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John Rzeznik

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John Rzeznik
Rzeznik performing in 2013
Rzeznik performing in 2013
Background information
Birth nameJohn Joseph Theodore Rzeznik
Also known asJohnny Rzeznik
Born(1965-12-05)December 5, 1965(age 58)
Buffalo, New York,U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • guitarist
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1981–present
Labels
Member of
Children1
Websitegoogoodolls.com

John Joseph Theodore Rzeznik(/ˈrɛznɪk/;born December 5, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the founder, guitarist and frontman of the American rock bandGoo Goo Dolls,with whom he has recorded 14 studio albums.

Early life

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Rzeznik was born inBuffalo, New York,the youngest of five children and only son of Edith (née Pomeroy) and Joe Rzeznik,[5]a bar proprietor and postal clerk.[6][7]Both of Rzeznik's parents were musicians, playing the clarinet and flute. Rzeznik had a strictCatholicupbringing in Buffalo's working-classEast SidePolishneighborhood and attendedCorpus Christi Grammar School.Rzeznik's paternal grandparents were born inPoland.[8]The original pronunciation of his last name Rzeźnik is "Zhezh-neek" (zh as in beige)[ˈʐɛʑɲik],Polish for "butcher".[9]

Rzeznik's father died at the age of 53 on February 2, 1981, from adiabetic comawhen Rzeznik was 15 years old. On October 26, 1982, his mother died at the age of 51 from a suddenheart attackin the family's living room. Having lost both of his parents, he was brought up by his four older sisters, Phyllis, Fran, Gladys and Kate, with help from their cousin, John Guljas. He paid for his own apartment usingSocial Security Survivor Benefit checks.It was during this period and while attendingMcKinley Vocational High Schoolthat Rzeznik began playing the guitar. He briefly attendedBuffalo State College,dropping out after his first year.[10]

Career

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Goo Goo Dolls

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Main article:Goo Goo Dolls

In 1985, Rzeznik formed the band that became theGoo Goo DollswithRobby Takac.Previously Rzeznik had been in a band with Takac's cousin, called The Beaumonts.[11]

In the early days of the Goo Goo Dolls, the band performed at gigs relentlessly, with Takac as the frontman (Rzeznik gradually becoming the frontman over the next few albums, as each new album contained more songs sung by Rzeznik than the last). They were soon picked up by a small record label,Celluloid.Under Celluloid, they released their first eponymous album on a $750 budget (later the re-prints would be referred to as "First Release" ). This attracted the attention of a larger record label,Metal Blade,who released their next few albums.[12]

For the next few years, the band toured and worked on new material. The band received early success with the single "Name"as well as being featured inFreddy's Dead: The Final Nightmarewith the song "I'm Awake Now". Fast forward to their albumDizzy Up the Girl,the single "Iris"became a critical success due in large part to the release of the filmCity of Angelsand it being a featured music video for the film.[13]

Other activity

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Following the albumGutterflower,Rzeznik wrote "Always Know Where You Are" and"I'm Still Here"for the Disney filmTreasure Planet,[14]which were also released as a single independently from the band.

He, along withRyan Cabreraproduced the latter's 2004 albumTake It All Awaywith Rzeznik being the main producer.

From October to December 2007, Rzeznik was a judge alongsideSheila E.andAustralian Idoljudge and marketing managerIan "Dicko" Dicksonon the Fox network'sThe Next Great American Band.[15]

On June 19, 2008, Rzeznik was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fameand was awarded theHal David Starlight Award.[16]

On March 24, 2014,Cash Cashreleased their new single "Lightning". The single featured Rzeznik on vocals and was written by Cash Cash and Rzeznik together.[17]

On November 29, 2020, he participated in a virtual fundraiser to help combat hunger and raise money for the Community Foodbank of New Jersey.[18]

Musical style

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Rzeznik onstage, playing an acoustic guitar
Rzeznik in 2006

Influences

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Most of the music Rzeznik listened to while growing up was influenced by his sisters, and consisted of classic rock such asThe Rolling StonesandThe Kinks.The youngest of his four older sisters moved towards punk music and Rzeznik became interested in bands such asRamonesandThe Clash.[19]Rzeznik attributes his gift for melody to listening to bands such asKiss,Cheap Trick,The CureandRushin the early 1980s.[19]Rzeznik also citesPaul Westerbergas an "obvious influence" on his music.[20]Westerberg co-wrote the 1993 Goo Goo Dolls song "We Are the Normal"with Rzeznik, who reflected on the experience by stating" To some people,Keith Richardsis their hero. I feel that way about Westerberg. Keith Richardsgot to do his thingwithChuck Berry,and I got to do it with Westerberg. That was amazing to me. "[21]

Rzeznik has stated that his dream collaboration would be with singer/songwriterGrace VanderWaal.[22]

Songwriting

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Rzeznik believes writing is not just an inspirational act but that writing music is "ninety nine percent perspiration." He says that when writing a song, he often "runs tape and screws around with stuff," and his songs are often both biographical and autobiographical. According to Rzeznik, before penning down the song "Iris", he was on the verge of leaving the band because he had been writing songs for the past nine years and it had been a low. However, Rzeznik was approached for writing the soundtrack of the movieCity of Angels,and after watching the movie, Rzeznik penned down the song, which changed the band's career.[23]

Guitar tunings

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Rzeznik is known for his use of alternate guitar tunings in his songs. Rzeznik has said that he would "basically sit there at night and just start tuning my guitar strings up and down until something sounded really cool." For example, "Iris" is played with the guitar tuned to BDDDDD.

Equipment

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After the Goo Goo Dolls' equipment was stolen from a van inNew York City(including Rzeznik'sMarshall JCM800amplifier and his only guitar at the time), following the recording of their 1989 album,Jed,a custom, yellowStratocaster-style guitar (later nicknamed "Boing" ) was made for Rzeznik byESP.Now without an amplifier, Rzeznik borrowed a near-identicalMarshallJCM800 from a mutual friend of the band, Charles Root. This amp was then used to recordHold Me UpandSuperstar Car Wash.Since the late 1990s, Rzeznik has usedFenderelectric guitars. He has used many variations such as theStratocaster,Telecaster,Jaguarand a "Halfcaster" (a Stratocaster cut in half). He also usedGuildacoustic guitars on theDizzy Up the GirlandGutterflowertours. Rzeznik noted in a 2003 interview that "No matter what guitar I have, it seems that anything with strings makes music to my ears."[23][dead link]

Personal life

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Rzeznik met former model Laurie Farinacci in 1990, married her in 1993 but divorced in 2003; they did not have any children.[24][25]He started dating Melina Gallo in 2005 and married her inMalibu, California,on July 26, 2013.[26]On December 22, 2016, he and Gallo had their first child, a daughter, Liliana.[27]Rzeznik and his family reside inWestfield, New Jersey.[28]

Rzeznik is a recoveringalcoholic.In a 2018 interview, he reported that he had been sober for nearly four years.[28]

Discography

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Main article:Goo Goo Dolls discography

Solo singles

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Title Year Chart positions Album
US Pop
[29] 		US Adult
[29] 		AUS
[30]
"I'm Still Here (Jim's Theme)" 2002 38 10 68 Treasure PlanetSoundtrack

Collaborations/individual discography

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References and notes

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  1. ^Ellis, Andrew (June 6, 2002)."Goo Goo Dolls: Gutterflower".PopMatters.RetrievedAugust 27,2015.
  2. ^Anthony, David (June 27, 2014)."Beach Slang offers up the summer anthem of a bygone era".The A.V. Club.RetrievedAugust 27,2015.
  3. ^Brennan, Collin, Dan Bogosian and Claire Sevigny (March 17, 2015)."Goo Goo Dolls vs. Collective Soul: 20 Years Later".Consequence of Sound.RetrievedAugust 27,2015.{{cite magazine}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^Matthew Murphy (January 3, 2011)."Goo Goo Dolls' Johnny Rzeznik on His Punk Past, New Album".Rolling Stone.RetrievedDecember 3,2015.
  5. ^"This Dolls Life".Angelfire.RetrievedFebruary 24,2019.
  6. ^"How did the band The Goo Goo Dolls contribute to music? - eNotes.com".eNotes.
  7. ^White, Timothy (February 25, 1995). "Goo Goo Dolls' Blue-Collar Guts".Billboard.Vol. 107, no. 8. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 7.
  8. ^"John Rzeznik:" I am still looking for that perfect song. "".Papa Tomski.April 6, 2014.RetrievedFebruary 7,2021.
  9. ^"Cambridge Dictionary".RetrievedNovember 19,2022.
  10. ^"John Rzeznik – The Vogue".RetrievedOctober 31,2023.
  11. ^"Goo Goo Dolls FAQ".RetrievedMarch 4,2008.
  12. ^Rhombus, Emperor (June 15, 2022)."Metal Blade Records In 40 Songs, One From Each Year They've Existed".MetalSucks.RetrievedOctober 31,2023.
  13. ^Burditt, Peter (July 1, 2022)."The Meaning Behind the Song" Iris "by The Goo Goo Dolls".American Songwriter.RetrievedOctober 31,2023.
  14. ^Flick, Larry (December 7, 2002). "Soundtracks".Billboard.p. 16.
  15. ^"The Next Great American Band Official Website".RetrievedOctober 14,2007.
  16. ^"Songwriters Hall of Fame – 2008 Award and Induction Ceremony Induction Ceremonies".songwritershalloffame.org.RetrievedOctober 5,2011.
  17. ^"Cash Cash release Lightning EP".Dancing Astronaut.March 25, 2014.
  18. ^Kadosh, Matt (November 29, 2020)."Watch Goo Goo Dolls Singer Live from Westfield in Benefit to Fight Hunger".
  19. ^abHall, Russell (July 23, 2007)."The Music Blog".independentmail.com.Archived fromthe originalon December 11, 2008.RetrievedMarch 4,2008.
  20. ^"John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls".ascap.com.Archived fromthe originalon March 18, 2007.RetrievedMarch 4,2008.
  21. ^"Rank Your Records: John Rzeznik Plays Favorites with the Goo Goo Dolls Records".Noisey.December 17, 2015.RetrievedJanuary 3,2018.
  22. ^"Catching up with Johnny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls".May 19, 2022.
  23. ^ab"John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls".www.ascap.com.2000.
  24. ^"This Dolls Life".Angelfire.RetrievedJuly 28,2013.
  25. ^"Goo Goo Dolls' Johnny Rzeznik Is Engaged".Starpulse.com. January 22, 2013.RetrievedJuly 28,2013.
  26. ^Greer, Carlos (July 27, 2013)."John Rzeznik Is Married".People.RetrievedJuly 28,2013.
  27. ^Nelson, Jeff; Juneau, Jen (December 23, 2016)."John Rzeznik and Wife Welcome Daughter Liliana Carella".People.com.RetrievedDecember 26,2016.
  28. ^abO'Shei, Tim (October 12, 2018)."John Rzeznik unveiled: Goo Goo Dolls frontman finds peace in sobriety, love in fatherhood".The Buffalo News.
  29. ^ab"Artist Search for" johnny rzeznik "".AllMusic.
  30. ^Ryan, Gavin (2011).Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010(PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 241.
  31. ^The song was written and performed by Rzeznik in the movie, but it was performed byBBMakon theTreasure Planetsoundtrack.
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