In 1996, Linkin Park was formed in Agoura Hills, California. And ever since they got together, they have been able to sell over fifty million albums as a band. They have also already bagged two Grammy Awards. Along with their debut album, which was Hybrid Theory, they were able to instantly achieve mainstream success.
With the albums Hybrid Theory and Meteora, Linkin Park was recognized for their adaptation of new metal to a more radio-friendly version. However, they shifted away from this and then explored other genres in Minutes to Midnight, which is their latest album. They have also done a couple of collaborations with some well-known artists such as Jay-Z in their album Collision Course and with other artists in the album Reanimation.
Linkin Park originally consisted of three friends who all went to Agoura High School. These three were Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon and Brad Delson. After they graduated from high school, they began to pursue their interests in music with more hard work and dedication. They then recruited Joe Hahn, Mar Wakefield and Dave "Phoenix" Farrell to join them as they formed their band, which was then called Xero. Although the group had limited resources, they were able to begin producing and recording songs as they hung out in Mike Shinoda’s bedroom studio.
After they failed to get a recording deal, tension and frustration grew among them. This eventually caused the then vocalist of the group, Wakefield to leave and look for other projects. Later, Farrell also left the band as he participated in tours of various other bands.
The group then searched for a replacement vocalist who ended up to be Chester Bennington, who was a former member of Grey Daze, a grunge band from Arizona. The band then changed their group name to Hybrid Theory from Xero. And after Bennington was taken in, they all worked on some new material. And shortly after that, the name of the group was again changed to Linkin Park, which was actually in honor of Santa Monica’s Lincoln Park. The band eventually met and asked for help from Jeff Blue, who is now Warner Brothers Records’ Vice President. He was able to get them a deal with the recording company in 1999. The group then had their first album, Hybrid Theory released the succeeding year.
Today, they have already released five successful albums, which were Hybrid Theory in 2000, Reanimation in 2002, Meteora in 2003, Collision Course in 2004 and Minutes to Midnight in 2007.
What I've Done - Linkin Park
Linkin Park Discography
Demos and EPs
Xero demo tape (1997)
Hybrid Theory EP (1999)
Albums
Hybrid Theory (2000)
Reanimation (2002)
Meteora (2003)
Collision Course (with Jay-Z) (2004)
Minutes to Midnight (2007)
Live albums
Live in Texas (2003)