'90s Rock Bands' Drummers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Metallica

Lars Ulrich was the drummer for the rock band Metallica during the 1990s. Originally born in Denmark, he moved to the United States at the young age of 16 to train professionally as a drummer. In 1981, he placed an ad in a local newspaper looking for people to start a band with. James Hetfield responded and the band Metallica was formed. Together, they helped form the subgenre of thrash metal.

Metallica was huge during the 1990s. Their first success came in 1986 with "Master of Puppets" and from there, it was all success. Their 1991 eponymous release "Metallica" had more mainstream success with singles like "The Unforgiven", "Enter Sandman", and "Nothing Else Matters" leading the way for more success in the decade.

Answer: U2

It was Larry Mullen Jr.'s 1976 note on the school message board that prompted guys like Paul Hewson, David Evans, Adam Clayton, and several other people to answer. The first four stuck around for the long haul and U2 was formed. Hewson (Bono) quickly became the band's leader, though the four have always remained friends and a single-lineup four-piece band.

U2 has become one of the best-known rock bands in the world, but their beginnings were humble. They released two albums that did not fare very well before releasing "War" in 1983 and finding success with it. The 1990s was huge for U2 with the albums "Achtung Baby", Zooropa", "Pop", and "All That You Can't Leave Behind". Apart from their music, the band encourages spirituality and activism in all that they do, and use their platform very influentially.

Answer: Foo Fighters

Taylor Hawkins was a touring drummer before he joined the band Foo Fighters permanently in 1997. The band was originally Dave Grohl's one-man project, however, he quickly realized that he needed band members in order to keep his sanity and to keep it tight when he toured. The original drummer that was hired by Grohl was William Goldsmith, however, the two had constant clashes and Goldsmith was let go. Hawkins was hired as his replacement.

Foo Fighters was a brainchild of Dave Grohl when Nirvana's Kurt Cobain committed suicide. He was the only official member for a while before other musicians were hired. Hawkins joined for the 1997 release of the album "The Colour and the Shape" which featured successful singles like "Monkey Wrench", "Everlong", "My Hero", and "Walking After You". He gelled with the other band members and was hired permanently.

Answer: Our Lady Peace

Jeremy Taggart joined the Canadian rock band Our Lady Peace when he was only 17. When the band's original drummer, Jim Newell, left the band in 1993, they needed to fill the slot quickly. Taggart, coming from a very musical family, auditioned and got the role. With Taggart on board and a music deal from Sony Canada, the band wrote, recorded and produced their first album, "Naveed", in 1994. The album was only moderately successful until the title track "Naveed" was released as the fifth single and the sound caught on.

Our Lady Peace has been very successful in Canada, but also received worldwide recognition for their music. In the 1990s, they also released the successful albums "Clumsy" and "Happiness... Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch" before changing their sound entirely in the next decade.

Answer: The Verve

Peter Salisbury is an English drummer who was one of the co-founders of the rock band, The Verve. The group was founded in 1990 along with Nick McCabe, Richard Ashcroft, and Simon Jones. The original sound for the group was very psychedelic and they cited great bands like the Beatles and Pink Floyd as their influences.

Though they started as a garage band, they were signed to a record deal only a year after they were founded. They released an EP and were critically acclaimed for it. Their commercial success didn't come until 1997 with their album "Urban Hymns". It featured great singles like "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and "The Drugs Don't Work" rose very high on the charts in England and worldwide. The band broke up in 1999 and had a brief reunion from 2007-2009.

Answer: Aerosmith

American Joey Kramer was, allegedly, the person who came up with the name "Aerosmith" when brainstorming ideas for his band's name. He was attending Berklee College of Music when Steven Tyler was forming a band. Having already been an admirer of Tyler, Kramer decided to drop out of Berklee and joined the band. The band is an amalgamation of two older bands, Jam Band and Chain Reaction. The two were gigging together and liked each other's sound, so they decided to 'come together'. [Sorry, I couldn't help myself]

Aerosmith was originally a blues rock band and their success was slow to come. It was only when they released "Toys in the Attic" that they became really well-known. Their 1989 album "Pump" propelled Aerosmith into the 90s. Their release of "Get a Grip" in 1993 was the first of their albums to debut at no. 1, and they soon after released a compilation album, "Big Ones", that was super-successful commercially.

Answer: Radiohead

Before he had a solo career, Philip Selway was the drummer for the band Radiohead. He was in the same year as Ed O'Brien, and a year older than Colin Greenwood and Thom Yorke. They all met at the Abingdon boarding school in Oxfordshire, England, and formed a band there. Originally, they called themselves On a Friday, referring to the day that they could get together to rehearse.

Radiohead had limited initial success in the United Kingdom with their single "Creep" off of their debut album "Pablo Honey". The album also was tanking until a radio DJ in Israel got a copy of it; soon it was being played all over the country. The DJ then sent a copy of the song to a friend of his in Los Angeles and Radiohead started getting American airtime. Soon, Radiohead were a worldwide sensation (and the United Kingdom eventually fell in line as well).

Answer: AC/DC

Phil Rudd was the drummer for Australian rock group AC/DC for two stints. He was born with a mouthful of a name: Phillip Hugh Norman Witschke Rudzevecuis. He auditioned with a bit of trepidation for the band and got the gig. He became close friends with Bon Scott, the original lead singer, and when he passed away in 1980, he was deeply saddened. In addition to his own personal battles with mental illness, he eventually left the band in 1983.

In 1991, AC/DC needed a drummer for their tour and Phil Rudd was called in. He stuck around for two years before being offered the drummer position permanently. In this second stint, Rudd was a part of five albums. However, drugs and alcohol were catalysts for Rudd being arrested on more than one occasion. Nevertheless, he remained the band's drummer.

Answer: Scorpions

Herman Rarebell is a German drummer who was a part of the band Scorpions from 1977 to 1995. He trained in piano and drums at the Saarbrücken conservatory and joined several bands before landing the gig with Scorpions as their eighth drummer. With the band, he was a part of eight studio albums and was also involved in writing songs for them; the hit "Rock You Like a Hurricane" was written by Rarebell.

Scorpions is a German rock band that has been around since 1965 with many lineup changes. In the beginning of the 1990s it consisted of Rarebell, singer Klaus Meine, guitarists Rudolph Schenker and Matthias Jabs, and bassist Francis Buchholz. They achieved their success in the 80s and it kept going in the 90s, especially in Europe.

Answer: Matchbox Twenty

Not only was Paul Doucette the drummer for the rock band Matchbox Twenty, he also did backup vocals as well as rhythm guitar. He also has his own band, The Break and Repair Method, and is known for being Moon Unit Zappa's husband for a while - Frank Zappa's daughter.

Matchbox Twenty was formed in Orlando, Florida, United States, in 1995 and was originally called Tabitha's Secret. Doucette reportedly came up with the name 'Matchbox Twenty' and he was originally the drummer. Rob Thomas was the lead vocalist, guitarist and played keyboard, Adam Gaynor on guitar and backup vocals, and Brian Yale was the bassist. Their 1996 debut "Yourself or Someone Like You" propelled them onto the worldwide stage and they were critically acclaimed by many.