Linkin Park
American rock band from Agoura Hills that fused metal and hip-hop on Hybrid Theory.
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via Wikipedia: Linkin Park · see source
Linkin Park is an American rock band that formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. Usually filed under alternative rock and nu metal, the group first blended heavy metal with hip-hop and later leaned into electronica and pop.
Their debut, Hybrid Theory (2000), made them international stars and earned Diamond certification from the RIAA. With more than 100 million records sold, they rank among the best-selling acts in music, and their awards include two Grammy Awards and seven American Music Awards. After a seven-year break following Chester Bennington's death in July 2017, the band returned in September 2024.
Lore & Background
Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon and Brad Delson met at Agoura High School and, after graduating, formed a band called Xero with Joe Hahn, Dave Farrell and vocalist Mark Wakefield. They cut demos in Shinoda's bedroom studio and released a four-track tape in November 1997. When Wakefield left, Jeff Blue recommended Chester Bennington, an Arizona singer from Grey Daze, who joined in March 1999.
The band renamed itself Hybrid Theory, then signed with Warner Bros. Records, which asked for another change. They settled on Linkin Park, a nod to Lincoln Park in Santa Monica, altering the spelling so they could secure the domain linkinpark.com.
Reader's Guide
Hybrid Theory arrived on October 24, 2000, and sold more than 4.8 million copies in its first year, the best-selling album of 2001. "In the End" reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Crawling" won a Grammy. Meteora (2003) kept the momentum, while Minutes to Midnight (2007) shifted their sound. A Thousand Suns (2010) went more electronic, The Hunting Party (2014) turned heavier, and One More Light (2017) was their most pop-leaning record. From Zero (2024) introduced vocalist Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain alongside Shinoda, Delson, Hahn and Farrell.
Did You Know?
- The band played more than 320 concerts within a year of Hybrid Theory's release.
- Their remix album Reanimation debuted on July 30, 2002, at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
- They launched their own touring festival, Projekt Revolution.
- Kerrang! called them the Biggest Rock Band in the World Right Now in 2014.
More in Rock & Alternative
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Linkin Park (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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