Travis Barker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Travis Barker
Barker at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards
Born	Travis Landon Barker (1975-11-14) November 14, 1975 (age 47) Fontana, California, U.S.
Other names	The Baron von Tito Bones Clarence
Education	Fontana High School
Occupation	Musician songwriter record producer
Years active	1993–present
Television	Meet the Barkers
Spouse(s)	Melissa Kennedy ​ ​ (m. 2001; div. 2002)​ Shanna Moakler ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2008)​ Kourtney Kardashian ​ ​ (m. 2022)​
Children	2
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Pop-punk alternative rock punk rock skate punk hip hop
Instruments	Drums percussion
Labels	DGC Interscope LaSalle Atlantic Geffen Hellcat MCA Golden Voice DTA Goliath Artists

Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who is the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. Due to his fame, Rolling Stone referred to him as "punk's first superstar drummer" as well as one of the 100 greatest drummers of all time.

Early life and education

Barker was born in Fontana, California on November 14, 1975, When Barker was four, his mother gave him his first drum kit, which was the only one he would have until he was 15. Barker began taking drum lessons at age five with a drummer named Michael Mai, who would expose young Barker to many different playing styles. At this time, he also began taking trumpet lessons. In junior high, Barker learned to play the piano and briefly tried singing, joining the madrigals men and women's choir. In addition, Barker had non-musical aspirations; he also was interested in becoming a professional surfer and skateboarder. However, Barker states that "I always migrated back to drums, though. That was the one direction that kind of felt like I was connected to and I could kind of understand. I could express myself better through my drums than I could anything else."

His mother, who had been diagnosed with Sjögren syndrome three months earlier, died the day before he started high school. She told him to keep playing music and to follow his dreams. At Fontana High School, Barker played the drum set in the jazz ensemble and snare drum in the marching band. He gained a lot of experience performing at regional competitions and festivals. Barker employed a variety of styles including military and jazz rhythms, but was attracted to the driving rhythms of hip-hop and punk rock.

Career

After graduating from Fontana High School, Barker worked as a trash man in Laguna Beach and played with the punk rock band Snot and Feeble, a Fontana-based band where he met Chad Larson. Larson went on to co-found the ska punk group the Aquabats in 1994. After local shows and demo tapes, the band recruited Barker through Larson's connection. Barker, who was "sleeping on [his] friend's couch" and still working as a trash man, only intended to fill in for a few days but ended up joining the band. The group then went into the studio with veteran producer Jim Goodwin to record The Fury of the Aquabats! Barker's speed and accuracy meant that once his parts were recorded, he was free to head off and rehearse (and sit in with other bands). He had picked up a nickname with the Aquabats—Baron Von Tito—the reasons for which are lost to history as none of the members recall why.

Barker (top right) joined Blink-182 in 1998.

After the October 1997 release of The Fury of the Aquabats!, the group toured nationwide with San Diego-based Blink-182, who had recently completed their second album Dude Ranch. The trio's drummer, Scott Raynor, announced to his fellow members that he would depart in February 1998. The ensemble enlisted Barker to fill in for Raynor. Barker, who did not have time to prepare or practice with the duo, learned the drum tracks for the 20-song setlist in only 45 minutes before the first show and performed them flawlessly thereafter.

Barker's first album with Blink—Enema of the State—was released in June 1999 and catapulted the trio to stardom, becoming the biggest pop punk band of the era. Three singles were released from the record—"What's My Age Again?", "All the Small Things", and "Adam's Song" — that crossed over into Top 40 radio format and experienced major commercial success. "All the Small Things" became a number-one hit on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, but also became a crossover hit and peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album has sold over 15 million copies worldwide and had a considerable effect on pop punk music.

Barker performing in 2003

The band's success did great things for Barker. "Four years ago, I couldn't afford to feed myself," he said in an interview at the time. "But now I can buy art, work on old Cadillacs, and live in comfort. I can finally buy a dog and afford to feed him." He began dating Melissa Kennedy and purchased a rehearsal studio.

Barker established himself as a versatile drummer, producing and making guest appearances in music projects of numerous music genres including hip hop, alternative rock, pop, and country. He also starred in an MTV reality series named Meet the Barkers. He was involved in a plane crash in 2008, but he recovered and released his debut solo album, Give the Drummer Some, in 2011. He has continued to work with rappers, releasing extended plays with Yelawolf, Asher Roth, and Nottz, as well as with Blink-182 and the Transplants.

Aside from drumming, he founded the clothing company Famous Stars and Straps in 1999, and the record labels LaSalle Records in 2004 and DTA Records in 2019. Companies such as DC Shoes and Zildjian cymbals have co-designed products in his name. He released a memoir, Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums, in 2015. Barker is also a vegan and has invested in the Los Angeles vegan restaurant Crossroads Kitchen.

Influences and favorite drummers

Barker told CBS Local that his first ever hero was Animal from The Muppets, crediting the character as his inspiration to pursue drumming. He also cites John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, Alex Van Halen of Van Halen, Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe, and Danny Carey of Tool as his favorite drummers. In a 2016 Q&A with Vevo, Barker credited Buddy Rich as the greatest drummer of all time. He also stated that Van Halen's "Jump" was the first song he learned on the drums.

Personal life

Barker's first marriage, to Melissa Kennedy, lasted nine months until he filed for divorce in August 2002. He later married actress and Miss USA 1995 titleholder Shanna Moakler on October 30, 2004. The couple had a The Nightmare Before Christmas goth-style ceremony held on the eve of Halloween. Barker and Moakler have two children together, a son born in 2003, and a daughter born in 2005. Barker also remains extremely close with his former stepdaughter Atiana, Moakler's daughter with ex-fiancé, boxer Oscar De La Hoya.

On August 8, 2006, Barker filed for divorce from Moakler after nearly two years of marriage.

In late 2015, Barker briefly dated singer and actress Rita Ora. In June 2016, it was reported that Barker and Moakler were amicably co-parenting their two children.

There were rumors of Barker and Kourtney Kardashian dating by very late 2020, which were confirmed and the relationship made official in January 2021. During this relationship, he returned to air travel after avoiding airplanes for 13 years. In October 2021, the couple got engaged. They had an unofficial wedding on April 3, 2022, in Las Vegas, after the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. The couple officially married on May 15, 2022, in Santa Barbara, California, with a religious wedding ceremony in Portofino, Italy, on May 22, 2022. In June 2023, Kardashian announced at a Blink-182 concert that she is pregnant.

Barker was raised Catholic, believes in God, and prays regularly with his children.

Film, television, and video games

Barker has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including his own reality show, Meet the Barkers, with his ex-wife Shanna Moakler, which debuted in 2005. Barker is in a brief scene with Blink-182 in the teen movie American Pie. In 2003, he appeared in an episode of MTV's Punk'd, a Candid Camera-esque television show, in which he took part in a set-up bareknuckle boxing match; he also appeared and spoke alongside Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington on MTV's Icon show honoring heavy metal band Metallica in May of that year.

In 2006, Barker starred in a Boost Mobile commercial, which was detailed in an episode of Meet the Barkers. He's also played a few guest starring roles such as a rapper on the popular crime drama, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. In 2001, he appeared with Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge in the skit "Leave it to Blink-182", a parody of "Leave It to Beaver", on the late night TV show MADtv.

In a slight departure from his usual genres, he made an appearance on the 41st annual CMA Awards in 2006, performing a medley of songs by country icon Buck Owens with a group of artists including Dwight Yoakam, ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons, and former Byrds bass player Chris Hillman.

Barker performed alongside Skylar Grey and Kid Ink at WrestleMania 31. He appears as a secret, playable character in Tony Hawk's Project 8, and in Guitar Hero World Tour.

Filmography

Discography

See also

• List of drummers
• List of vegans

See also

In Spanish: Travis Barker para niños

• List of drummers
• List of vegans