Vinnie Paul facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vinnie Paul
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Vinnie Paul in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Vincent Paul Abbott |
| Born | March 11, 1964 Abilene, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | June 22, 2018 (aged 54) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1976–2018 |
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| Relatives | Jerry Abbott (father) Dimebag Darrell (brother) |
Vincent Paul Abbott (March 11, 1964 – June 22, 2018), known as Vinnie Paul, was an American musician. He was best known as the drummer and a co-founder of the heavy metal band Pantera. He also helped start Damageplan in 2003 with his younger brother, 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott. Vinnie Paul was also a member of the band Hellyeah for 12 years, from 2006 until he passed away in 2018. Many music experts and fans consider him one of the greatest metal drummers ever.
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Early Life and Musical Start
Vincent Paul Abbott was born in Abilene, Texas, on March 11, 1964. His father, Jerry Abbott, was a songwriter and producer for country music. His mother was Carolyn Abbott.
Vinnie first played the tuba. But his father encouraged him to play the drums instead. His dad thought there were more opportunities for drummers. Vinnie's father bought him his first drum set. Vinnie said that drummers like Peter Criss, Alex Van Halen, and Tommy Aldridge were his biggest inspirations.
Music Career Highlights
Starting Pantera
In 1981, Vinnie Paul formed the heavy metal band Pantera with his brother Darrell Abbott. Darrell played guitar. The band's first members also included Terry Glaze on guitar, Tommy D. Bradford on bass, and Donnie Hart as vocalist.
After Donnie Hart left, Terry Glaze became the singer. In 1982, Tommy D. Bradford left, and Rex Brown joined as the bassist. This lineup released three albums. In 1987, Phil Anselmo joined Pantera as the new vocalist. They released the album Power Metal in 1988. By 1990, the band signed with Atco Records. They released Cowboys from Hell, which became a very important album for them.
Pantera became a very successful band. They released more popular albums like Vulgar Display of Power and Far Beyond Driven. In 2003, Pantera officially broke up. This happened for several reasons, including disagreements among the band members.
Forming Damageplan
After Pantera ended, Vinnie Paul and his brother Darrell started a new heavy metal band called Damageplan. They were joined by Bob Zilla on bass and Pat Lachman on vocals.
Damageplan released one album, New Found Power, on February 10, 2004. A song called "Ashes to Ashes" with Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell was on the soundtrack for the 2004 movie The Punisher. It was also a bonus track on the Japanese version of New Found Power.
Sadly, on December 8, 2004, while Damageplan was on tour, Darrell was killed. This happened during a show in Columbus, Ohio. Damageplan stopped playing together soon after this tragic event. Vinnie Paul later shared that there were five unreleased Damageplan songs. These songs had only Vinnie and Darrell playing on them, with no vocals.
Joining Hellyeah
After Darrell's death, Vinnie Paul wasn't sure if he would return to music. But in June 2006, he joined the heavy metal supergroup Hellyeah. A supergroup is a band made of famous musicians from other bands.
Hellyeah included vocalist Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett from Mudvayne. It also had guitarist Tom Maxwell from Nothingface and bassist Bob Zilla from Damageplan. Vinnie Paul recorded six studio albums with Hellyeah.
In May 2019, Hellyeah announced they would tour to support their final album with Vinnie Paul, Welcome Home. Stone Sour drummer Roy Mayorga took Vinnie Paul's place for the tour.
Other Projects and Collaborations
Vinnie Paul also had other projects. In November 2008, he showed off some of his best drum parts in a video for the drum company ddrum. In 2009, he started American Drummer Champions.
In August 2013, Vinnie Paul appeared in a music video for Black Label Society's cover of "Ain't No Sunshine". He was good friends with Zakk Wylde, the band's leader, who was also close with Vinnie's brother Darrell. For several years, Vinnie Paul also worked on a cookbook called Drumming up an Appetite with Vinnie Paul.
Vinnie Paul's Passing
On June 22, 2018, Vinnie Paul passed away at his home in Las Vegas. He was 54 years old. It was later shared that he died from heart problems, specifically "dilated cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease."
News of his death was first shared on Pantera's official Facebook page. Many musicians and bands shared their sadness and tributes, including members of Black Sabbath, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Megadeth, Alice in Chains, and Slipknot.
Vinnie Paul is buried next to his mother, Carolyn, and his brother, Darrell, at Moore Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Texas. A fence was put around their graves in late 2020 to help protect them from vandalism.
Musical Gear
Vinnie Paul used different drum brands throughout his career. He used Tama drums during the Cowboys from Hell album and tour (1990-1992). For the Vulgar Display of Power and Far Beyond Driven albums and tours, he used Remo drums.
He later switched to Pearl drums in 1996 and used them until 2008. After that, he used ddrum equipment. Vinnie Paul always used Sabian cymbals and Vic Firth drumsticks. He was also known for using special electronic sounds mixed with his live drums during shows. From 2010 onwards, he used a ddrum Vinnie Paul signature series drum kit.
Discography
Pantera
Hellyeah
Damageplan
- New Found Power (2004)
David Allan Coe and Cowboys from Hell
- Rebel Meets Rebel (2006)
