Artist Profile
BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG, frontman of the rock band Green Day, came of age in the underground punk scene in Berkeley. Green Day’s albums include 1039/Smooth Out Slappy Hours; Kerplunk; 1994’s Dookie, which sold 15 million copies and garnered their first Grammy (and inspired a raft of imitators); Insomniac; Nimrod; Warning; 2004’s landmark American Idiot, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard chart, spawned five hit singles, and earned seven Grammy nominations (winning two,including Best Rock Album); 21st Century Breakdown (Grammy Award, Best Rock Album); and 2012’s consecutively released ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré! (as well as the behind the scenes DVD,¡Cuatro!). Last year, Armstrong and Norah Jones released Foreverly, a tribute to the Everly Brothers’ 1958 Songs Our Daddy Taught Us.The Tony and Grammy winning musical American Idiot, featuring lyrics by Armstrong, music by Green Day, and a book written by Armstrong and director Michael Mayer, opened on Broadway in 2010. Throughout its run, he made cameo appearances in the role of St. Jimmy. The recent documentary, Broadway Idiot, chronicles his road to the Great White Way. Armstrong also composed the music for These Paper Bullets currently being staged at the Yale Repertory Theatre. His other film and TV credits include This is 40, Nurse Jackie, and the upcoming feature film, Like Sunday, Like Rain. www.greenday.com