Dave Fortman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dave Fortman
Fortman in 2016
Background information
Born	(1967-07-11) July 11, 1967 (age 57) Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Hard rock alternative rock alternative metal heavy metal
Occupation(s)	Record producer musician songwriter
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1989–present

Dave Fortman (born July 11, 1967) is an American music producer and musician. He is the guitarist for the rock band Ugly Kid Joe. He has also worked as a producer for many other famous bands. These include Godsmack, Slipknot, and Simple Plan. He also helped create two very popular albums for Evanescence, called The Open Door and Fallen. Both of these albums sold millions of copies.

Early Years and First Bands

Dave Fortman was born in Orlando, Florida. When he was in junior high school, he played the trumpet in the marching band. In 1984, while still in high school, he started a band called SX. He formed this band with two friends, John Licali and John McNeely. In 1990, the band moved to Los Angeles. They hoped to find a record deal there. That same year, Dave joined another band called Sugartooth. Through Sugartooth's lawyer, who also managed Ugly Kid Joe, Dave met the lead singer and guitarist of Ugly Kid Joe.

Playing with Ugly Kid Joe

Dave Fortman joined Ugly Kid Joe in 1992. He played guitar on their very successful album, America's Least Wanted. This album sold many millions of copies. He also wrote a song on that album called "Busy Bee". Dave continued to play and write songs with Ugly Kid Joe until 1997. He helped create songs for their albums Menace to Sobriety and Motel California.

The band got back together in 2011. Dave played guitar and produced their EP Stairway to Hell in 2012. He also worked on their full album Uglier Than They Used ta Be in 2015.

Fortman with Ugly Kid Joe at Wacken Open Air in 2017

In the summer of 2017, Fortman went on tour with Ugly Kid Joe in Europe. This was his first tour with them since 1997. During this tour, he performed with Amy Lee from Evanescence. She sang "Cats in the Cradle" with the band at a festival in Belgium. He also toured with Ugly Kid Joe in Australia in December 2017. In April 2018, he joined them for an "America's Least Wanted Anniversary tour" in Europe.

Career as a Producer

After Ugly Kid Joe broke up in 1997, Fortman moved back to Covington, Louisiana. He started a small recording studio there called Balance Studios. He worked with his longtime friend Gene Joanen. Some of his first recordings and productions were for bands like Superjoint Ritual and Crowbar.

In 2001, Fortman recorded a demo for a local band called 12 Stones. This demo quickly became popular. It led to the band getting a record deal. In 2002, Dave was hired to produce music for Evanescence. At that time, Evanescence was a new band from Little Rock, Arkansas.

In March 2003, Evanescence's album Fallen was released. It sold 17 million copies around the world. The album also received four Grammy nominations. These included Song of the Year for "Bring Me to Life". The album has been certified platinum in 33 countries.

In 2004, Fortman produced Mudvayne's album Lost and Found. This album was very successful. It sold over 1 million copies and reached number 2 on the Billboard charts. Later that year, he worked with Amy Lee again. They made Evanescence's second album, The Open Door. This album came out in 2006. It reached number 1 in the US, Australia, and other countries. It sold more than 7 million copies worldwide.

In late 2007, Fortman was hired to produce Slipknot's album All Hope Is Gone. When it was released in 2009, it had five popular songs, including "Snuff" and "Psychosocial". The album sold over 1 million copies in the US and over 2 million worldwide. In late 2009, Fortman worked with Ugly Kid Joe drummer Shannon Larkin again. Shannon was now the drummer for Godsmack. Dave was hired to produce Godsmack's album The Oracle. This album was certified gold in 2011.

Fortman worked with Godsmack again in 2014 for their album 1000 HP. He also produced vocals and mixed Godsmack frontman Sully Erna's solo album, Hometown Life, in 2016.

Discography

Ugly Kid Joe

• America's Least Wanted (1992)
• Menace to Sobriety (1995)
• Motel California (1996)
• Uglier Than They Used ta Be (2015)
• Rad Wings of Destiny (2022)

As Producer (Selection)

See also

In Spanish: Dave Fortman para niños