USA |
| Genres | Punk rock, Melodic hardcore, Hardcore punk |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Members |
Greg Graffin Brett Gurewitz Mike Dimkich Brian Baker Jay Bentley Brooks Wackerman |
| Past members |
Jay Ziskrout Pete Finestone Paul Dedona Davy Goldman Greg Hetson Tim Gallegos John Albert Lucky Lehrer Bobby Schayer |
Bad Religion is an American punk rock band which currently consists of vocalist Greg Graffin, guitarists Brett Gurewitz, Greg Hetson, and Brian Baker, bassist Jay Bentley and drummer Brooks Wackerman. The band was formed in Southern California in 1979,[1] and originally comprised Graffin on vocals, Gurewitz on guitar, Bentley on bass and Jay Ziskrout on drums.
The first Bad Religion line-up released one EP and one album, before Ziskrout left in 1981 and was replaced by Pete Finestone, who had contributed some of the tracks to their first album. The second lineup lasted until around the end of 1982, when Bentley and Finestone left the band while commencing work on a second album. The duo were replaced by Paul Dedona and Davy Goldman. After the release of their second album, Gurewitz, Dedona and Goldman all left Bad Religion in early 1984, leaving Graffin the only remaining original member. Bad Religion went on hiatus for a while before Graffin resurrected the band in 1984 with a new lineup, featuring Circle Jerks guitarist Greg Hetson, Tim Gallegos on bass and Finestone returning on drums, to record a one-off EP. However, the reunion did not last and Bad Religion split up once again in 1985.
In 1986, the band was back together again, with the "classic lineup" of Graffin, Gurewitz, Hetson, Bentley and Finestone. After this lineup recorded three acclaimed albums, Suffer (1988), No Control (1989) and Against the Grain (1990), Finestone left Bad Religion for good in 1991 and was replaced by a then-unknown drummer named Bobby Schayer. Bad Religion recorded three more albums, and Gurewitz left the band just prior to the release of their highly successful 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction. Brian Baker (of Minor Threat and Dag Nasty fame) became his full-time replacement. Bad Religion decided to continue performing without Gurewitz, and recorded three albums, which were less successful than Stranger Than Fiction. The next lineup change took place in 2001 when Gurewitz, who had temporarily reunited with Graffin around 1999 to co-write a song, rejoined just in time to record the Process of Belief album. Also in 2001, Schayer left and was replaced by Brooks Wackerman, formerly of Infectious Grooves, Suicidal Tendencies and The Vandals. The lineup had since remained constant, although the band frequently tours without Gurewitz due to his commitments with Epitaph Records. Bad Religion's first lineup change in 12 years took place in April 2013 when Hetson went on hiatus from touring, likely due to the divorce of his second wife Alva.[2] Hetson has since been replaced by former Cult touring member Mike Dimkich.[3][4]
Current members
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- Greg Graffin
- Active: 1979–present
- Instruments: lead vocals
- Release contributions: all Bad Religion releases
- Brett Gurewitz
- Active: 1979–1984, 1986–1994, 2001–present
- Instruments: guitar, vocals
- Release contributions: all Bad Religion releases from Bad Religion (1981) to Into the Unknown (1983), then from Suffer (1988) to Stranger Than Fiction (1994) and from The Process of Belief (2002) to present
- Gurewitz co-produced Back to the Known (1985) during his first departure. He co-wrote "Believe It", which appears on The New America (2000), but did not officially rejoin Bad Religion again until 2001.
- Brian Baker
- Active: 1994–present
- Instruments: guitar, vocals
- Release contributions: all Bad Religion releases from The Gray Race (1996) to present
- Baker also appeared on the live tracks on the compilation album All Ages (1995), making this his first recording with Bad Religion.
- Mike Dimkich
- Active: 2013–present
- Instruments: guitar
- Release contributions: none so far
- Jay Bentley
- Active: 1979–1982, 1986–present
- Instruments: bass, vocals
- Release contributions: all Bad Religion releases (except Into the Unknown and Back to the Known)
- Brooks Wackerman
- Active: 2001–present
- Instruments: drums, percussion
- Release contributions: all Bad Religion releases from The Process of Belief to present
Former members
- Greg Hetson
- Active: 1984–2013
- Instruments: guitar, vocals
- Release contributions: all Bad Religion releases from Back to the Known (1985) to True North (2013)
- Prior to joining Bad Religion, Hetson made a guest appearance as a guitarist on Part III from How Could Hell Be Any Worse? (1982)
- Paul Dedona
- Active: 1982–1984
- Instruments: bass
- Release contributions: Into the Unknown (1983)
- Tim Gallegos
- Active: 1984–1985
- Instruments: bass
- Release contributions: Back to the Known (1985)
- Jay Ziskrout
- Active: 1979–1981
- Instruments: drums
- Release contributions: Bad Religion (1981), How Could Hell Be Any Worse? (1982)
- Pete Finestone
- Active: 1981–1982, 1984–1985, 1986–1991, 2003 (did only one reunion show with Bad Religion in Las Vegas)
- Instruments: drums
- Release contributions: How Could Hell Be Any Worse? (1982) and from Back to the Known (1985) to Against the Grain (1990)
- Davy Goldman
- Active: 1982–1984
- Instruments: drums
- Release contributions: Into the Unknown (1983)
- John Albert
- Active: 1985–1986
- Instruments: drums
- Release contributions: none
- Lucky Lehrer
- Active: 1986
- Instruments: drums
- Release contributions: none
- Bobby Schayer
- Active: 1991–2001
- Instruments: drums
- Release contributions: all Bad Religion releases from Generator (1992) to The New America (2000)
Timeline
Although Greg Graffin is the only constant member of the band's line-up, the band currently features two other original members, Brett Gurewitz and Jay Bentley.
References
- ↑ According to the booklet of the Live at the Palladium DVD, Bad Religion started in 1979 in Woodland Hills.
- ↑ http://noisecreep.com/bad-religion-greg-hetson-wife-legal-action-against-each-other/
- ↑ "True North as Team Coco web exclusive". The Bad Religion Page. January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
- ↑ "Does this make it official? It seems so". The Bad Religion Page. January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
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