Rob Zombie

Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have been praised for their elaborate shock rock theatricality. He has sold an estimated 15 million albums worldwide.

Zombie initially rose to fame as a founding member and the frontman of heavy metal band White Zombie, with whom he released four albums. His first solo effort, the 1996 song "Hands of Death (Burn Baby Burn)", was written and performed with Alice Cooper and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. His debut solo studio album, '' Hellbilly Deluxe'', was released in 1998; White Zombie disbanded a month later. ''Hellbilly Deluxe'' sold over 3 million copies worldwide and spawned three singles. Zombie directed the horror film '' House of 1000 Corpses'' in 2000, though the controversial project was not released until 2003. His second studio album, '' The Sinister Urge'', was released in 2001 and became his second platinum album in the U.S.

Zombie directed the ''House of 1000 Corpses'' sequel '' The Devil's Rejects'' (2005), which received a more positive reception than its predecessor. His third studio album, '' Educated Horses'' was released in 2006 and marked a departure from his earlier style. It became his third album to enter the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' 200, but saw a decrease in sales compared to his previous releases. Deciding to focus on his filmmaking career, he directed ''Halloween'' (2007), a remake of the classic 1978 horror film. The film became his highest-grossing to date, though was generally received negatively by critics. He later directed '' Halloween II'' (2009), which failed to match the success of its predecessor. He released the animated film '' The Haunted World of El Superbeasto'' that same year. He returned to music with the release of his fourth studio album, '' Hellbilly Deluxe 2'' (2010), which peaked at no. 8 in the U.S.

In 2012, Zombie released the remix album '' Mondo Sex Head''. In 2013, he directed the horror film '' The Lords of Salem'' and released his fifth album '' Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor''. In 2016, he directed the horror film '' 31'' and released his sixth album '' The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser''. In 2021, he released his seventh studio album ''The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy''.

Early life

Zombie was born Robert Bartleh Cummings in Haverhill, Massachusetts, on January 12, 1965, the oldest son of Louise and Robert Cummings. His younger brother, Michael, uses the stage name Spider One and is the lead singer of Powerman 5000. Growing up, he had a fascination with horror films and "always wanted to be Alice Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Bela Lugosi, and Stan Lee". He has said of his childhood, "I didn't aspire to be anything. I was just a dopey kid. Basically everyone seemed amazing to me as a kid. I grew up in some nowhere town... anybody that even seemed remotely famous just seemed like they were on another planet."

Zombie's parents worked at a carnival. In 1977, when he was 12, his parents chose to leave after a riot broke out at the carnival and tents were set on fire. He said of the experience, "Everybody's pulling out guns, and you could hear guns going off. I remember this one guy we knew, he was telling us where to go, and some guy just ran up to him and hit him in the face with a hammerjust busted his face wide open. My parents packed up real quick, and we took off." He later elaborated, "I think someone just got ripped off for a lot of money on the gambling tents and they came back later and set the tents on fire ndit turned into this big riot. ..It was super violent and crazy and I think that was when my parents were like, 'You know what? We might be able to find something better to be doing here.' Because me and my brother are in the middle of this. Things are on fire, people beating the crap out of each other."

Cummings graduated from Haverhill High School in 1983. He moved to New York City and began attending Pratt Institute, where he met eventual bandmate and girlfriend Sean Yseult. Before the success of White Zombie, he worked as a production assistant for the children's show ''Pee-wee's Playhouse''. He took the stage name "Rob Zombie" from Bela Lugosi's 1932 horror film ''White Zombie'', from which he also took White Zombie's band name. The name first shows up on White Zombie's 1989 EP '' God of Thunder''. He had previously used the name "Rob Straker" on the White Zombie LPs ''Soul-Crusher'' and '' Make Them Die Slowly''. In 1996, he made "Rob Zombie" his legal name.

Career

1985–1998: White Zombie

Cummings and Yseult co-founded the band that would become known as White Zombie. They broke up after seven years of dating, but continued to work in the band together. The band released three extended plays to little success, with their debut studio album ''Soul-Crusher'' following in 1987 through the band's own record label, Silent Explosion. They released their second studio album '' Make Them Die Slowly'' in 1989 to little commercial reaction. Yseult and Zombie ended their relationship in 1991 and Zombie began dating Sheri Moon shortly afterwards. The band caught the attention of Geffen Records following the release of their fourth extended play; their third studio album, '' La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One'', was released through the label in 1992. Although the album did not enter the ''Billboard'' 200 chart until about a year after its release, it became the band's breakout hit, going on to sell over two million copies in the United States. Two singles, " Thunder Kiss '65" and " Black Sunshine", were released to promote ''La Sexorcisto''.

White Zombie's fourth and final studio album, '' Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head'' (1995), became their first and only to enter the top ten of the ''Billboard'' 200; it went on to sell over two million copies in the United States. Cummings directed the music video for the album's single " More Human than Human" (1995) and would go on to direct all subsequent videos for the band. In 1996, Cummings legally changed his name to Rob Zombie. White Zombie released a remix album that year, marking their final release before their eventual disbandment. Zombie collaborated with Alice Cooper on the song "Hands of Death (Burn Baby Burn)" (1996) for '' Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files''. The song was nominated in the category of Best Metal Performance at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards, though lost to Rage Against the Machine. White Zombie officially broke up in September 1998, with Zombie stating, "Sometimes a band just breaks up because the band has run its course and the best days are behind them. White Zombie went through a lot together and did tons of great stuff, but it was time to stop. The good times were over and we were all moving in different directions." A box-set for the group was released in 2008 featuring all of their released material.

Since the break up of White Zombie, Zombie has shown no interest in reforming the band and has been quoted as saying, "I have many legit reasons or not wanting to reform White Zombie Just because you don't know them does not mean they don't exist. Everything is not everybody's business." In a 2011 interview, Zombie stated that he had not spoken to any members of the band "except John Tempesta in about 15 years."

1998–2001: Solo debut and commercial success

Work on Zombie's debut solo album first began in 1997, before the band had officially broken up. For the album, Zombie worked with numerous artists, including Charlie Clouser of Nine Inch Nails fame and former White Zombie bandmate John Tempesta. Zombie's solo debut album, '' Hellbilly Deluxe: 13 Tales of Cadaverous Cavorting Inside the Spookshow International'', was released on August 25, 1998. The album was a commercial success, debuting at number five on the ''Billboard'' 200 with first week sales of 121,000 copies. The album's first week sales topped that of his prior albums with White Zombie. ''Hellbilly Deluxe'' went on to become Zombie's highest selling album to date, with sales exceeding three million copies in the United States. The album was influenced by classic horror films, with numerous songs on the album containing samples and quotes from some of Zombie's favorite horror films. The album spawned three singles, all of which charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Numerous songs from the album were used in films and video games, mainly in the horror genre. The success of the album led to the release of Zombie's first remix album, '' American Made Music to Strip By'' (1999). The album entered the top forty of the ''Billboard'' 200 in its debut week.

Zombie formed his own record label, Zombie-A-Go-Go Records, in 1998. The label released the final album from American instrumental band The Bomboras, as well as the debut album from the Ghastly Ones. Both albums were released on June 2, 1998, though received little critical or commercial success. The label next released the compilation album ''Halloween Hootenanny'' (1998), featuring appearances from artists such as Reverend Horton Heat and Rocket From the Crypt. Zombie himself contributed the song "Halloween (She Get So Mean)" to the soundtrack, which had previously appeared on promotional releases of "Dragula" (1998). Zombie released the album ''Rob Zombie Presents The Words & The Music Of Frankenstein'' on October 12, 1999, through Zombie-A-Go-Go Records. The album, considered a soundtrack, features the original score and some dialogue from the original ''Frankenstein'' (1931).

Zombie was set to make his directorial debut with the film ''The Crow: 2037'', and even wrote the film's script. The film was set to take place in the future, though it was never released. It was decided that the film was not suited for the franchise, but would instead serve as a standalone project. He composed the original score for the video game ''Twisted Metal III'', released in 1998. Zombie designed a haunted attraction for Universal Studios in 1999, which was later deemed instrumental in reviving the Halloween Horror Nights annual attraction. It was during this time that Zombie began working with the studio on his directorial debut, a film titled '' House of 1000 Corpses''. The project began filming in May 2000 with a scheduled release date of the following year, though the studio ultimately cancelled its release due to the violent themes present throughout the film. Zombie's song "Superbeast", taken from ''Hellbilly Deluxe'', received a nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards. Zombie contributed the song " Scum of the Earth" (2000) to the '' Mission: Impossible 2'' soundtrack.

Zombie's second studio album, '' The Sinister Urge'', was released on November 13, 2001. The album expands on the horror and shock rock elements seen in his debut album, and features collaborations with artists such as Ozzy Osbourne. The album became his second to enter the top ten in the United States, with its first week sales topping that of his previous album. The album went on to sell over one million copies in the United States, his second to accomplish this feat. The album was preceded by the single " Feel So Numb", with a second single being released the following year. Despite the album's success, it was noted as a decline in sales when compared to his first studio album. ''The Sinister Urge'' and its subsequent singles were met with a positive critical reception, with AllMusic writing "It is the slow burn of he album'slast track that shows the most promise; after years of making good heavy metal, he finally expands the boundaries of his own sound. Few metal musicians kept their sound fresh for as long as Zombie, and this album is no exception." ''The Sinister Urge'' was voted as the fans' favorite album on Zombie's official website. The album is the final project to feature guitarist Mike Riggs and drummer John Tempesta, who had been with Zombie since the start of his solo career.

2002–2006: Marriage, directorial debut, and continued musical success

Following years of struggling to find a distributor and various re-shoots, Zombie confirmed that his film ''House of 1000 Corpses'' would finally be released through Lions Gate Entertainment. The film was released theatrically on April 11, 2003. The film received a generally negative reception from critics, though grossed over $16 million worldwide. The film was criticized for being too "grotesque" and "violent", but has since garnered a cult following. Despite vastly negative reviews, the film garnered a warmer reception in later years, and is frequently listed as one of the "best horror films ever made". Zombie worked with Scott Humphrey on the majority of the film's soundtrack, which was released on March 25, 2003. The release features original songs from Zombie such as "Pussy Liquor" and "Little Piggy", as well as Zombie's own rendition of the Commodores hit single " Brick House" (1977), re-titled "Brick House 2003". The soundtrack peaked at number fifty-three on the ''Billboard'' 200, and number four on the Top Soundtracks chart.

Zombie released his first compilation album, titled '' Past, Present & Future'', on September 23, 2003. The release featured a collection of songs taken from Zombie's solo albums as well as his releases with White Zombie; new material is also present on the album. The album debuted at number eleven on the ''Billboard'' 200, and would go on to become Zombie's third release to sell over one million copies in the country. Zombie guest starred on episodes of both '' Spider-Man: The New Animated Series'' and ''Justice League Unlimited'' that year, in a voice only role for both. In November 2003, Zombie launched his ''Spookshow International'' comic book series. His second series, ''The Nail'', spawned four issues between June and October 2004, while his ''Bigfoot'' series lasted from February to May 2005, featuring four issues. Zombie's second film, '' The Devil's Rejects'', serves as a direct sequel to ''House of 1000 Corpses'', and was released on July 22, 2005. The film featured a more "violent Western film" theme as opposed to the horror aspects of its predecessor. The film received a much more positive reception than its predecessor, though was still criticized for its violence and material. The film has been described as "one giant loogie that comes straight from the heart", filled with moments of nihilism and cunning wit. Much like the first film, ''The Devil's Rejects'' went on to gain a cult following after its release. The film has a 53 out of 100 rating on Metacritic, meaning mixed to positive reviews. Zombie released a number of ''The Devil's Rejects'' comics throughout 2005 to coincide with the film.

Zombie began working on his third studio album in 2005, whilst finishing work on ''The Devil's Rejects''; the album was influenced by glam rock artists like Slade, T. Rex, and Gary Glitter. The release was described as "experimental" by Zombie, who claimed the project featured numerous acoustic-led songs. The album, '' Educated Horses'', was released on March 28, 2006. It sold 107,000 copies in its first week, becoming Zombie's third album to enter the top ten on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album received mixed critical reviews, with ''Rolling Stone'' writing "A handful of cuts are too long on sludgy instrumental grooves, but whether Zombie is out-Trent Reznoring Trent Reznor on the sitar-laden grindfest '17 Year Locust' or spitting fire amid the apocalyptic blues riffs of 'The Devil's Rejects', he sounds like a gifted schlockmeister that Strokes fans can enjoy. Or at least tolerate." The song " The Lords of Salem" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. ''Educated Horses'' saw a further decline in sales for Zombie, selling just over 500,000 copies in the United States. The album became his first studio album as a solo artist to not receive a certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It served as Zombie's final studio album to be released through Geffen Records. Zombie had a cameo appearance in a voice only role for the film ''Slither'' (2006). Zombie released his first official greatest hits