The Foo Fighters is a rock band formed by musician Dave Grohl in 1994 after the demise of the legendary band Nirvana, in which he played drums. The band's original lineup consisted of Grohl on guitar and vocals, Pat Smear on guitar, Nate Mendel on bass, and William Goldsmith on drums. This lineup actually postdates the recording of the band's first album, which was written and performed by Grohl alone. The band has earned a strong worldwide following, and its hits include "Everlong", "My Hero", and "Learn to Fly".
The band's first single "This Is A Call" was released in June 1995 and their eponymously titled debut album was released a month later to enthusiastic fan response. The band has released the following albums;
The band has undergone several lineup changes since its inception. In March 1997 William Goldsmith left the band and Taylor Hawkins, former touring drummer for Alanis Morissette, replaced him on drums. In September 1997 Pat Smear was replaced by Franz Stahl, who himself left the band in July 1999, to be replaced by Chris Shiflett.
Talk show host David Letterman invited the Foo Fighters to perform on his first show after undergoing bypass surgery in 2000, where he proclaimed them his favorite band.
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Foo Fighters in World War II
The name foo fighter was coined by Allied aircraft pilots in World War II for mysterious aerial phenomena, such as glowing balls, seen in the skies over Germany. Originally used as a semi-derogatory reference to Japanese fighter pilots (known for erratic flying and extreme maneuvering), it became a catch phrase for fast moving, erratically flying objects (such as UFOs). It was thought at the time that they might be some German secret weapon, but the Germans were just as mystified by the phenomenon.
The term originated in the surrealistic comic strip Smokey Stover. Smokey, a firefighter, was fond of saying "Where there's foo there's fire." A Little Big Book titled Smokey Stover the Foo Fighter was published in 1938.
See also foo.