Corey Taylor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Corey Taylor
Taylor performing with Stone Sour in 2018
Born	Corey Todd Taylor (1973-12-08) December 8, 1973 (age 51) Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Other names	#8 Great Big Mouth Todd Tigger The Boogie Knight Neck
Occupation	Singer musician songwriter actor author
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Scarlett Stone ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2007)​ Stephanie Luby ​ ​ (m. 2009; div. 2017)​ Alicia Dove ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	3
Musical career
Origin	Waterloo, Iowa, U.S.
Genres	Nu metal alternative metal groove metal heavy metal hard rock post-grunge
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Labels	Roadrunner BMG

Corey Todd Taylor (born December 8, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter, author, and actor. He is famous for being the lead singer of the heavy metal band Slipknot, where he is known as #8. He is also the lead singer and guitarist for the rock band Stone Sour.

Taylor started Stone Sour with drummer Joel Ekman in 1992. They played in the Des Moines, Iowa area and recorded a demo. In 1997, he joined Slipknot as their new lead singer and has made seven studio albums with them. After Slipknot became very successful, Taylor brought Stone Sour back to record an album in 2002.

He has also released two solo albums, CMFT in 2020 and CMF2 in 2023. Taylor has worked with many other bands, including Korn, Disturbed, Apocalyptica, and Steel Panther.

Early Life and Influences

Corey Todd Taylor was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He was raised mostly by his mother in Waterloo, Iowa. Because his family moved often for work, he had lived in 25 different states by the time he was 15.

His interest in horror themes and masks started when he saw a trailer for the 1978 horror movie Halloween. He said this experience helped shape the ideas he would later use in Slipknot.

His grandmother introduced him to rock music by showing him her collection of Elvis Presley records. He also started listening to the band Black Sabbath at a young age. He knew he wanted to be a singer after singing along to the song "Separate Ways" by Journey with his cousin.

Taylor had a difficult childhood. When he was a teenager, his grandmother took legal custody of him so he could stay in school. She helped him buy musical equipment and was a very important and supportive person in his life.

Music Career

Stone Sour

Stone Sour performing in 2010

Taylor is one of the original members of the American hard rock band Stone Sour. He started the band in 1992 with drummer Joel Ekman. In 1997, Taylor left Stone Sour to join Slipknot.

Five years later, in 2002, Taylor got back together with the original members of Stone Sour to record their first album. Their self-titled album, Stone Sour, was released on August 27, 2002. Their second album, Come What(ever) May, came out in 2006 and was very successful. The band released their third album, Audio Secrecy, in 2010.

Later, Stone Sour released a special two-part album called House of Gold & Bones. Part 1 was released in 2012, and Part 2 came out in 2013. Taylor also wrote a four-part comic book series that tells the same story as the albums.

Slipknot

Taylor performing with Stone Sour in 2013

While living in Des Moines, Taylor was asked by Joey Jordison, Shawn Crahan, and Mick Thomson to join their band, Slipknot. He agreed and became the sixth member to join the band of nine.

In Slipknot, each member has a number from 0 to 8. Taylor chose the number eight because he felt it represented infinity. When performing with Slipknot, he is known for wearing unique masks that change with each album.

Taylor felt he could be more creative in Slipknot, so he left Stone Sour for a while. His first show with Slipknot was in August 1997. He recorded his first album with them, Slipknot, which was released in 1999. The album was very popular and became a double-platinum record in the United States.

The band's second album, Iowa (2001), was also a huge success, reaching number one on the album charts in the United Kingdom. Later albums like Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) and All Hope Is Gone continued the band's success, with All Hope Is Gone becoming Slipknot's first album to reach number one in the U.S.

Solo Career and Other Projects

Besides his main bands, Taylor has worked with many other artists. He has been a guest musician on albums by Soulfly, Apocalyptica, and Steel Panther. He also sang on the song "Rich Man" for the Roadrunner United all-star album in 2005.

In 2009, Taylor started performing solo shows with his band, the Junk Beer Kidnap Band. He has also performed in cover bands that play punk rock and songs by Tenacious D.

On October 2, 2020, Taylor released his first solo album, CMFT. His second solo album, CMF2, was released on September 15, 2023. In 2024, he was featured on the rock concept album The Singularity by composer Bear McCreary.

Musical Style

Taylor performing with Slipknot in 2011

Taylor has said that the band Faith No More was a major inspiration for him. After seeing them perform their song "Epic" on TV, he was inspired to start writing and performing music again. He also considers Pearl Jam a huge influence.

Taylor is known for his wide vocal range. He can switch between melodic singing, growling, screaming, and even rapping. Because of his unique vocal abilities, he was ranked number 86 on Hit Parader magazine's list of the "Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time."

Personal Life

Taylor has three children. He has a son, born in 2002, with his first wife, Scarlett. He also has a daughter from a previous relationship. Taylor and Scarlett were married from 2004 to 2007. He was married to his second wife, Stephanie Luby, from 2009 to 2017. In 2019, he married Alicia Dove, the creator of the dance group "Cherry Bombs."

Taylor has faced personal challenges in his life but has worked through them with the support of friends and family.

He has co-hosted the Kerrang! Awards with Scott Ian from the band Anthrax. In 2011, he released a book called Seven Deadly Sins: Settling the Argument Between Born Bad and Damaged Good.

Taylor has said he is a political centrist. He lives in both Las Vegas, Nevada, and Des Moines, Iowa.

Discography

Studio Albums

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Corey Taylor para niños