After spending over a decade as the drummer for Nirvana, Dave Grohl began Foo Fighters and gave rock music another reliable voice. Their 1995 debut showcased Grohl’s incredible ability to weave intricate hooks into raw, grungy riffs a la Cobain.

Successes like This album helped pave the way for subsequent efforts, including 1999’s There Is Nothing Left to Lose, 2002’s One by One, 2007’s Echoes Silence Patience & Grace and 2011’s Wasting Light. They currently hold five Grammy awards in Best Rock Album category.

Origins

The Foo Fighters were formed by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a solo project after Kurt Cobain’s death, using former Nirvana bassist Pat Smear as his sidekick and recording an initial demo tape at a tape copying facility for distribution among friends. Their name comes from World War II pilots’ use of “foo fighter” terminology for unexplained aerial phenomena as their inspiration.

Pilots from air forces around the world reported sightings of mysterious blobs resembling clouds, donuts, balls, and spheres during World War II. Pilots claimed being pursued by fast-moving foo fighters that seemed to follow their aircraft closely; these sightings eventually became a staple of UFO folklore.

Foo Fighters made a dramatic change when they released 2014’s Sonic Highways, swapping out their signature sound of distorted guitars and expansive howling for more danceable, funk-oriented songs recorded at various studios throughout the country – including the famed Sound City studio in Los Angeles where bands such as Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty and Led Zeppelin recorded classic albums.

Members

Dave Grohl, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of Foo Fighters, formed them after Nirvana co-founder Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994. He recorded their self-titled debut album all by himself with all instruments playing simultaneously.

Before the release of his album, he recruited drummer Nate Mendel and bassist William Goldsmith – both former members of Sunny Day Real Estate – as members of his new band. Their first public performance occurred in February 1995.

Stahl joined Foo Fighters as Smear’s successor and was with them until prior to recording of their third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999). For a short period, Stahl filled in for Mendel before rejoining in 2005.

Foo Fighters released their sixth studio album Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace in 2007 while also headlining at V Festival 2007. Motorhead frontman Lemmy joined them during this concert for Shake Your Blood while Brian May from Queen provided guitar tracks on Tired of You.

Debut Album

Foo Fighters’ debut album offers radio-friendly rock, as music fans had come to expect after Nirvana disbanded, but also shows they can do more than simply produce mindless singalongs. Grohl and his band managed to tone down their rough edge for this project and take on more mature songwriting approaches than previous efforts.

Frazzled spark-plug guitars on this album betrayed Grohl’s roots in Grohl’s 1980s hardcore scene, with songs featuring riffs from different rock eras — expansive Beach Boys harmony (“Exhausted”), Tom Petty at his peak (“Good Grief”), and Cheap Trick at its prime (“Fighter”). This was an impressive debut which showed that Foo Fighters would become much more than an uninspiring post-Nirvana band; rather, this album demonstrated just what would become of their powerhouse status.

Success

Foo Fighters songs, from Monkey Wrench to Everlong, have long been beloved among their followers worldwide. After seeing a video of 1,000 Italian fans in Cesena performing “Learn to Fly” as an attempt to convince the band to play there, Dave Grohl tweeted back “Ci vediamo presto!”

1997’s The Colour and the Shape marked an evolution for the band from lo-fi grunge to hard rock; this album produced their highest charting single to date: Learn to Fly; it also earned them their first Grammy award.

With an impressive network of contacts and tireless energy, this band is sought-out when music with both joy and gravitas is necessary – be it an all-star tribute to Prince on David Letterman’s final late-night show or benefit performances for musicians affected by coronavirus at the Kennedy Center.