Rob Bourdon

American drummer (born 1979)

Alternative rock
nu metal
alternative metal
electronic rock
pop rock

OccupationMusicianInstruments

Drums
percussion

Years active1996–2018Formerly of

Linkin Park
Relative Degree

Websitelinkinpark.com

Musical artist

Robert Gregory Bourdon (born January 20, 1979)^[1]^[2] is an American musician, best known as the former drummer and co-founding member of the rock band Linkin Park.^[3]

Early life

Bourdon was born in Calabasas, California.^[1] He received classical piano lessons at a young age.^[4] He was inspired to play the drums after attending an Aerosmith concert, where he was personally introduced to drummer Joey Kramer.^[4]^[5] He also cites Tower of Power and Earth, Wind and Fire as his early influences.^[5] Bourdon attended Agoura High School in Agoura Hills where he met future bandmates Brad Delson and Mike Shinoda, in the high school's jazz band.^[5] Bourdon waited tables at a restaurant and worked as a party coordinator at a bowling alley prior to becoming a full-time musician.^[6] He attended Santa Monica College where he studied accounting.^[6]

Career

Bourdon and Brad Delson formed their own band, Relative Degree.^[5] The band played a sell-out concert at the Roxy Theatre before breaking up.^[5]

Bourdon later joined Delson and Mike Shinoda to form Linkin Park, then known as Xero, in 1996.^[6] The band enjoyed mainstream success with their debut album, Hybrid Theory (2000), which would later go on to become 12× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[6] Bourdon served as Linkin Park's drummer for seven studio albums and many international tours.^[6] Beyond drums and percussion, he also handled the band's business operations with Delson and Dave Farrell.^[4]

Bourdon played the drums for ten hours a day for seven consecutive days, mainly practicing "Keys to the Kingdom", during the production of the band's sixth studio album, The Hunting Party. He injured his back, but later recovered.^[7]

He remained with Linkin Park through 2017, when the band went on hiatus following the death of vocalist Chester Bennington.^[8] Bourdon later informed the other members that he wished to distance himself from the band, and did not participate in promotional activities for the 2020 Hybrid Theory re-release or the 2024 compilation album Papercuts. Linkin Park announced their reformation on September 5, 2024 with new members, including Colin Brittain replacing Bourdon.^[9]^[10]^[11]

Musical influences

Bourdon's musical influences include Led Zeppelin, Tower of Power, Aerosmith, The Police, Bad Religion, Steely Dan, System of a Down, Incubus, and Dave Matthews Band.^[12]

Personal life

Bourdon resides in Los Angeles.^[13] He is Jewish.^[14]

Discography

With Linkin Park

Hybrid Theory (2000)
Meteora (2003)
Minutes to Midnight (2007)
A Thousand Suns (2010)
Living Things (2012)
The Hunting Party (2014)
One More Light (2017)

References

^ ^a ^b Quirarte, Xavier (October 24, 2020). "'Hybrid Theory': 20 años de un disco explosivo de Linkin Park". Milenio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
^ Spatu, Madan Gupta. "The year ahead". The Tribune (Chandigarh). Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
^ "Rob Bourdon Injured Back During Recording Marathon". World Entertainment News Network. Contactmusic.com. April 30, 2014. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c Young, Simon (October 23, 2015). "Linkin Park, you're a nu metal boy band. Discuss". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Rob Bourdon". Remo.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e David, Fricke (March 14, 2002). "Linkin Park: David Fricke Talks to Chester Bennington About 'Hybrid Theory' Success". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
^ Keeble, Edward (May 1, 2014). "Rob Bourdan Injured After Rocking Too Hard". Gigwise. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
^ Linzinmeir, Taylor (April 23, 2022). "Mike Shinoda — Linkin Park Have 'No Plans' for New Music". Loudwire. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
^ Sherman, Maria (September 5, 2024). "Linkin Park reunite 7 years after Chester Bennington's death, with new music". AP News. Archived from the original on September 5, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
^ Garcia, Thania (September 5, 2024). "Linkin Park Selects Emily Armstrong From Rock Band Dead Sara as New Singer, Reveals Tour and Album 'From Zero'". Variety. Archived from the original on September 5, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
^ Singh, Surej (September 6, 2024). "Linkin Park address founding drummer Rob Bourdon's departure". NME. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
^ Micallef, Ken (September 2014). "Rob Bourdon" (PDF). Modern Drummer. p. 48. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
^ Micallef, Ken (May 18, 2007). "Rob Bourdon: Midnight Confessions". ModernDrummer.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
^ Chessler, Suzanne (June 18, 2009). "Rothbury Redux". The Detroit Jewish News. University of Michigan. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.