John Dolmayan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Dolmayan
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Dolmayan in 2018
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| Background information | |
| Born | July 15, 1972 Beirut, Lebanon |
| Origin | Glendale, California, U.S. |
| Genres |
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| Occupations | Drummer |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Associated acts |
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John Dolmayan (born July 15, 1972) is an Armenian-American musician. He is best known as the drummer for the famous band System of a Down. He also used to be the drummer for another band called Scars on Broadway. John Dolmayan is considered one of the top hard rock and metal drummers of all time.
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Early Life and Music
John Dolmayan was born in Beirut, Lebanon. His parents were Armenian. When he was young, his family moved to California because of the Lebanese Civil War.
John became interested in drums when he was only two years old. His dad played the saxophone. When John went to watch his dad play, he would pretend to play the drums like the drummer in the band. He learned to play by listening to records and practicing for many hours every day. He kept practicing for years!
John says his music style was shaped by all kinds of music. He listened to his dad's jazz albums and rock albums he shared with his friends. He really likes The Who and says their drummer, Keith Moon, was his biggest inspiration. Other drummers who influenced him include John Bonham from Led Zeppelin, Stewart Copeland from The Police, and Neil Peart from Rush.
Playing with System of a Down
John Dolmayan joined System of a Down in 1997. The band's first drummer, Ontronik "Andy" Khachaturian, had to leave because of a hand injury.
John recorded five albums with System of a Down:
- System of a Down (1998)
- Toxicity (2001)
- Steal This Album! (2002)
- Mezmerize (2005)
- Hypnotize (2005)
In 2006, DRUM! Magazine named John Dolmayan their Drummer of the Year. He was also featured in their March magazine. System of a Down took a break in 2006. But they got back together in 2010 to play shows sometimes.
Scars on Broadway Band
After System of a Down went on break in 2006, John Dolmayan started a new band. He teamed up with Daron Malakian, who is System of a Down's guitarist and singer. Their new band was called Scars on Broadway.
They recorded their first album in 2007 and 2008. It was released in the summer of 2008. The band played concerts and planned a tour. But Daron Malakian suddenly canceled the tour in October 2008.
In 2009, John and other members of Scars on Broadway went to Iraq. They played for U.S. soldiers at army bases. They played cover songs and some of their own Scars on Broadway songs.
Scars on Broadway got back together with Daron Malakian in 2010. They released a new song later that year. However, the band became inactive again. John Dolmayan was not involved when Daron Malakian started the group again in 2018.
Other Music Projects
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John Dolmayan has played drums for other artists too. He recorded drums for Killing Joke's album in 2003. He also played on Scum of the Earth's first album. John also played drums on the Axis of Justice concert tour with many different musicians. He also played on Serj Tankian's first solo album, Elect the Dead.
In 2009, John started a new rock band called Indicator. He formed it with three friends from Southern California. The band played their first show in San Diego in July 2009. John's friend Franky Perez from Scars on Broadway joined them for a few songs. The band wrote many songs, but it's not clear if they will ever officially record them.
John has also performed with his System of a Down bandmates, Daron Malakian and Shavo Odadjian, for special shows. They played together for a Halloween show and a charity show to help Deftones bassist Chi Cheng.
In 2009, John even tried out to be the drummer for the Smashing Pumpkins.
In 2014, John Dolmayan started a project called These Grey Men. He used Kickstarter to get money for it. They released their first song in 2020. It was a cover of Radiohead's "Street Spirit (Fade Out)". Avenged Sevenfold singer M. Shadows sang on the song, and Tom Morello played a guitar solo. Their second song was a cover of David Bowie's "Starman" and featured Serj Tankian from System of a Down.
About John's Life
John Dolmayan is married to Diana Dolmayan. She is the sister of Serj Tankian's wife, Angela. This means John and Serj are brothers-in-law!
John is very interested in comic books. He owns a comic book shop called Torpedo Comics in Las Vegas. His shop has two physical stores and also sells comics online. John has strong opinions about politics, which he sometimes shares online. Sometimes, his political views are different from his bandmates, which can be a bit tricky.
What John Has Recorded
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John's Drum Gear
John uses Tama drums and hardware, Paiste cymbals, Evans Drumheads, LP percussion, and his special Vater drumsticks.
- Drums – Tama Starclassic Bubinga
- 10"×8" Rack Tom
- 12"×9" Rack Tom
- 13"x10" Rack Tom
- 16"×14" Floor Tom
- 18"×16" Floor Tom
- 22"×18" Bass Drum
- 14"×6" John Dolmayan Signature Snare
- Cymbals – Paiste
- Traditionals 22" Medium Light Swish
- RUDE 14" Hi-Hat
- 2002 6" Bell Chime
- Signature 18" Fast Crash
- Signature 10" Splash
- Signature 8" Splash
- RUDE 14" Hi-Hat
- Signature 19" Full Crash
- RUDE 24" Mega Power Ride
- 2002 24" Big Ride
- 2002 19" Wild China
- Sticks – Vic Firth
- John Dolmayan Signature 16" length, .580" diameter
Awards and Recognition
- In 2006, John Dolmayan won Drum! Magazine's Drummer of the Year award. He also won the award for the best alternative rock drummer of the year.
See also
In Spanish: John Dolmayan para niños
