Brad Wilk (born September 5, 1968) is an American drummer. He is best known as a member of the rock bands

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerfor ...

(1991–2000, 2007–2011, 2019–present),

Audioslave Audioslave was an American Rock music, rock supergroup (music), supergroup formed in Glendale, California, in 2001. The four-piece band consisted of Soundgarden's lead singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell with Rage Against the Machine membe ...

(2001–2007, 2017), and

Prophets of Rage Prophets of Rage was an American rap rock supergroup. Formed in 2016, the group consisted of three members of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave (bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello, and drummer Brad Wilk), ...

(2016–2019). Wilk started his career as a drummer for Greta in 1990, and helped co-found Rage Against the Machine with

Tom Morello Thomas Baptist Morello (born May 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known for his tenure with the rock band Rage Against the Machine and then with Audioslave. Between 2016 and 2019, Morello ...

and

Zack de la Rocha Zacharias Manuel de la Rocha (born January 12, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, and political activist. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Rage Against the Machine. Through both Rage Agains ...

in August 1991. Following that band's breakup in October 2000, Wilk, Morello, Rage Against the Machine bassist

Tim Commerford Tim Commerford (born February 26, 1968) is an American musician, best known as the bassist and backing vocalist for rock band Rage Against the Machine, and supergroup (music), supergroups Audioslave and Prophets of Rage. Since 2013 and 2015, he ...

and

Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yamamo ...

frontman

Chris Cornell Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American singer and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist and songwriter for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. H ...

formed the supergroup Audioslave, which broke up in 2007. From 2016 to 2019, he played in the band Prophets of Rage, with Commerford, Morello,

Chuck D Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D helped creat ...

B-Real Louis Mario Freese (born June 2, 1970), known by his stage name B-Real, is an American rapper. Since 1991, he has been one of two lead rappers in the hip hop group Cypress Hill, along with Sen Dog. He has also been a part of the rap metal band ...

and

DJ Lord DJ Lord (born Lord Aswod on March 11, 1975 in Savannah, Georgia, United States), is an American DJ and turntablist. In 1999, DJ Lord joined the hip hop group Public Enemy on its 40th World Tour replacing Terminator X. Soon after, DJ Lord had ...

. He currently plays in the band Rage Against the Machine following their reunion. Wilk has also performed drums on English metal band

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

's final album '' 13'', released in June 2013. He briefly played with

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

shortly after the release of their debut album '' Ten''.

Early life

Wilk was born on September 6, 1968, in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. He was raised in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, before his family settled in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

. He started to play the drums when he was thirteen years old. He has cited

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove,J ...

Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 19467 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol. Moon grew ...

, and

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebrate ...

as his greatest influences. Wilk was a fan of

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

in his youth.

Career

Rage Against the Machine (1991–2000, 2007–2011, 2019–present)

Wilk's success as the drummer of

came from the failure of a different band; he once auditioned for a band called Lock Up, who released one album (titled ''

Something Bitchin' This Way Comes ''Something Bitchin' This Way Comes'' is the sole album by Lock Up, released in 1989. It is the first label-released album to feature Tom Morello. The album was re-released in 1997 by Manifesto Records. Track listing # "Can't Stop the Bleeding ...

'') through Geffen records in 1989 and broke up when the album received little media attention upon release. Former Lock Up guitarist

was looking to pick up where Lock Up left off and start a new band, and contacted Wilk, who was playing with the band Greta, to see if he was interested in playing the drums. A short while after, the duo met

while he was rapping freestyle in a club, and through him, bassist

(a childhood friend of de la Rocha). The band played two shows in 1991, and spent 1992 frequenting the L. A. club circuit, during which they signed a record deal with

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

, and released their self-titled debut album that November. They quickly achieved commercial success and would go on to release three more studio albums–'' Evil Empire'' in 1996, ''

The Battle of Los Angeles The Battle of Los Angeles, also known as the Great Los Angeles Air Raid, is the name given by contemporary sources to a rumored attack on the continental United States by Imperial Japan and the subsequent anti-aircraft artillery barrage which ...

'' in 1999, and '' Renegades'' in 2000– before disbanding in October 2000. Rage Against the Machine reunited to play at the

Coachella Music Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert ...

Coachella Coachella may refer to: * Coachella, California * Coachella Canal, in California * Coachella (festival), an annual music and arts festival in California * "Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind", a 2017 song by Lana del Rey See also

* Coachell ...

, California on January 22, 2007. On April 29, 2007, Rage Against the Machine reunited at the Coachella Music Festival ( Rage Against the Machine reunion tour). The band played in front of an EZLN backdrop to the largest crowds of the festival. Initially thought to be a one-time event, the band played seven more shows that year in the United States (including their first non-festival concert in seven years at the

Alpine Valley Music Theater Alpine Valley Music Theatre is a 37,000-capacity amphitheater located on County Highway D in East Troy, Wisconsin. The seasonal venue was built in 1977 and it features a characteristic wooden roof, covering the 7,500-seat pavilion and a sprawlin ...

East Troy East Troy is a village in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,687 at the 2020 census. The village is located southwest of the Town of East Troy. A small portion extends into the adjacent Town of Troy. Geography Eas ...

, Wisconsin), and in January 2008, they played their first shows outside of the U.S. as part of the Big Day Out Festival in Australia and New Zealand. The band continued to tour around the world, headlining many large festivals in Europe and the United States, including Lollapalooza in Chicago. After a brief South America tour in 2010, they created their own festival, LA Rising, which they headlined on July 30, 2011. In November 2012, they released a XX anniversary boxset of their first album. In April 2014, Wilk indicated LA Rising would be Rage's final show. On November 1, 2019, it was reported that Rage Against the Machine would be reuniting a second time, and were to perform at the 2020

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...

before it was canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. On February 10, 2020, the band announced dates and locations for their worldwide

Public Service Announcement Tour The Public Service Announcement Tour was a reunion tour by American rock band Rage Against the Machine, which began on July 9, 2022, at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin and concluded early on August 14, 2022, at Madison Squar ...

, which was postponed due to the pandemic.

Audioslave (2001–2007, 2017)

After de la Rocha left Rage Against the Machine in October 2000, the remaining members formed

with former

frontman

. The band released their self-titled debut album in 2002. Their second album, ''

Out of Exile ''Out of Exile'' is the second studio album by American rock supergroup Audioslave, released on May 23, 2005, internationally, and a day later in the United States, through Epic Records and Interscope Records. It is the band's only album to char ...

'', was released in 2005 and debuted at the number one position on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...

. It was followed by '' Revelations'' in 2006. Compared to Rage Against the Machine, the majority of Audioslave's music was apolitical. After several months of inactivity, Audioslave formally disbanded in February 2007 when Cornell left to focus on his solo career. Audioslave reunited for a single show in 2017.

Prophets of Rage (2016–2019)

In 2016, Wilk reunited with Morello and Commerford, joining

and

to form the supergroup

. The band played original material as well as covers of songs by

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe p ...

and

Cypress Hill Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide and have multi-platinum and platinum albums. They are considered to be among the main progenitors of West Coast and 1990 ...

. Their debut tour was entitled "Make America Rage Again" to protest Donald Trump's policies and the 2016 American presidential election. During its three years, the band released one EP in 2016, ''The Party's Over'', and one eponymous full-length studio album in 2017. Prophets of Rage disbanded in 2019 with the confirmation of the 2020 reunion of Rage Against the Machine.

Other projects

Wilk and bandmate

joined with

Maynard James Keenan Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan; April 17, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and winemaker. He is best known as the singer and primary lyricist of the rock bands Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Pusci ...

Tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...

and

Billy Gould William David Gould (born April 24, 1963 in Los Angeles, California) is an American musician and producer. He is best known as the bassist of Faith No More. Biography Early years Billy said he is of Hungarian descent from his father's side. ...

Faith No More Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/r ...

—in a lineup that was billed as Shandi's Addiction—to record the song "

Calling Dr. Love "Calling Dr. Love" is a song by United States, American hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, originally released on their 1976 album ''Rock and Roll Over''. A live version of the song was included on ''Alive II'', released in 1977. Since then, "Ca ...

" for the 1994 Kiss tribute album Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved. Wilk and bandmate Tim Commerford contributed in Keenan's side project

Puscifer Puscifer () is an American rock group formed in Los Angeles by Maynard James Keenan, known as the lead singer of the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. Initially, Keenan was the only permanent member, and as such he considered the project to be h ...

and his album '' "V" Is for Vagina'' on the track "Momma Sed". Wilk also contributed drums to rap group

's album ''

Skull and Bones Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death, is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...

''. In addition, Wilk composed the song "Snoop Bounce (Roc N Roll Remix)" for

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

's '' Death Row's Greatest Hits'' CD. In 2005, Wilk played the lead role in the independent short movie Sleeping Dogs Lie by writer Chumahan Bowen and director Stuart Lessner. The film also features Tool lead singer Maynard James Keenan as Deputy Lance. Wilk played drums on

Josh Homme Joshua Michael Homme ( ; born May 17, 1973) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the founder, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the rock band Queens of the Stone Age, which he form ...

's tracks on the soundtrack to ''Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys''. Wilk performed live with Tom Morello's side project,

Street Sweeper Social Club Street Sweeper Social Club is an American rap rock supergroup, formed in Los Angeles, California in 2006. The band primarily consists of guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and vocalist and emcee Boots Riley of The Coup. The band ...

, at the 2010 Coachella music and arts festival. In 2013, Wilk and Commerford contributed drums and bass, respectively, for

Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...

's '' Sound City'' soundtrack, on the song "Time Slowing Down". Wilk played several shows with the

Sound City Players The Sound City Players were a supergroup formed by ex-Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters guitarist and lead-singer Dave Grohl. They consisted in a collaboration of Grohl with Krist Novoselic ex-Nirvana, Stone Sour's and Slipknot's Corey Taylor ...

. Having established himself as a session musician, Wilk has also contributed drums on the

album '' 13'', which was released in June 2013. In late 2013, Wilk joined the band

The Last Internationale The Last Internationale (TLI) is an American rock band formed by New York City guitarist Edgey Pires and vocalist Delila Paz. The group is known for its socially-conscious lyrics and strong live performances. Ben Hugues at Uber Rock says that "Li ...

and recently recorded their debut album called ''We Will Reign'' with producer Brendan O'Brien. The record was released in August 2014. To the end of 2014 until June 2015, Brad Wilk was playing drums on tour with the

Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Art, ...

along with

Billy Corgan William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the lead singer, primary songwriter, guitarist, and only permanent member of the rock band the ...

Jeff Schroeder Jeffrey Kim Schroeder (born February 4, 1974, Los Angeles, California) is an American musician who plays guitar in the alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins—initially replacing co-founder James Iha in 2007 and remaining in the band aft ...

and also

Mark Stoermer Mark August Stoermer (born June 28, 1977) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the bassist for the rock band the Killers, with whom he has recorded six studio albums. In addition to his work with the Killers, Stoermer ha ...

on bass. On February 26, 2015, while touring Australia with the band, he joined the

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

on stage at Sydney's Olympic (ANZ) stadium playing drums for a

cover

Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love" is a song by American rock band Van Halen. It was released in October 1978 as the third single from their 1978 debut album, ''Van Halen''. This song is one of the few David Lee Roth-era songs that subsequent replaceme ...

. On August 3, 2015, Wilk sat-in with The 8G Band on ''

Late Night with Seth Meyers ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' is an American late-night news and political satire talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. Airing weeknights a ...

''. He's also been drumming for

Juliette Lewis Juliette Lake Lewis (born June 21, 1973) is an American actress and alternative rock singer. She is known for her portrayals of offbeat characters, often in films with dark themes. Lewis became an "it girl" of American cinema in the early 1990s, ...

on various tours and shows.

Personal life

Wilk was diagnosed with

type 1 diabetes Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that originates when cells that make insulin (beta cells) are destroyed by the immune system. Insulin is a hormone required for the cells to use blood sugar for ...

in 1997, and is active in raising money for diabetes awareness. He has donated about $12,000 to the Orange County chapter of the

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation JDRF is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that funds type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, provides a broad array of community and activist services to the T1D population and actively advocates for regulation favorable to medical research and approval o ...

(JDRF). Wilk developed ''Olade'', a sugar-free lemonade, which

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...

in 2009 approved as a non-dietary supplement. Wilk was married to

Selene Vigil Selene Vigil (born July 16, 1965) is an American singer. She co-founded grunge band 7 Year Bitch alongside Elizabeth Davis, Valerie Agnew and Stefanie Sargent in 1990; they released three studio albums before disbanding in 1997. In 2000, Vigil ...

, whom he had two children with. She filed for divorce in 2013.

Discography

Rage Against the Machine studio albums Audioslave studio albums Black Sabbath studio albums The Last Internationale studio albums Prophets of Rage studio albums

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilk, Brad 1968 births American heavy metal drummers Rage Against the Machine members Audioslave members Musicians from Portland, Oregon Rap metal musicians Alternative metal musicians Living people American socialists American anti-fascists People with type 1 diabetes Grammy Award winners Prophets of Rage members 20th-century American drummers 21st-century American drummers American male drummers Epic Records artists Interscope Records artists