Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan on April 17, 1964) is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. He sings in the band Tool, and also in the band A Perfect Circle. He has a side project called Puscifer.
Maynard James Keenan | |
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![]() Keenan performing as part of A Perfect Circle in 2018 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | James Herbert Keenan |
Born | Ravenna, Ohio, United States ![]() | April 17, 1964
Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States ![]() |
Genres | Progressive metal, alternative rock, industrial metal, hard rock, experimental |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboard instruments |
Years active | 1985–1987, 1990–present |
Early life
changeJames Herbert Keenan was born in Ravenna, Ohio on April 17, 1964. His mother is Judith and his father is Michael, who was a high school teacher. Keenan's parents divorced when he was three years old, and Michael moved away. Keenan did not see him very much for the next 12 years. Later, his mother married someone else. He was mean and did not allow Keenan to be creative.[1] When Keenan was 11, his mother, Judith, had a brain aneurysm that paralyzed her. Two years later, she told Keenan to move to Michigan with his father.
The Army
changeKeenan joined the United States Army after he graduated from high school. He wanted to use the G.I. Bill to go to art school. He joined the United States Military Academy Preparatory School (West Point Prep School) where he picked up the nickname "Maynard".[2] He did very well in his training,[3] but said no to an offer to stay in the Army and work at West Point. He decided to start his music career instead.
Art
changeAfter being honorably discharged from the Army, Keenan went back to Michigan to go to art school. Then, in 1988, he moved to Los Angeles, California to help design the inside of pet stores.[4] He was fired from this job and then worked creating movie sets.[5] He also played bass guitar in a band and sang for another band.
Music career
changeKeenan started playing music soon after leaving art school. He and Adam Jones formed Tool. Keenan formed A Perfect Circle in 1999. They had 4 albums: Mer De Noms, The Thirteenth Step, eMOTIVe and Eat the Elephant. He then left again to be with his family. He now has a vineyard where he makes wine but still takes tours for his working side project; Puscifer. Tool released an album in 2019 named Fear Inoculum.
Tool
changeKeenan met Adam Jones in Los Angeles. They started the band Tool in 1990. The band's line up later became Keenan as singer, Jones playing guitar, Danny Carey playing drums, and Paul D'Amour playing bass. When D'Amour left the band, Justin Chancellor took his place.[6] Tool signed to Zoo Entertainment in November 1991.
References
change- ↑ McAlley, John. (December 2007). "I, Puscifer Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine". Spin, pp.82-86. Retrieved on July 23, 2008.
- ↑ Loder, Kurt. "Maynard James Keenan: Not Yet A Legend, Not Yet Dead". MTV News. Viacom. Archived from the original on January 19, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
- ↑ Varga, George (October 31, 2004). "Fired up and emoting on the state of politics, and more". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
A standout soldier, he received an appointment to West Point, making him one of the few current musicians in alternative-rock who was poised for a career as a military officer.
- ↑ Dolan, Jon (August 2006). "33 Things You Should Know About Tool Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine". Blender. Retrieved on February 11, 2008.
- ↑ Burgess, Aaron (November 30, 2006). "Interview: Maynard James Keenan Archived 2008-01-11 at the Wayback Machine". A.V. Club. Retrieved on January 16, 2008.
- ↑ Turman, Katherine (May 31, 1994). "A Sober Look At Tool". Circus Magazine.
Danny Carey, was an accomplished drummer who agreed to sit in with them. Someone who knew both Jones and original bassist D'amour introduced the two, and soon D'amour completed the line up of the soon to be named band, Tool.
Other websites
change- MaynardJamesKeenan.com, currently redirecting to the Puscifer website
- Maynard James Keenan on IMDb
- Wine Spectator Online Archived 2008-07-04 at the Wayback Machine, where Maynard maintains a running blog about wine collecting and winemaking.