Oliver Taylor Hawkins American rock musician Date of Birth: 17.02.1972 Country: USA

Biography of Oliver Taylor Hawkins

Oliver Taylor Hawkins was born on February 17, 1972, in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. Inspired by Roger Taylor of Queen and Stuart Copeland of The Police, Hawkins developed a passion for drumming. Before joining the post-grunge rock band Foo Fighters in 1997, Hawkins worked as a touring drummer for Canadian singer Alanis Morissette during her "Jagged Little Pill" tour and played drums in the experimental group Sylvia. It was Hawkins' cousin, Kevin Harrell, who introduced him to rock musician Dave Grohl, ultimately leading to Hawkins joining Grohl's band Foo Fighters.

In 2005, Hawkins was recognized as the "Best Rock Drummer" by the British magazine "Rhythm." A year before that, he formed his side project called "Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders," where he not only plays drums but also sings. Known primarily as the drummer for Foo Fighters, Hawkins has also showcased his musical talents by playing guitar, piano, and providing vocals for various songs. He earned his first lead vocal on the cover of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar," which appeared as a B-side on the single "Learn to Fly" and in the soundtrack album for the film "Mission: Impossible 2." Hawkins has also contributed vocals to covers of Joe Walsh's "Life of Illusion" and served as a backing vocalist for Foo Fighters. Grohl once jokingly described Hawkins as a "pretty good singer for a drummer."

In 2006, Hawkins released an album under his side project, "Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders." He has collaborated with renowned musicians, including Roger Taylor from Queen and Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers, performing as part of the supergroup "SOS Allstars" at the Live Earth concert in 2007. Hawkins has also recorded drum tracks for the progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria's album "Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow" and toured with the band in support of the album.

Hawkins has made notable appearances as a drummer, playing on Brian May's solo album "Another World" in 1998 and performing on VH1's "Rock Honors" concert for the iconic song "We Will Rock You" in 2006. He has also served as a backing vocalist for "Queen + Paul Rodgers" on the single "C-lebrity" and for Slash's solo album, specifically on the track "Crucify the Dead."

Since 2005, Hawkins has been married to Alison, and the couple welcomed their son Oliver Shane Hawkins in August 2007. In 2010, they were expecting another child. Hawkins fondly recalls his early memories of the band Queen, particularly the connection he felt between the movie "King Kong" and Roger Taylor's drumming, sparked by hearing "We Will Rock You" on the radio as a child.