Foo Fighters

The Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994¹. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, guitarists Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett, keyboardist Rami Jaffee and drummer Ilan Rubin. Guitarist Franz Stahl and drummers William Goldsmith, Taylor Hawkins, and Josh Freese are former members. Grohl created the Foo Fighters to release solo material after Nirvana disbanded in 1994, and recorded their eponymous debut album (1995) mostly alone in six days. After the songs drew label interest, he recruited Mendel and Goldsmith, both formerly of Sunny Day Real Estate, and Smear, who had played with Nirvana on tour. The band made their first public performance in February 1995, five months before the album's release. Goldsmith quit during the recording of their second album, The Colour and the Shape (1997), with Grohl re-recording most of the drum parts, and Smear departed soon afterward; they were replaced by Hawkins and Stahl, respectively. The latter had been in Scream, the band Grohl had drummed for before joining Nirvana. Stahl was fired before the recording of the group's third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999), and the band briefly continued as a trio until Shiflett joined after the completion of There Is Nothing Left to Lose.…

The Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, guitarists Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett, keyboardist Rami Jaffee and drummer Ilan Rubin. Guitarist Franz Stahl and drummers William Goldsmith, Taylor Hawkins, and Josh Freese are former members. Grohl created the Foo Fighters to release solo material after Nirvana disbanded in 1994, and recorded their eponymous debut album (1995) mostly alone in six days. After the songs drew label interest, he recruited Mendel and Goldsmith, both formerly of Sunny Day Real Estate, and Smear, who had played with Nirvana on tour. The band made their first public performance in February 1995, five months before the album's release. Goldsmith quit during the recording of their second album, The Colour and the Shape (1997), with Grohl re-recording most of the drum parts, and Smear departed soon afterward; they were replaced by Hawkins and Stahl, respectively. The latter had been in Scream, the band Grohl had drummed for before joining Nirvana. Stahl was fired before the recording of the group's third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999), and the band briefly continued as a trio until Shiflett joined after the completion of There Is Nothing Left to Lose. The group released their fourth album, One by One, in 2002¹, followed by the two-disc In Your Honor (2005), which was split between acoustic songs and heavier material. The Foo Fighters released their sixth album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, in 2007¹. For the Foo Fighters' seventh studio album, Wasting Light (2011), produced by Butch Vig, Smear returned as a full-time member, after having appeared frequently with the band since 2005. Sonic Highways (2014) was released as the soundtrack to the television miniseries directed by Grohl. Concrete and Gold (2017) was the second Foo Fighters album to top the charts in the United States and the first to feature Jaffee, their longtime session and touring keyboardist, as a full member. Their tenth album, Medicine at Midnight (2021), was the last before Hawkins' death in March 2022. He was replaced by Freese from 2023¹ to 2025, and Rubin from 2025 onwards. Their eleventh album, But Here We Are, was released in June 2023. Their twelfth album Your Favorite Toy was released in April 2026¹. The Foo Fighters have won 15 Grammy Awards, including Best Rock Album five times, making them among the most successful rock acts in Grammy history. In 2021, the band was announced as recipients of the first "Global Icon" award at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, their first year of eligibility.

Band members

Current Dave Grohl – lead vocals, guitar (1994–present) Nate Mendel – bass (1995–present), backing vocals (2023–present) Pat Smear – guitar (1995–1997, 2010–present; session/touring musician 2005–2010) Chris Shiflett – guitar, backing vocals (1999–present) Rami Jaffee – keyboards (2016–present; session/touring musician 2005–2016) Ilan Rubin – drums, backing vocals (2025–present) Former Franz Stahl – guitar, backing vocals (1997–1999) William Goldsmith – drums (1995–1997) Taylor Hawkins – drums (1997–2022; his death), backing vocals (2006–2022) Josh Freese – drums (2023–2025) Former session/touring musicians Drew Hester – percussion, vibraphone (2005–2008) Petra Haden – violin, mandolin, backing vocals (2005–2006) Jessy Greene – cello, violin, backing vocals (2007–2008) Barbara Gruska – backing vocals (2017–2022) Laura Mace – backing vocals (2017–2022) Samantha Sidley – backing vocals (2017–2022) Jason Falkner – guitar (2026; substitute for Pat Smear)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums Foo Fighters (1995) The Colour and the Shape (1997) There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999) One by One (2002) In Your Honor (2005) Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007) Wasting Light (2011) Sonic Highways (2014) Concrete and Gold (2017) Medicine at Midnight (2021) But Here We Are (2023) Your Favorite Toy (2026)

Tours

Foo Fighters Tour (1995–96) The Colour and the Shape Tour (1997–99) There Is Nothing Left to Lose Tour (1999–2001) One by One Tour (2002–03) In Your Honor Tour (2005–06) Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace Tour (2007–08) Wasting Light Tour (2011–12) Sonic Highways World Tour (2014–15) Concrete and Gold Tour (2017–18) Medicine at Midnight Tour (2021–22) Australia & New Zealand 2023/24 (2023–24) Everything or Nothing at All Tour (2024) Take Cover Tour (2026)

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1374472844 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.