Corey Taylor

Early life Corey Todd Taylor was born on December 8, 1973, in Des Moines, Iowa. He was mostly raised by his single mother in Waterloo, Iowa, and described it as a "hole in the ground with buildings around it". Taylor, along with his mother and younger half-sister, would often move around the country in search for job prospects. By the time he was 15, he had "already lived in 25 states". Around 1979, Taylor and his mother saw the sci-fi series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Before the series, there was a trailer for the 1978 horror film Halloween. Taylor said this "developed some sense of Slipknot in [himself]".

In 1983, when he was nine years old, his mother and her boyfriend moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to become security guards for Burt Reynolds' ranch. However, as they were driving there, they got stranded in Georgia and he lost some of his possessions. By this time, he was living in Waterloo, but some time after this overdose, he returned to visit his grandmother in Des Moines, and according to Taylor, "stayed and never went back [to his mother's house]." She took legal custody of him so that he could continue going to school, and she helped him buy musical equipment. He would later describe his grandmother as his "strongest influence" as well as his "rock, foundation and stability." When Taylor was 18, he left his grandmother's house and went to various places in Iowa, Des Moines being a place to which he frequently returned. Taylor attended Lincoln High School in Des Moines but did not graduate. He later earned his GED. At age 17, when Taylor was living with his grandmother, he attempted suicide by way of overdose. His ex-girlfriend's mother drove him to the hospital in Des Moines and doctors were able to resuscitate him.

Music career Stone Sour

Taylor is a founding member of American hard rock band Stone Sour. After he formed the band in 1992 with drummer Joel Ekman, Shawn Economaki joined filling in the bass position, leaving the electric guitar position to be filled by Josh Rand. Stone Sour recorded a demo album in 1993, and another in 1994. In 1997, Taylor was approached by the metal band, Slipknot, resulting in him abandoning Stone Sour while they were recording a demo album with Sean McMahon at SR studios. Taylor did not return until five years later to record their debut album, Stone Sour in 2002. Both Taylor and guitarist Josh Rand contacted Jim Root, Slipknot's guitarist, and Shawn Economaki, Stone Sour's original bassist, to begin writing songs for their debut album. Drummer Joel Ekman came back on board as well. This "reformation" later resulted in Stone Sour recording at Catamount Studios in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Their self-titled debut album was released August 27, 2002, and it debuted at number 46 on the Billboard 200. Their second album, Come What(ever) May debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. Live in Moscow is currently their only album specifically released only for download. During the recording of the album, drummer Joel Ekman left the band for personal reasons. As a result, drummer Roy Mayorga was recruited, taking his place. The group released their third studio album, Audio Secrecy, on September 7, 2010.

Later, Corey Taylor announced the release of a concept double album with Stone Sour. The albums are titled "House of Gold & Bones". During the process of making the double album, bassist Shawn Economaki left the band. He was temporarily replaced for touring purposes by Johny Chow. The first part was released in October 2012 and the second part in April 2013. There are 23 songs in total, 11 on the first part and 12 on the second. In addition to these two albums is a four-part comic book series written by Taylor and published by Dark Horse Comics, which went on sale in 2013. With these albums came a story that was written by Taylor that coincide with the album. Fans can also construct a miniature "house of gold and bones" from the packaging design of the physical versions of the two albums. Taylor has also said that he would like to finish off the project by making the story into a movie but nothing has come of this yet.

Slipknot

In Des Moines, Iowa, Joey Jordison, Shawn Crahan, and Mick Thomson approached him asking him to join Slipknot. He agreed to go to one of their practices, and ended up singing in front of them. Of Slipknot's nine members, Corey was the sixth to join the band. Performing with Slipknot, he would also come to be known as "Number Eight", since the band follows a numbering scheme for its members, ranging from 0–8. According to Shawn Crahan, Corey wanted number eight, because it symbolizes infinity.

Feeling he could expand more inside Slipknot than in Stone Sour, Taylor temporarily quit Stone Sour, even though they were recording an album with Sean McMahon. which according to band members did not go well. During his first gig, Taylor was performing with facepaint instead of a mask; however, for his second show on September 12, he wore a mask that resembles his debut album mask. Taylor has recorded with Slipknot since the release of their second demo album, a self-titled demo used to promote the band to prospective labels and producers. As their permanent vocalist, he recorded with Slipknot at Indigo Ranch in Malibu, California, and released Slipknot, the band's debut album that peaked at number one on the Top Heatseekers chart, went double platinum in the United States, and was included in the 2006 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Taylor was accused of copyright infringement regarding the lyrics of the song "Purity", but no action was taken. Taylor began recording for their second studio album, Iowa, in 2001 at Sound City and Sound Image in Van Nuys, Los Angeles. It was released August 28, 2001, and peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart, as well as number three on the Billboard 200. While writing Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), Taylor decided to write lyrics that would not warrant an explicit label. It peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. All Hope Is Gone was the first Slipknot album to peak at number one on the Billboard 200.

Other work Taylor has appeared as a guest musician on albums by Soulfly, Apocalyptica, Damageplan, Steel Panther, and Code Orange. He was planning to record vocals on thrash metal band Anthrax's album, Worship Music, but Slipknot's record label, Roadrunner Records, did not allow him to. He also contributed to the Roadrunner United all-star album in 2005, providing vocals for the song "Rich Man". Taylor also made a brief appearance in Steel Panther's singles "Death to All but Metal", "Eyes of a Panther", and "Asian Hooker". In 2006, Taylor founded the record company Great Big Mouth Records. Taylor has produced two albums: Facecage's self-titled album and Walls of Jericho's Redemption. Taylor provided guest narration on the track "Repentance" for Dream Theater's 2007 album Systematic Chaos. In an interview with Billboard, Taylor confirmed that on January 13, 2009, he was planning on making a solo album, as well as returning to his side project Stone Sour after Slipknot's All Hope Is Gone World Tour. Taylor has stated that he was writing songs that "don't fit either of his main bands." The group performed on April 24, 2009, at People's Court in Des Moines, Iowa, marking Taylor's first official solo show. Taylor performs with his band the Dum Fux with Denny Harvey, who make covers for 1970s punk rock and 1980s hair metal. Taylor also performs with Audacious P, a band that is primarily a Tenacious D cover band. Rapper Tech N9ne confirmed that Taylor was to perform on his album K.O.D., but was removed because Taylor did not submit his vocals in time, though he would later make an appearance on Tech's 2015 album Special Effects, on the song "Wither". Taylor recently admitted that he tried out for the vacant singer spot in the band Velvet Revolver, but said that it just did not work out. However, according to a recent Billboard article, it seems likely that he may in fact become the vocalist for Velvet Revolver, though no official confirmation has been made. Duff McKagan added that they can neither "confirm or deny" Taylor's membership in the band but believes that Taylor is the "real deal". Slash has since ruled Taylor out as the possible new vocalist explaining that "[it] just wasn't right" although he does love him. Taylor has, however, recorded 10 new songs with the band, although drummer Matt Sorum stated it is unlikely they will ever be released. Taylor explained to Mark Hoppus on Hoppus on Music that he and McKagan were writing new music for a possible new supergroup.

On June 21, 2018, Taylor featured on the track "The Hunt" by metallic hardcore band Code Orange, the second track of the three-track EP The Hurt Will Go On. In April 2019, Taylor collaborated on the song "Drugs" by the band Falling in Reverse. In September 2019, he and his son Griffin were featured on Nostalgia Critic's parody album of Pink Floyd's The Wall on a cover of the opening theme for SpongeBob SquarePants. Taylor released his solo album, CMFT, on October 2, 2020, via Roadrunner Records. The first two singles, "Black Eyes Blue" and "CMFT Must Be Stopped", were released on July 29, 2020. Despite charting relatively well, he would later accuse Roadrunner of doing little to promote CMFT.

Taylor mentioned in an October 3, 2020, interview about a followup album entitled CMF2, which would be completed prior to a tour supporting both it and CMFT. He contributed a cover of the Metallica song "Holier Than Thou" to the charity tribute album The Metallica Blacklist, released in September 2021.

Between January 18 and March 6, 2023, Taylor spent time at various studios working on CMF2. On April 27, 2023, Taylor signed a new record deal with BMG Rights Management to distribute CMF2, which will be released through his own imprint label, Decibel Cooper Recordings. The first single from the album, "Beyond", was released on May 16, 2023.

In 2024, Taylor appeared on Bear McCreary's epic rock concept album, graphic novel, and concert experience - "The Singularity".

Style and influence

Taylor told Loudwire in 2015 that if it were not for Faith No More, he "wouldn't be here today". While recovering from an attempted suicide, he saw the band perform "Epic" live on the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards and the performance inspired him to begin writing and performing music again.

The first two Slipknot albums with Taylor's vocals, Slipknot and Iowa, both contain substantial explicit content. Many critics claimed Taylor relied on profanity, culminating in Slipknot's third album, Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) largely lacking the use of swearing and not warranting the explicit label. Taylor's vocal style, which contains at times melodic singing, growling, screaming, shouting, and rapping, led him to place at number 86 on the Hit Parader's Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time and is often compared to other vocalists such as Ivan Moody, John Bush, Phil Anselmo, and Jamey Jasta.

In 2025, Stephen Andrew Galiher of Vice included him in his list of "4 Metal Vocalists Who Mastered Both Screaming and Singing".

Personal life On September 17, 2002, Taylor's then-fiancée, Scarlett, gave birth to their son, Griffin Parker Taylor who later became the lead vocalist in nu metal band Vended. Taylor also has a daughter from an earlier relationship. On November 13, 2009, Taylor married Stephanie Luby at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas. On April 7, 2019, it was announced on his Instagram page that he became engaged to Alicia Dove, creator of the dance and performance group "Cherry Bombs". On October 6, 2019, the pair married.

Taylor has had problems with alcoholism, which Scarlett helped him through as well as keeping him from ending his own life. Scarlett then told him that either he would have to get sober or she would annul their marriage. Before Stone Sour started recording Come What(ever) May in January 2006, Taylor was sober.

On August 3, 2009, he co-hosted the 2009 Kerrang! Awards alongside Scott Ian of Anthrax. The following year, they both once again co-hosted the Kerrang! Awards, where Taylor collected the K! Services to Metal award on behalf of Paul Gray, who died after an accidental overdose of morphine and fentanyl.

In early September 2010, Taylor announced that his book, Seven Deadly Sins: Settling the Argument Between Born Bad and Damaged Good, would be released on July 12, 2011, through Da Capo Press.

Taylor politically identifies as a centrist and is also strongly opposed to cancel culture. In an interview with The Guardian in 2016, Taylor stated he was supporting Bernie Sanders.

He divides his time between homes in Des Moines, Iowa and Las Vegas, Nevada.

In 2016, he had to have surgery in his neck after, in his own words, he "broke [his] neck a while back [and] didn't realize it".

In April 2020, Taylor auctioned off 13 of his personal guitars to benefit Direct Relief's COVID-19 efforts, aiming to support healthcare workers and those impacted by the pandemic.

Solo band members Current members Corey Taylor – vocals, guitar (2008–present), piano (2020–present) Christian Martucci – guitar, backing vocals (2010, 2011, 2015, 2016–2017, 2020–present) Zach Throne – guitar, backing vocals (2019–2021, 2021–present) Dustin Robert – drums (2019, 2020–present) Eliot Lorango – bass, backing vocals (2021–present)

Former members Nik Sorak – guitar, backing vocals (2008–2010) Fred Missouri – bass (2008–2009) Tyson Leslie – keyboard, guitar, backing vocals (2008–2009) Thomas Doggett – saxophone, wind synthesizer, backing vocals (2008–2009) Ryan Berrier – drums (2008–2009) Jason Christopher – bass, backing vocals (2009–2010, 2011, 2019–2021), guitar, backing vocals (2010, 2011–2012, 2015, 2018) Roy Mayorga – drums (2010, 2011) Arejay Hale – drums (2011) Brandon Pertzborn – drums (2019) R.J. Ronquillo – guitar, backing vocals (2021)

Discography

Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and sales figures Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales US AUS CAN GER UK CMFTReleased: October 2, 2020 Label: Roadrunner Formats: CD, LP, DL 44 8 46 9 11 US: 52,000 CMF2Released: September 15, 2023 Label: Decibel Cooper/BMG Formats: CD, LP, DL — 70 — 12 17 "—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.

Compilation albums Label: BMG Formats: LP, DL

EPs Title Album detailsCMFB ...SidesReleased: February 25, 2022 Label: Roadrunner Formats: CD, DL

Singles As lead artist Title Year Peak chart positions Album US Alt. US Main. US Rock US Rock Digital CAN Rock "X-M@$" 2010 — 37 42 — 44 "From Can to Can't"(with Dave Grohl, Rick Nielsen, Scott Reeder) 2013 36 2 20 — 9 Sound City: Real to Reel "London Calling" — — — — — "Black Eyes Blue" 2020 — 1 11 — 29 CMFT "CMFT Must Be Stopped"(feat. Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie) — — — 23 — "HWY 666" — — — — — "Culture Head" — — — — — "All This and More" — — — — — CMFB ...Sides "Samantha's Gone" 2021 — 10 27 — 50 CMFT "Thunder Force"(with Fil Eisler and Lzzy Hale feat. Scott Ian, Dave Lombardo, Tina Guo) — — — — — Thunder Force soundtrack "Carry On" — — — — — "Holier than Thou" — — — — — The Metallica Blacklist "On the Dark Side" 2022 — — — — — CMFB ...Sides "Beyond" 2023 — 1 6 — 20 CMF2 "Post Traumatic Blues" — — — — — "Talk Sick" — — — — — "We Are the Rest" — 17 — — — "Dust in the Wind"(feat. Bad Omens and Aaron Gilhuis) 2025 — — — — — Queen of the Ring soundtrack

As featured artist + List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Album FIN GER GERRock US Alt. US Rock US Rock Digital CAN Digital UK SWE "Jumpdafuckup"(Soulfly featuring Corey Taylor) 2001 — — — — — — — — — — — — — Primitive "I'm Not Jesus"(Apocalyptica featuring Corey Taylor) 2007 15 55 — 15 6 — — — — 149 2 — — Worlds Collide "Death to All But Metal"(Steel Panther featuring Corey Taylor) 2009 — — — — — — — — — — — — — Feel the Steel "Fairies Wear Boots" (live)(Zakk Sabbath with Corey Taylor) 2016 — — — — — — — — — — — — — "A Different World"(Korn featuring Corey Taylor) — — — — — — 19 16 — — — — — The Serenity of Suffering "Drugs"(Falling in Reverse featuring Corey Taylor) 2019 — — 1 — — 21 — — — — — — — "Maybe It's Time"(Sixx:A.M. featuring Joe Elliott, Brantley Gilbert, Ivan Moody, Slash, Corey Taylor, Awolnation and Tommy Vext) 2020 — — — — — 12 44 4 45 — — 12 — Sno Babies soundtrack "Murder Ballad II" 2021 — — — — — — — — — — — — —Tell Your Girls It's Alright "Game" 2022 — — — — — — — — — — — — — Mass Hysteria "Nothing to Some" 2024 — — — — — — — — — — — — — Dark Side of the Brain "Incite the Watch" — — — — — — — — — — — — — The Morrison Project "70% Dead" — — — — — — — — — — — — — "Playing God" 2026 — — — — — — — — — — — — — Decades "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Guest appearances Year Band Album Songs Role Ref 1998 Sister Soleil Soularium "Liar" Backing vocals 1998 Smakdab Smakdab "Shadowed" Vocals 2000 Soulfly Primitive "Jumpdafuckup" Vocals 2000 Snot Strait Up "Requiem" Vocals 2001 Biohazard Uncivilization "Domination" Backing vocals 2001 Slitheryn SnakeSlitheryn "Lost", "Get Up", "Come + Go" Vocals, backing vocals, producer 2002 Rollins Band Rise Above "Rise Above", "Room 13", "TV Party", "Six Pack", "Annihilate This Week" Vocals, backing vocals 2004 Damageplan New Found Power "Fuck You" Vocals 2005 Roadrunner United The All-Star Sessions "The Rich Man" Vocals 2006 Korn Family Values Tour 2006 "Freak on a Leash" (Live 2006) Backing vocals 2006 FaceCage III — Producer 2007 Dream Theater Systematic Chaos "Repentance" Spoken word contribution 2007 Apocalyptica Worlds Collide "I'm Not Jesus" Vocals 2008 Walls of Jericho Redemption "Ember Drive", "My Last Stand", "Addicted" Vocals, guitar, producer 2009 Steel Panther Feel the Steel "Death to All But Metal", "Asian Hooker", "Eyes of a Panther" Vocals 2010 Johnny Aloha Lavapalooza (Tiki Music Versions of Rock And Rap Hits!) Almost Paradise Vocals 2011 Travis Barker Give the Drummer Some "On My Own" Vocals, guitars, producer 2013 Corey Taylor, Dave Grohl, Rick Nielsen, Scott Reeder Sound City: Real to Reel "From Can to Can't" Vocals 2014 Corey Taylor, Jason Christopher, Christian Martucci, Roy Mayorga, Satchel This Is Your Life – A Tribute to Ronnie James Dio "Rainbow in the Dark" Vocals, producer 2015 Tech N9ne Special Effects "Wither" Vocals 2016 Zakk Wylde Book of Shadows II "Sleeping Dogs" Vocals 2016 Zakk Sabbath Fairies Wear Boots (Live Bootleg: Los Angeles '16) "Fairies Wear Boots" (Live 2016) Vocals 2016KornThe Serenity of Suffering "A Different World"Vocals 2018 Tonight Alive Underworld "My Underworld" Vocals 2018 Code Orange The Hurt Will Go On "The Hunt" Vocals 2019 Falling in Reverse — "Drugs" Vocals 2019 Doug Walker Nostalgia Critic's the Wall "SpongeBob Theme" Vocals 2020 Posehn Grandpa Metal "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" Vocals 2020 Me and that Man New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol.1 "How Come?" Vocals 2020 Avatar Hunter Gatherer "Colossus", "A Secret Door", "Wormhole" Vocals, whistle, writing 2020 John 5 Live Invasion "Take Your Whiskey Home" Vocals 2020 Sixx:A.M. Sno Babies soundtrack "Maybe It's Time" Vocals 2020 Moonshine Bandits Fire "Live the Madness" Vocals 2021 Charlie Benante Silver Linings "Funny Vibe" Vocals 2021 The Dead Deads Tell Your Girls It's Alright "Murder Ballad II" Vocals, writing 2021 Corey Taylor The Metallica Blacklist "Holier Than Thou" Vocals 2021 ZillaKami Dog Boy "Chewing Gum!" Spoken word 2021 Kid Bookie Cheaper Than Therapy "Stuck in My Ways" Vocals 2022 Hyro the Hero Kids Against the Monsters "Kids Against the Monsters" Vocals 2022 Kid Bookie Mass Hysteria "Game" Vocals 2024 Flat Black Dark Side of the Brain "Nothing to Some" Vocals 2024 Bear McCreary The Singularity "Leviathan" Vocals 2024 Wargasm "70% Dead" Vocals 2026 Motionless in White Decades "Playing God" Vocals "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Filmography Year Film Character Director Notes 1999 Welcome to Our Neighborhood Himself Thomas Mignone 2001 We Sold Our Souls for Rock 'n Roll Penelope Spheeris 2002 Rollerball John McTiernan Disasterpieces Matthew Amos 2006 Voliminal: Inside the Nine Shawn Crahan 2008 Roadrunner United: Documentary Get ThrashedRick Ernst 2009 Of the (sic): Your Nightmares, Our Dreams Shawn Crahan 2010 Audible Visions of (sic)nesses 2010 Tosh.0 Scott Zabielski Season 2, Episode 24 2013 Sound City Dave Grohl 2014 Jim Root: The Sound and the Story Chuck Brueckmann 2015 Fear Clinic Bauer Robert Green Hall Doctor Who - Before the Flood Fisher King (roar only) Daniel O'Hara 2016 Sharknado: The 4th Awakens Frankie Anthony C. Ferrante QI - Series N Episode 3 "Nosey Noisy" Himself Ian Lorimer Officer Downe Headcase Harry Shawn Crahan 2017 Nostalgia Critic Himself Doug Walker Episode: The Sorcerer's Apprentice Day of the Gusano: Live in Mexico Shawn Crahan "The Therapist" Viceland 2018 Nostalgia Critic Doug Walker Episode: The Most HATED Nutcracker Movie Ever Made 2019 Episode: The Wall Diamanda Hagan Azlan Episode: Roar 2020 Bad Candy Chilly Billy Scott B. Hansen and Desiree Connell 2022 Rucker Taco Tuesday Amy Hesketh