Korn, made up of Jonathan Davis, the lead singer, Reginald Arvizu (a.k.a. Fieldy), bass, James Shaffer (a.k.a. Munky), guitar, Brian Welch, vocals and guitar, and David Silveria, drums, was formed in the early 1990's in Southern California.
The five spent a couple of years together becoming better acquainted and collaborating on music before they were signed by EastWest Records in 1994 and released their first album, Korn.
The first single off that album, 'Blind', was a hit on MTV and helped them gain the attention they needed to become co-headliners with bands such as 311, and artists such as Marilyn Manson and Danzig.
Jonathan Davis' voice is very unique in that it can go from very high, on songs such as 'Hey Daddy' and 'Freak on a Leash' to a deep scratchy one as heard on 'Falling Away From Me'. Korn's second album, Life is Peachy, released in 1996, helped Korn grow even more, and this time on a global scale. The remake of War's 'Lowrider' was an instant hit, as was 'A.D.I.D.A.S.', an acronym for something that perhaps shouldn't be written here.
Follow The Leader, released in 1998 had collaborations with such stars as Fred Durst (on the track 'All In The Family'), and Ice Cube ('Children of the Korn'). An interesting fact about this album is that tracks 1-12 are all 5 seconds long, and silent. A full minute of silence. The album goes from full electronica and synthesizers all the way to rock, with both James Shaffer and Brian Welch playing on popular tracks such as 'Got the Life', and 'Dead Bodies Everywhere'.
Issues, with a voodoo doll on the cover of the album, was released in 1999. The CD has tracks featuring Jonathan Davis not only singing, but also playing instruments ranging from bagpipes to drums. The CD cover art was chosen in a contest in which fans sent in artwork and the top four submissions were all used. The video for 'Falling Away From Me' was a hit on MTV's TRL, and the single 'Make Me Bad' seeps into your head with its melodic vocals and background track.
During a 2 year break, the band members found ways to expand themselves individually. Jonathan Davis was chosen to produce the score for Queen of the Damned, a movie featuring Aaliah. Reginald 'Fieldy' Arvizu released a solo album, Fieldy's Dreams, under his pseudonym nickname.
'Here to Stay', the first single from the Untouchables album of 2002, won a Grammy in 2003 for Best Metal Performance. The rest of the album showed a departure from Korn's previous reliance on a mix of hip-hop and heavy metal. The band, tired of being likened to bands like Limp Bizkit, has expanded their vocals to be smoother, and with tracks like 'Alone I Break', the listener can hear the influence of different types of music like Rock and Jazz.
Take a Look In The Mirror shows yet another instance of Korn's willingness to try to grow in order to reach a wider audience. After Untouchables, Korn realized that they could influence even more people with a wider audience and so on 'Y'all Want a Single', the band, while mocking showbiz, showcased its ability to give exactly that, a hit single. Track 6, 'Did My Time', was nominated for the 2004 Grammy for Best Metal Performance.
