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 best known as the lead singer for the heavy metal band Slipknot. In Slipknot, he is known as #8. He is also the lead singer and guitarist for the rock band Stone Sour, which he helped start.

Corey Taylor began Stone Sour in 1992 with drummer Joel Ekman. They played in the Des Moines, Iowa area. He joined Slipknot in late 1997, taking the place of their first singer. Since then, he has released seven studio albums with Slipknot. After Slipknot's first two albums became very popular, Taylor started Stone Sour again in 2002. His first solo album, CMFT, came out in 2020. His second solo album, CMF2, was released on September 15, 2023.

Taylor has also worked with many other bands and artists. These include Korn, Disturbed, Apocalyptica, Anthrax, and Tech N9ne.

Early Life and Inspirations

Corey Todd Taylor was born on December 8, 1973, in Des Moines, Iowa. He grew up mostly in Waterloo, Iowa, with his mother. His family moved around a lot for work. By the time he was 15, he had lived in 25 different states.

Around 1979, Taylor and his mother watched the sci-fi show Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Before the show, they saw a preview for the 1978 horror movie Halloween. Taylor said this movie helped him think about masks and horror, which later influenced his work with Slipknot. His grandmother also introduced him to rock music. She showed him Elvis Presley records from the 1950s to 1970s. He especially liked songs like "Suspicious Minds". He also started listening to Black Sabbath when he was young. Taylor decided he wanted to be a singer when he sang along to Journey's song "Separate Ways" with his cousin.

When he was nine, his mother and her boyfriend moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They were going to be security guards for actor Burt Reynolds. But they got stuck in Georgia and lost some of their belongings. By age 15, he was living in Waterloo. Later, he moved to his grandmother's house in Des Moines. She became his legal guardian so he could stay in school. She also helped him buy music equipment. He called his grandmother his "strongest influence" and his "rock." When Taylor was 18, he left his grandmother's house. He traveled around Iowa, often returning to Des Moines. He went to Lincoln High School in Des Moines but later left.

Taylor first met his father when he was 30 years old. They now have a relationship, but they don't see each other often.

Music Career

Stone Sour: The Beginning and Return

Stone Sour performing in 2010

Corey Taylor is one of the people who started the American hard rock band Stone Sour. He formed the band in 1992 with drummer Joel Ekman. Shawn Economaki joined on bass, and Josh Rand played electric guitar. Stone Sour recorded demo albums in 1993 and 1994.

In 1997, the metal band Slipknot asked Taylor to join them. This meant he left Stone Sour while they were recording a demo. Taylor did not return to Stone Sour until five years later. In 2002, he came back to record their first album, Stone Sour. Both Taylor and guitarist Josh Rand asked Jim Root, who was also Slipknot's guitarist, and Shawn Economaki to help write songs. Joel Ekman, the original drummer, also returned. They recorded the album in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Taylor performing with Stone Sour in 2013

Their first album, Stone Sour, came out on August 27, 2002. It reached number 46 on the Billboard 200 chart. Their second album, Come What(ever) May, was released on August 1, 2006. It reached number four on the Billboard 200. During the recording of Come What(ever) May, drummer Joel Ekman left the band. Roy Mayorga took his place. The band released their third album, Audio Secrecy, on September 7, 2010.

Later, Corey Taylor announced that Stone Sour would release a double album. These albums were called "House of Gold & Bones". While making these albums, bassist Shawn Economaki left the band. Johny Chow temporarily filled in for touring. The first part came out in October 2012, and the second part in April 2013. There are 23 songs in total. Taylor also wrote a four-part comic book series to go with the albums. Fans could even build a small "house of gold and bones" from the album packaging. Taylor has said he would like to make the story into a movie someday.

Slipknot: Number Eight

In Des Moines, Iowa, Joey Jordison, Shawn Crahan, and Mick Thomson asked Corey Taylor to join Slipknot. He agreed to go to a practice and sang for them. Corey was the sixth person to join the band. When he performs with Slipknot, he is known as "Number Eight." This is because the band members have numbers from 0 to 8. Shawn Crahan said Corey chose number eight because it looks like the symbol for infinity.

Corey felt he could do more with Slipknot than with Stone Sour. So, he temporarily left Stone Sour, even though they were recording an album. Taylor's first show with Slipknot was on August 24, 1997. Band members said it didn't go very well. For his first show, Taylor wore face paint instead of a mask. But for his second show on September 12, he wore a mask similar to the one on Slipknot's first album.

Taylor has recorded with Slipknot since their second demo album. As their main singer, he recorded their first album, Slipknot, in Malibu, California. This album reached number one on the Top Heatseekers chart and sold over two million copies in the United States. It was even included in the 2006 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Taylor then recorded their second album, Iowa, in 2001. It was released on August 28, 2001. This album reached number one in the UK Albums Chart and number three on the Billboard 200.

When writing Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), Taylor decided to write lyrics that would not need a warning label. This album reached number two on the Billboard 200. All Hope Is Gone was the first Slipknot album to reach number one on the Billboard 200.

Other Music Projects

Taylor has been a guest singer on albums by bands like Soulfly, Apocalyptica, Damageplan, and Steel Panther. He also helped with the Roadrunner United all-star album in 2005. He sang on the song "Rich Man." Taylor also appeared briefly in Steel Panther's music videos.

In 2006, Taylor started his own record company called Great Big Mouth Records. He has also produced two albums for other bands. In 2007, he provided spoken words for the song "Repentance" on Dream Theater's album Systematic Chaos.

In 2009, Taylor said he was planning to make a solo album. He said the songs would be different from his main bands. He described them as a mix of Foo Fighters, Johnny Cash, and Social Distortion. He mentioned a "country background" from growing up in Iowa.

On March 30, 2009, it was confirmed that Taylor and the Junk Beer Kidnap Band would play at Rockfest. They performed on April 24, 2009, in Des Moines, Iowa. This was Taylor's first official solo show. Rapper Tech N9ne later featured Taylor on his 2015 album Special Effects on the song "Wither." Taylor also tried out to be the singer for the band Velvet Revolver, but it didn't work out.

On June 21, 2018, Taylor was featured on the song "The Hunt" by Code Orange. In September 2019, he sang on a parody album of Pink Floyd's The Wall. He covered the opening theme for SpongeBob SquarePants.

Taylor released his solo album, CMFT, on October 2, 2020. The first two songs, "Black Eyes Blue" and "CMFT Must Be Stopped", came out on July 29, 2020. He later said his record label didn't do enough to promote the album.

In October 2020, Taylor mentioned a follow-up album called CMF2. He said it would be finished before a tour supporting both albums. He also covered the Metallica song "Holier Than Thou" for a charity album in September 2021.

Between January and March 2023, Taylor worked on CMF2. On April 27, 2023, he signed a new record deal to release CMF2 through his own label, Decibel Cooper Recordings. The first song from the album, "Beyond", was released on May 16, 2023.

Music Style and Influences

Taylor performing with Slipknot in 2011

In 2015, Taylor told Loudwire that he wouldn't be a musician if it weren't for Faith No More. He saw them perform "Epic" live in 1990. This performance inspired him to start writing and playing music again. He has also said that Pearl Jam greatly influenced his music. He called them "one of the biggest and best rock bands of all time."

Compared to Slipknot's previous singer, Anders Colsefni, Taylor has a vocal style that was described as "really good melodic singing." Taylor's singing includes melodic parts, growling, screaming, shouting, and even rapping. He was ranked number 86 on the Hit Parader's Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time list. His style is often compared to other singers like Ivan Moody and Phil Anselmo.

Personal Life

Corey Taylor has three children. He married Scarlett Stone in 2004, and they later divorced. He married Stephanie Luby in 2009, and they also divorced. On October 6, 2019, he married Alicia Dove, who created the dance group "Cherry Bombs."

In September 2010, Taylor announced his book, Seven Deadly Sins: Settling the Argument Between Born Bad and Damaged Good. It was released on July 12, 2011.

In August 2021, Taylor tested positive for COVID-19 after a solo tour. He had symptoms even though he was vaccinated. He said the vaccine helped prevent him from getting seriously ill.

Taylor has his own political views. He lives in both Des Moines, Iowa, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

In 2016, he had surgery on his neck. He said he had "broke [his] neck a while back [and] didn't realize it."

Solo Band Members

Current members

• Corey Taylor – vocals, guitar (2009–present), piano (2020–present)
• Christian Martucci – guitar, backing vocals (2010, 2011, 2015, 2016–2017, 2020–present)
• Zach Throne – guitar, backing vocals (2019–2021, 2021–present)
• Dustin Robert – drums (2019, 2020–present)
• Eliot Lorango – bass, backing vocals (2021–present)

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

EPs

Singles

As lead artist

Guest appearances (selected)

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Corey Taylor para niños