Biographies
BILLY CORGAN
BILLY CORGAN (WILLIAM PATRICK CORGAN JUNIOR) WAS BORN ON MARCH 17, 1967. HE WAS BORN IN ELK GROVE, ILLINOIS. WHEN HE WAS VERY YOUNG, HIS PARENTS GOT A DIVORCE, AND FOR THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF HIS LIFE, HE WAS PASSED AROUND FROM HIS PARENTS, HIS GREAT-GRANDMOTHER, AND HIS GRANDMOTHER. BILLY'S DAD REMARRIED, AND BILLY SETTLED WITH THE NEW STEP-MOM. BILLY'S DAD (WILLIAM PATRICK CORGAN SENIOR) WAS A PROFESSIONAL GUITARIST. HE SPLIT UP WITH BILLY'S STEP-MOM, BUT, SINCE HE TRAVELED SO MUCH, BILLY LIVED WITH HER. BILLY HAS THREE BROTHERS, RICKY, ANDREW, AND JESSE. (JESSE WAS BORN WITH MILD CEREBRAL PALSY, TOURETTES SYNDROM, HEART PROBLEMS, AND A CHROMOSOLAM DISORER WHICH CAUSED HIM TO BE SLOWER THAN OTHERS. BILLY LATER WROTE THE SONG SPACEBOY FOR HIM.) BILLY WAS THE OLDEST, SO HE ALWAYS TOOK CARE OF HIS BROTHERS. HE WENT TO GLENBARD NORTH HIGH IN CAROL STREAM, III. DUE TO BILLY'S STRUGGLE IN LIFE, HE FOUND MUSIC AS AN ESCAPE. NONE OF HIS BROTHERS WERE INTERESTED IN MUSIC LIKE HE WAS. BILLY'S FIRST BAND WAS HEXEN. LATER ON, HE WAS IN A BAND CALLED THE MARKED. IT WAS CALLED THAT BECAUSE BILLY AND THE DRUMMER HAD BIRTHMARKS. THE MARKED DIDN'T SEEM LIKE IT HAD ANY HOPES OF SURVING, SO BILLY ENDED IT, AND CAME HOME TO CHICAGO. IN 1988, HE FORMED THE SMASHING PUMPKINS. BILLY IS A VERY TALENTED MAN. HE CAN PLAY A WIDE VARIETY OF INSTRUMENTS, SING BEAUTIFULLY, AND HE IS SUCH AN INCREDIBLE SONG WRITER. HE IS A STRONG, SUPERIOR, AND POWERFUL LEADER, WHICH MAY BE ONE REASON THE PUMPKINS LASTED SO LONG, EVEN THROUGH MANY TOUGH TIMES.
JAMES IHA
JAMES IHA WAS BORN ON MARCH 26, 1968. HE IS JAPANESE-AMERICAN. JAMES WAS PREVIOUSLY IN ANOTHER BAND CALLED SNAKE TRAIN. IT DIDN'T SEEM AS IF THEY WERE GOING ANYWHERE, SO JAMES LEFT THEM FOR THE SMASHING PUMPKINS. IT IS RUMORED THAT HE HAS A YOUNGER, DISABLED BROTHER. IT IS UNKNOWN IF JAMES HAS ANY OTHER SIBLINGS. JAMES HAS A DOG NAMED BUGGSUPERSTAR WHO HE LOVES VERY MUCH. JAMES IS AN EXCELLANT GUITARIST, AS WELL AS A GREAT SINGER. HE SINGS A LOT OF SONGS WITH THE SMASHING PUMPKINS, SUCH AS "TAKE ME DOWN," "BLEW AWAY," "THE BOY," AND "THE BELLS," TO NAME JUST A FEW. JAMES RELEASED A PHENOMINAL SOLO ALBUM IN 1998 CALLED "LET IT COME DOWN."
JIMMY CHAMBERLAIN
JIMMY CHAMBERLAIN WAS BORN JUNE 10, 1964, IN CHICAGO ILLINOIS. HE WENT TO THE JOLIET CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL, AND HIS HOME TOWN WAS JOLIET. HIS PAST MUSICAL CAREER HAS BEEN A PLENTIFUL ONE, HIS PAST BANDS BEING JP AND THE CATS, EDDIE KAROSA’S POLKA PARTY, THE SKITTLES, SUSHI COWBOYS, STADIUM DRIVE, MOJO BLUES BAND, AND THE LAST HARD MEN. HIS PAST OCCUPATION WAS A CARPENTER. HIS MUSICAL INFLUENCES ARE BIG BAND AND JAZZ. HIS FAVORITE ALBUMS ARE BENNY GOODMAN, "SEXTET," BUDDY RICH, "BIG BAND MACHINE," JAZZ CRUSADERS, "TOUGH TALK," AND BEASTIE BOYS, "CHECK YOUR HEAD." HIS FAVORITE BANDS ARE PANTERA, HELMET, SQUEEZE, CROWDED HOUSE, PIXIES, AND THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS. JIMMY’S FAVORITE SHOWS ARE SANFORD AND SON, THE HONEYMOONERS, AND GOOD TIMES. HIS CURRENT RESIDENCE IS CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. HE IS A WONDERFUL DRUMMER.
MELISSA AUF DER MAUR
MELISSA AUF DER MAUR WAS BORN ON MARCH 17, 1972, IN MONTREAL, CANADA. SHE IS THE DAUGHTER OF NICK AUF DER MAUR AND LINDA GABORIAU. SHE LEARNED TO PLAY BASS ON A 1975 SQUIRE ACE. IN 1994, MELISSA JOINED THE BAND HOLE DUE TO A RECOMMENDATION FROM BILLY CORGAN. HE SAW HER PLAYING BASS IN HER FORMER BAND, TINKER, WHEN THEY OPENED FOR THE PUMPKINS. IN OCTOBER OF 1999, MELISSA LEFT HOLE, AND A MONTH LATER SHE OFFICIALLY JOINED THE PUMPKINS. SHE TOURED WITH THEM FOR THE MACHINA CONCERTS, FOR "STORY TELLERS" ON VH1, AND FOR THEIR FAREWELL SHOWS.
D'Arcy
D'Arcy WRETZKY-BROWN WAS BORN ON MAY 1, 1968. SHE WAS IN THE SMASHING PUMPKINS AS THEIR BASSIST FROM THE BEGINNING, IN 1988. ON SEPTEMBER 9TH, 1999, IT WAS OFFICIAL THAT D'Arcy HAD QUIT THE SMASHING PUMPKINS. ALTHOUGH IT WAS DEEPLY UPSETTING TO PUMPKINSHEADS EVERYWHERE, SHE MUST HAVE HAD HER REASONS. I WISH HER THE BEST.