Derrick Green facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Derrick Green
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Green in 2014
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| Birth name | Derrick Leon Green |
| Born | January 20, 1971 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1986–present |
Derrick Leon Green (born January 20, 1971) is an American musician. He is famous as the singer for the Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura. He became part of the band in 1997. This was after the original singer, Max Cavalera, left.
Contents
Early Life and Background
Derrick Green was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He is the youngest of three children. His sister, Renée Green, is a well-known artist, writer, and filmmaker. When Derrick was seven, his family moved from the city to a suburb called Shaker Heights. His father, Friendly, was an electrician, and his mother, Gloria, was a music teacher.
From a young age, Derrick wanted to travel and live outside the United States. He spent some time in Berlin before moving from New York to São Paulo, Brazil.
Derrick Green's Music Career
Starting in Music: Pre-Sepultura Bands
Derrick Green began his music journey early. He became friends with the band Outface, which played thrash metal and hardcore punk. He joined them in 1986 when he was just 15 years old. This was after their first two singers left.
The band Outface included guitarist Charlie Garriga, bassist Frank Cavanagh, and drummer Mark Konopka. They recorded two demo tapes in 1987 and 1989. A friend from New York, Walter Schreifels, helped them get a record deal. They released their first studio album, Friendly Green, in 1992. The album was named after Derrick's father. Their music mixed rock, heavy metal, and punk with some ska sounds. On this album, Derrick was called Simon Verde. Verde means green in several languages, including Portuguese.
After touring in Europe, Derrick and Charlie Garriga decided to move to New York City. Frank Cavanagh later joined the band Filter. Mark Konopka stayed and recorded an album with the band Integrity.
In New York, Derrick and Charlie formed a new band called Overfiend. They were joined by drummer Sammy Siegler and bassist Eric Thrice, who was later replaced by Sara Cox. They recorded a three-song demo. Their music was much heavier, with influences from metal and heavy rock. They played only one show before Charlie and Sammy left to form the band CIV.
In 1996, Derrick started playing guitar and singing with Sara Cox. They formed the band Alpha Jerk. They released one album on Toybox Records. They played several shows in New York and appeared on a music compilation called New York's Hardest, Vol. 2.
Joining Sepultura: A New Chapter
In 1997, Derrick Green was asked to try out for the Brazilian band Sepultura. Their singer, Max Cavalera, had left the band. Sepultura had recorded a song without vocals to find a new singer. Derrick recorded his voice for the song "Choke" and sent it to Brazil.
A month later, Sepultura's drummer, Igor Cavalera, called him. Derrick was asked to fly to São Paulo, Brazil, to audition. He spent two weeks auditioning and was then asked to join the band. Derrick moved to São Paulo to be closer to the group.
First Albums with Sepultura
Derrick's first album with Sepultura was Against, released in 1998. Most of the songs were written before he joined. The band then went on a world tour. This album was not as successful as Sepultura's previous ones. Many fans were still getting used to Max Cavalera not being in the band. However, critics saw potential for the band's future.
Nation was the first album where Derrick was involved in the writing process from the start. It was released in 2001. Allmusic.com praised Derrick's passionate singing on the album. Derrick said the album was about building a "positive nation" with its own flag and anthem.
Nation was Sepultura's last album with Roadrunner Records. The band felt the label was not supporting them enough.
New Record Labels and Success
Sepultura then released an EP of cover songs called Revolusongs. This EP was first released only in Brazil and Japan. Later, the band signed with SPV Records. Revolusongs was then included as a bonus disc on their next full album, Roorback. A music video for the U2 song "Bullet the Blue Sky" won an award in Brazil in 2003.
Roorback received good reviews from critics. Allmusic gave it 4 out of 5 stars, saying Derrick was "passionate and focused" on the album. Even with good reviews, sales remained low.
In 2005, Sepultura released a live album and DVD called Live in São Paulo. The DVD also included a documentary about the band's career since 1998, which Derrick helped film and edit.
Concept Albums and Changes
Dante XXI was released in 2006. This was a concept album based on the book The Divine Comedy by Dante. Derrick had read the book in high school and suggested it to the band. The music video for "Convicted in Life" won awards for best editing and direction in Brazil.
After Dante XXI, Igor Cavalera left the band. He was replaced by Brazilian drummer Jean Dolabella. Sepultura continued to tour with Jean.
In 2009, Sepultura released A-Lex. This was another concept album, based on the book A Clockwork Orange. Critics praised the album, noting that Sepultura had kept its energy despite changes in the band.
In 2010, Sepultura signed with Nuclear Blast Records. They released their first album with this label, Kairos, in 2011.
Other Music Projects
In 2008, Derrick Green joined another thrash metal band called Musica Diablo. The band released their first album, Música Diablo, in 2010. Critics described their music as "extreme fast thrash metal" with a strong Brazilian style. Derrick later left Musica Diablo.
In 2013, Derrick also worked on a side project called Maximum Hedrum.
Collaborations and Other Work
Derrick Green has been a guest vocalist on other albums, including Biohazard's Uncivilization. He also contributed to the soundtrack of the Brazilian movie Lisbela e o Prisioneiro.
In 2008, Derrick appeared with Sepultura in a TV advertisement for Volkswagen in Brazil. The ad showed Sepultura playing bossa nova, a very different style from their usual heavy metal, to show how surprising the new car was.
Derrick is also a photographer and writer. He has been working on a three-volume book set of his photography and writings.
Personal Life
Derrick Green speaks fluent Portuguese. He used to live in São Paulo, Brazil, but now lives in Los Angeles.
Derrick is a vegan. He has been a vegetarian since 1986. He spoke about this in a PETA video interview. He explained that the song "Convicted in Life" is about the idea of "karma" for those who harm nature and animals. He believes that our planet is like a "God in itself" and that people need to reconnect with nature.
Discography
- Outface – Friendly Green (1992)
- Alpha Jerk – S/T (1996)
- Various – New York's Hardest, Vol. 2 Comp (1998)
- Sepultura – Against (1998)
- Sepultura – Nation (2001)
- Sepultura – Revolusongs (2002)
- Sepultura – Roorback (2003)
- Sepultura – Live in São Paulo (2005)
- Sepultura – Dante XXI (2006)
- Sepultura – A-Lex (2009)
- Música Diablo – Música Diablo (2010)
- Sepultura – Kairos (2011)
- Maximum Hedrum – S/T (2013)
- Sepultura – The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart (2013)
- Sepultura – Metal Veins - Alive in Rio (2014)
- Sepultura – Machine Messiah (2017)
- Sepultura – Quadra (2020)
- Sepultura – Sepulquarta (2021)
See also
In Spanish: Derrick Green para niños
