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In 1996, in Los Angeles, California USA, vocalist+rapper Mike Shinoda,
guitarist Brad Delson, bass player Darren 'Phoenix' Farrell and drummer
Rob Bourdon started a band called Xero; Shinoda then hooked up with DJ+turntablist
Joseph Hahn while studying painting at the Pasadena Art Center. The final
piece in the puzzle was singer Chester Bennington, a transplanted Arizona
native who started making records when he was 16. A short while later,
Farrell left to tour with another band; Xero then renamed themselves to
Hybrid Theory, started writing new material and recorded their self-titled
6-track EP in 1999. After resolving a legal issue with another band concerning
their name, the group, newly named Linkin Park, were finally signed to
Warner Bros. Records in 2000.
In October, that same year, was released their first full-length disc,
a 12-track set entitled "Hybrid Theory", like their former band
name; the explosive mix of Industrial Alternative-Metal Rap-Metal made
them truly unique and the band themselves were getting increasing media
attention. Tour dates were selling out; within five weeks of "Hybrid
Theory"'s release, the album had been certified gold by the RIAA,
signifying 500,000 units sold and launching the crew into the top 20 of
the U.S. Albums chart; by this time, founding member bassist Darren 'Phoenix'
Farrell had returned to the line-up and before the year's end, the album
hit #2 on The Billboard Top 200 chart; it included "One Step Closer"
which rose to #5 and #4 on Modern and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts respectively.
The next year, the album, went 8 times platinum following the success
of "In The End" which hit #1 on The Modern Rock Tracks chart
and #2 on The Billboard Hot 100; the album also contained two more Modern
Rock top 40 hits, "Papercut" and "Runaway", plus the
massive smash hit "Crawling", which crashed into the top 5 on
both Billboard's Rock charts and won them a Grammy for Best Hard Rock
Performance. Linkin Park achieved worldwide fame with just one album which
the group supported with over 300 shows; "Hybrid Theory" ended
up selling 19 million copies all over the world.
In July 2002 Linkin Park issued the remix-album "Reanimation"
which peaked at #2 in U.S. while the re-worked and re-titled track "Pts.
Of. Athrty" entered the top 30 of The Modern Rock chart.
The band's proper sophomore outing "Meteora", followed one and
a half year later; the first single, "Somewhere I Belong", went
straight to the #1 spots on both Modern and Mainstream Rock charts and
the album shot to the top of the U.S. Billboard Top 200, a few weeks later
became #1 in several European countries, #2 in Canada and Australia. The
CD spawned a staggering four more #1 Modern Rock hit singles: "Faint",
"Breaking The Habit", "Lying From You" and "Numb".
Linkin Park continued to tour extensively sharing the stage with the likes
of Metallica, Mudvayne,
Blindside, Limp
Bizkit and Deftones.
Mike Shinoda started the band Fort Minor
as a side-project and in late 2005 he decided to finally release his long
dreamed about Rap album, "The Rising Tied".
After 14 months in the studio, Linkin Park released its third album,
"Minutes To Midnight", in May 2007; the first single off the
CD, "What I've Done", debuted at #1 on Billboard's Modern Rock
chart, it was only the third song ever to do so.
Linkin Park biography is an exclusive of 100xr.com
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