Joey Jordison, whose real name is Nathan Jonas Jordison, was the iconic drummer of the legendary American Nu Metal band Slipknot from 1995 to 2013.
Biography of Joey Jordison
His youth
Joey Jordison was born on April 26, 1975 in Des Moines, Iowa (USA).
His youth was particularly difficult; he had to face the taunts of his classmates because of his small size (~1.60m) and his introverted character.
Joey became interested in music when he was 5 years old and started to learn the guitar. He then created his first bands in elementary school.
He also became a fan of Black Sabbath, and was interested in other bands like Kiss, Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, etc.
Young Joey had to grow up early because of his parents’ divorce; he stayed with his mother during the week and took care of his two younger sisters at home after school while their mother still worked.
This experience gave him a deep respect for his mother who took care of everything at home, “from getting up to going to bed for a few hours of sleep”.
After his mother remarried, Joey helped out in his stepfather’s funeral home.
When he got to high school, he started a band with his friends and took the guitarist’s job, but had to take over the drumsticks because of the low level of their drummer. In order to earn more money, Joey works nights in a gas station and in a record shop, Music Land.
The creation of Slipknot
In 1995, he joined a young band as a drummer, The Pale Ones, which later became Slipknot.
The band experienced some line-up and logo adjustments, which were created by Joey.
It was then formed with six members, including Paul Gray (bass) and Shawn Crahan (percussion).
The band numbered from #0 to #9: Joey wore #1 because he was the first to arrive on stage and the last to leave.
After 18 years of playing for Slipknot, the band announced the departure of Joey on December 30, 2013. The latter claimed three days later not to have left the band of his own will but to have been fired, all of it by learning it by email.
At the Hammer Golden Gods Awards, Joey revealed that he had transverse myelitis.
It is a disease attacking the spinal cord, which caused him to gradually lose the use of his legs.
He could no longer play and had to be helped to sit behind the drums.
However, after extensive treatment and rehabilitation, Joey eventually recovered.
Side projects
During and after Slipknot, Joey was involved in many projects:
- Murderdolls (guitar)
- Vimic (drums)
- Scar The Martyr (drums)
- Sinsaenum (drums)
He also played with Metallica at the Download Festival (UK) in June 2004, for KoRn on their 2007 tour, and on many other projects.
Joey Jordison’s death and legacy
Joey Jordison died on July 26, 2021 in his sleep.
His death raised a lot of emotion in the musical world.
Many fans pay tribute to him on the networks, but also many bands and personalities such as Metallica, Trivium, Anthrax, etc., but also his former colleagues of Slipknot, proposing a black square as a profile picture and cover.
The band published an eight-minute video on Youtube gathering archives, concert videos, memories during his career with Slipknot, with a description of their first official communication regarding his death:
“Our hearts go out to Joey’s family and loved ones at this time of tremendous loss. Joey Jordison’s art, talent, and spirit could not be contained or be held back. Joey’s impact on Slipknot, on our lives, and on the music that he loved, is incalculable. Without him there would be no us. We mourn his loss with the entire Slipknot family. We love you, Joey.”
Inspiring millions of drummers, he remains posthumously one of the world’s greatest extreme drummers.
Joey Jordison’s drum kit
Cymbal list:
- 19″ 2002 Wild China
- 14″ 2002 Wild Hats (discontinued)
- 17″ RUDE Crash/Ride 8″ Signature Splash
- 6″ Signature Splash
- 10″ Signature Splash
- 18″ RUDE Crash/Ride
- 19″ RUDE Crash/Ride
- 13″ Signature Heavy Hi-Hat (discontinued)
- 20″ 2002 Power Ride
- 21″ 2002 Wild China (discontinued)
- 15″ 2002 Wild China (discontinued)
- 18″ RUDE China
- 13″ Signature Mega Cup Chime
List of toms and snare drums :
- 8″x7″ Tom
- 10″x8″ Tom
- 12″x9″ Tom
- 14″x10″ Tom
- 16″x16″ floor Tom basse
- 18″x16″ floor Tom basse
- 22″x18″ bass drum (x2)
- 20″x14″ Gong
- 12″x6″ Quarter tom
- 15″x6″ Quarter tom
- 18″x6″ Quarter tom
- 21″x6″ Quarter tom
- Snare drum Pearl Reference Series 14″x6.5″
Hardware and accessories :
- Pearl Double bass drum Eliminator et Demon Drive.
- Trigger : Ddrum pro acoustic (between Slipknot’ All Hope Is Gone until Scar the Martyr’s Vimic. From the band Sinsaenum: triggers Roland Rt30k, he also used an Alesis Dm5
- Remo Coated Controlled Sound, Remo Hazy Ambassador, Remo Clear Emperor, Remo Clear Ambassador, et Remo Clear Powerstroke 3, Remo Double Falam Slam
- Drumsticks Pro-Mark Joey Jordison Signature since All Hope is Gone, Ahead Joey Jordison signature during the first three Slipknot’s records.
Signature Equipements Joey Jordison :
Joey Jordison has a catalog of signature products such as his Pearl 13×6.5 Crate, Paiste Black Alpha “Hyper”, ProMark TX515W cues, Signature Black Lacquer kit.
Recognition with Slipknot
Very popular in the late 90’s and early 90’s, the nu metal band Slipknot became a worldwide success with their nine-piece band and their masks straight out of the worst horror movies.
Categorized as an extreme music band, Slipknot’s fame took off with their first self-titled album Slipknot, released in 1999 (double platinum in 2005), and thanks to their explosive and controversial shows and their stage presence.
The band experienced numerous lineup changes between 1999 and 2022, such as the death of original bassist Paul Gray in 2010 and the departure of Joey Jordison in 2013 and Chris Fehn in 2019.
All three have been replaced temporarily until the band finds a long-term replacement for each, such as currently Jay Weinberg on drums, Alessandro Venturella on bass and Micheal Pfaff on percussion.
Slipknot is known worldwide for wearing masks during their shows and promos. These masks evolve over the years and albums.
If you liked this portrait of Joey Jordison, then feel free to read our blog article about Johh Bonham if you want to learn more about this legend!
Until then, don’t forget, keep on drumming!
