James Joseph Woolley (September 26, 1966 – August 14, 2016) was an American

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Mus ...

and

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

player, best known for performing with industrial rock band

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

from 1991 to 1994, participating in the Pretty Hate Machine Tour Series and the Self Destruct Tour. Woolley appeared in the band's music videos for "

Wish A wish is a hope or desire for something. In fiction, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used. Sociology Several cu ...

" and "

March of the Pigs "March of the Pigs" is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from their second studio album, ''The Downward Spiral'' (1994). It was released on February 25, 1994 as the album's lead single. Composition March of the Pigs has an ...

", and the video album '' Closure''. Together with Nine Inch Nails, Woolley won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

in 1996 for "

Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, where ...

" for their

Woodstock '94 Woodstock '94 was an American music festival held in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival of 1969. It was promoted as "2 More Days of Peace and Music". The poster used to promote the first concert was r ...

performance of "

Happiness in Slavery "Happiness in Slavery" is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from their extended play, '' Broken'' (1992). It was released in November 1992 as a promotional single from the EP. The song takes its title and refrain from Jean ...

Career

In 1989, Woolley joined the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

-based band

Die Warzau Die Warzau (originally Die Warzau Synfony) was an American industrial music band formed in 1987 by Jim Marcus and Van Christie. History In the late 80s, Jim Marcus and Van Christie were working individually as performance artists. Christie h ...

, where he played with future

-bandmate

Chris Vrenna Chris Vrenna (born February 23, 1967) is an American musician, producer, engineer, remixer, programmer, and founder of the electronic band Tweaker. Vrenna played drums for the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from 1988 until 1996, and was ...

, and contributed to their 1991 album ''

Big Electric Metal Bass Face ''Big Electric Metal Bass Face'' is the second studio album by Die Warzau, released on October 1, 1991 by Atlantic and Fiction Records. The band introduced elements of funk music and the speeches of American politicians into their sample library t ...

''. In July of that year, Woolley joined Nine Inch Nails as a live keyboardist for their

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...

Tour and European tour. In 1992, he appeared in the band's music video for "

" and later stayed with the band during the recording of ''

The Downward Spiral ''The Downward Spiral'' is the second studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on March 8, 1994, by Nothing Records in the United States and Island Records in Europe. It is a concept album detailing the self-de ...

'' album, in addition to appearing in the video for "

". In 1994, Woolley participated in the band's

Self Destruct A self-destruct is a mechanism that can cause an object to destroy itself or render itself inoperable after a predefined set of circumstances has occurred. Self-destruct mechanisms are typically found on devices and systems where malfunction coul ...

tour, before leaving the line-up in December of that year due to family reasons. Earlier that year, Woolley contributed to the

Sister Machine Gun Sister Machine Gun is an American industrial rock band originally based in Chicago, Illinois. Sister Machine Gun was formed in New York City by Chris Randall and Guilherme Machado. After a short hiatus, the band signed with Wax Trax! Records a ...

album '' The Torture Technique''. Following his departure from Nine Inch Nails, Woolley worked as a sound designer for ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

''. In 1997, he appeared in the Nine Inch Nail video album ''Closure'', featuring footage from their Self Destruct tour. In 1998, Woolley toured with

Rob Halford Robert John Arthur Halford (born 25 August 1951) is an English heavy metal singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist of Judas Priest, which was formed in 1969 and has received accolades such as the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Perform ...

's band 2wo, which also included

John 5 John 5 is the fifth chapter of the Gospel of John of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It relates Jesus' healing and teaching in Jerusalem, and begins to evidence the hostility shown him by the Jewish authorities.Plummer, A. (1902)Cambri ...

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer and the only original member remaining of the Marilyn Manson (band), same-titled band he founded in 1989. Th ...

. After 2wo, Woolley did studio work in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, including contributions to albums by

Leah Andreone Leah Andreone (born May 24, 1972) is an American musician. Early life and education Andreone was born and raised in San Diego, California and attended Helix High School in La Mesa. While attending San Diego State University, she also spent ti ...

and

Ednita Nazario Edna María Nazario Figueroa (born April 11, 1955) is a Puerto Rican Latin pop singer who has achieved stardom both at home and abroad. She has been in the music business from a young age and has released twenty-three studio albums, seven live ...

. In 2004, Woolley contributed to Die Warzau's album ''

Convenience Convenient procedures, products and services are those intended to increase ease in accessibility, save resources (such as time, effort and energy) and decrease frustration. A modern convenience is a labor-saving device, service or substance ...

''. After 2006, he formed the band V.O.I.D. that featured Jon Roberts, Mark Pearlman, and DJ Aaron Chase. Woolley last resided in

Round Lake Beach, Illinois Round Lake Beach is a northern suburb of Chicago in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 27,252. The United States Census Bureau defines an urban area of northwest Chicago-area suburbs that are separate ...

Death

Woolley died on August 14, 2016, at the age of 49. His ex-wife, Kate Van Buren, revealed that Woolley had been living with "significant neck and spine injuries" which later contributed to his death from neck-related injuries after falling off a ladder while retrieving music equipment in his studio near

Lake Forest, Illinois Lake Forest is a city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 19,367. The city is along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and t ...

. Following his death, former

-bandmates

Trent Reznor Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He came to prominence as the founder, lead singer, multi-instrumentalist, and primary songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. T ...

and

Richard Patrick Richard Michael Patrick (born May 10, 1968) is an American singer, musician and songwriter. He is the frontman and only continuous member of the rock band Filter. He is also a founding member of the supergroups Army of Anyone and The Damning ...

paid tribute to Woolley. Reznor thanked Woolley for his contributions to Nine Inch Nails during the band's

Rock And Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

induction speech in 2020.

Discography

With
Die Warzau Die Warzau (originally Die Warzau Synfony) was an American industrial music band formed in 1987 by Jim Marcus and Van Christie. History In the late 80s, Jim Marcus and Van Christie were working individually as performance artists. Christie h ...

* ''

'' (1991)

Production and instrumental credits

References