Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972, in Oakland, California) is the main songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist for the multiplatinum-selling rock band Green Day.
Armstrong grew up in Rodeo, California, the youngest of six children. The official name on his birth certificate is "Billie Joe" rather than the more traditional "William Joseph". His father, Andy Armstrong, was a retired Minor League Baseball catcher, who worked as a jazz musician and truck driver to support the family. He died of lung cancer on September 15, 1982 when Billie Joe was ten. His mother Ollie Armstrong worked as a waitress at Rod's Hickory Pit, where Billie Joe and Mike Dirnt worked during theirteen years.
Billie Joe's interest in music started at a young age. He recorded a song titled "Look For Love" at the age of 5 on Bay Area label Fiat Records. As a teenager he originally was into metal music, but got into punk after hearing the Sex Pistols song Holidays in the Sun. He attended high school at John Swett High School,later attended Pinole Valley High School, and dropped out on February 16, 1990, the day before he turned 18, to pursue his musical career. He was nicknamed "Two Dollar Bill", because he was supplying the school with joints for two dollars, and also played on the football team.
Music Career
In 1987, Armstrong formed a band called Sweet Children with childhood friend Mike Dirnt. In 1989 they joined up with drummer Al Sobrante and become known as Green Day. That same year they recorded the EP 1,000 Hours, on Lookout! Records. Sobrante eventually left Green Day in order to go to college, and was eventually replaced by Tré Cool, who made his debut on Green Day's second album, Kerplunk!. With their next album, Dookie, the band broke through into the mainstream, and have remained one of the most popular rock bands, (and the most successful punk band , of the 1990's and 2000's with over 85 million records sold worldwide
Personal Life
In 1990 while playing a show in Minnesota, Armstrong met local resident Adrienne Nesser when she went up to him after the show, asking where she could buy a copy of the band's album. The two kept in touch over the phone, and Armstrong arranged two tours around Minnesota, simply for the purpose of seeing her. In 1994 she moved to California, and the two became engaged. They were married two weeks later on July 2, 1994. Because of financial issues, the couple spent a week in the Claremont Hotel for their honeymoon, a 10-minute walk away from their house. The day after the wedding, Adrienne found out she was pregnant with their first son. He has two children; Their first son, Joseph Marcicano Armstrong, was born in February 1995 and Jakob Danger (born September 12, 1998).
