Big Thanks to Wikipedia, this was all them. (I edited a lot of this.)

Armstrong grew up in Rodeo, California, the youngest of six children. The official name on his birth certificate is "Billie Joe" rather than the more traditional "William Joseph". His father, Andy Armstrong, was a retired Minor League Baseball catcher, who worked as a jazz musician and truck driver to support the family. He died of lung cancer on September 15, 1982 when Billie Joe was ten. His mother Ollie Armstrong worked as a waitress at Rod's Hickory Pit, where Billie Joe and Mike Dirnt worked during their teen years.
Billie Joe's interest in music started at a young age. He recorded a song titled "Look For Love" at the age of 5 on Bay Area label Fiat Records.[1] As a teenager he originally was into metal music, but got into punk after hearing the Sex Pistols song Holidays in the Sun. He attended high school at John Swett High School,later attended Pinole Valley High School, and dropped out on February 16, 1990, the day before he turned 18, to pursue his musical career. He was nicknamed "Two Dollar Bill", because he was supplying the school with joints for two dollars[2], and also played on the football team.

[edit] Musical career

In 1987, Armstrong formed a band called Sweet Children with childhood friend Mike Dirnt. In 1989 they joined up with drummer Al Sobrante and become known as Green Day. That same year they recorded the EP 1,000 Hours, on Lookout! Records. Sobrante eventually left Green Day in order to go to college, and was eventually replaced by Tré Cool, who made his debut on Green Day's second album, Kerplunk!. With their next album, Dookie, the band broke through into the mainstream, and have remained one of the most popular rock bands, (and the most successful punk band[9]), of the 1990's and 2000's with over 85 million records sold worldwide[citation needed].
Apart from working with Green Day, and side-band Pinhead Gunpowder, Armstrong has proved himself busy in the music world, collaborating with many artists over the years. He has co-written for The Go-Gos ("Unforgiven"), former Avengers singer Penelope Houston ("The Angel and The Jerk" and "New Day"), co-wrote a song with Rancid ("Radio"), sung backing vocals with Melissa Auf Der Maur on Ryan Adams' "Do Miss America" and recorded lead guitar with Green Day for two tracks, where they acted as the backing band for Iggy Pop on his "Skull Ring" album ("Private Hell" and "Supermarket"). Armstrong has produced an album for The Riverdales, and is also rumored to be part of a side project, The Network. The Network released an album called Money Money 2020. Many long-time Green Day fans who listened to the record remarked that it sounds just like a Green Day album, also Money Money 2020 was released on Adeline Records, the record label Armstrong co-owns with his wife Adrienne Armstrong.

[edit] Personal life

In 1990 while playing a show in Minnesota, Armstrong met local resident Adrienne Nesser when she went up to him after the show, asking where she could buy a copy of the band's album. The two kept in touch over the phone, and Armstrong arranged two tours around Minnesota, simply for the purpose of seeing her. In 1994 she moved to California, and the two became engaged. They were married two weeks later on July 2, 1994. Because of financial issues, the couple spent a week in the Claremont Hotel for their honeymoon, a 10-minute walk away from their house. The day after the wedding, Adrienne found out she was pregnant with their first son. He has two children; Their first son, Joseph Marciano Armstrong, was born in February 1995[3][4]and Jakob Danger (born September 12, 1998). Green Day played at a college in California and one of them he played King for a Day on a Kazou

[edit] Trivia

• In 2003, he was arrested for drunk driving with a blood alcohol level of .18, more than twice the state's legal limit of .08.[5]
• Provided the voice for Charlie Manson in the movie Live Freaky! Die Freaky! and sang Mechanical Man for the film. [6]
• It may also (or maybe not) be worthwhile knowing that Billie's Birthday is also "National Cabbage Day"[citation needed]
• Armstrong is registered as a Libertarian to vote in California.[7]
• He can't stand when people chew loudly[citation needed]
• His favorite food and drink are Vegetarian Lasagna and Root Beer[citation needed]

[edit] Awards

• Esquire's awarded him an "Esky" for Best Front man in the Esky Music Awards in the April 2006 issue.
• Kerrang! magazine awarded him the Best Dressed Star and Hero of the Year in 2005
• The California Music Awards awarded him Outstanding Male Vocalist in 2001 and 2004
• Nickelodeon's Kid's Choice Awards awarded him the best band trophy and best song trophy for Wake Me Up When September Ends in 2005.

[edit] Discography

• Bullet In A Bible (Green Day - 2005) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar
• American Idiot (Green Day - 2004) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar
• Compulsive Disclosure (Pinhead Gunpowder - 2003) -- Vocals, Guitar
• Money Money 2020 (The Network - 2003) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar
• Shenanigans (Green Day - 2002) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar
• International Superhits (Green Day - 2001) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar
• 8 Chords, 328 Words EP (Pinhead Gunpowder - 2000) -- Vocals, Guitar
• Warning (Green Day - 2000) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin
• Shoot The Moon EP (Pinhead Gunpowder - 1999) -- Vocals, Guitar
• Goodbye Ellston Avenue (Pinhead Gunpowder - 1997) -- Vocals, Guitar
• Nimrod (Green Day - 1997) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
• Carry The Banner (Pinhead Gunpowder - 1995) -- Vocals, Guitar
• Jump Salty (Pinhead Gunpowder - 1995) -- Vocals, Guitar
• Insomniac (Green Day - 1995) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar
• Dookie (Green Day - 1994) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar, Percussion on "All By Myself"
• Fahiza EP (Pinhead Gunpowder - 1992) -- Vocals, Guitar
• Kerplunk! (Green Day - 1992) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar, Drums on "Dominated Love Slave"
• 39/Smooth (Green Day - 1990) -- Lead Vocals, Guitar

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Green Day.com
• Billie Joe Biography, as well as information on his stint in Common Rider
• Billie Joe Armstrong at the Internet Movie Database
• Green Day Online
• Green Day Australia
• Billie Joe Armstrong - Friend of Liberty
• Billie Joe Armstrong Signature Les Paul Junior
• Billie Joe's Mugshot and arrest details after his arrest in 2003 for drunk driving.

Green Day

Billie Joe Armstrong | Mike Dirnt | Tré Cool

Al Sobrante

Discography

Studio Albums: 39/Smooth (1990) | Kerplunk! (1992) | Dookie (1994) | Insomniac (1995) | nimrod. (1997) | Warning: (2000) | American Idiot (2004)

Studio EPs: 1,000 Hours (1989) | Slappy (1990) | Sweet Children (1990)

Compilations: 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (1991) | International Superhits! (2001) | Shenanigans (2002)

Live Albums/ Live EPs: Bowling Bowling Bowling Parking Parking (1996) | Foot in Mouth (1996) | Tune in Tokyo (2001) | Bullet in a Bible (2005)

DVDs: International Supervideos! (2001) | Riding in Vans with Boys (2003) | Bullet in a Bible (2005)

Singles: "Longview" | "Welcome to Paradise" | "Basket Case" | "She" | "When I Come Around" | "J.A.R." | "Geek Stink Breath" | "Stuck With Me" | "Brain Stew"/"Jaded" | "Walking Contradiction" | "Hitchin' a Ride" | "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" | "Redundant" | "Nice Guys Finish Last" | "Minority" | "Warning" | "Waiting" | "Macy's Day Parade" | "Poprocks & Coke" | "I Fought the Law" | "American Idiot" | "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" | "Holiday" | "Wake Me Up When September Ends" | "Jesus of Suburbia" | "The Saints Are Coming" (with U2)

Related Articles

Bands: The Network | Pinhead Gunpowder | The Frustrators | The Lookouts Other: Pop Disaster Tour | Cigarettes and Valentines | Pop punk | American Edit | American Idiot: The Motion Picture | Live Freaky! Die Freaky! | Adeline Records | Other projects