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Robert Bartleh Cummings (born [1]), better known as Rob Zombie, is an American heavy metal, groove metal and industrial rock musician, director, and writer. His dreadlocks, gruff vocal style and fascination with horror movies have helped him become a distinctive element in American heavy metal. He is best known as founder, lead singer and songwriter for White Zombie. In recent years he has also established himself as a solo singer and branched into directing films. His directorial career began with the horror exploitation feature, House of 1000 Corpses, and its sequel, The Devil's Rejects, released July 22, 2005. The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, an animated film based on his comic book series of the same name, is due for release in 2007. Also slated for a 2007 release is a reworking of the 1978 horror classic Halloween. His longtime girlfriend (now wife), Sheri Moon Zombie, has appeared in many of Rob's music videos and in all of his films.
Rob and his brother Michael "Spider" were born to parents who worked in a carnival. They grew up on the road, and both shared an interest in 1960s counterculture, b-side horror movies, Western movies and fantasy comics. This probably helped to shape the brother's tastes in music later on in life.
Both brothers went to college, but Rob dropped out to pursue different ideas. Rob got his start by working as a technician for Pee Wee's Playhouse. It was also during this point that he met his longtime girlfriend and White Zombie band-mate Sean Yseult.
Rob's 1st band, White Zombie, formed in 1985, and had many line-up changes during the 1980s. They released several demos and albums before hitting it big with 1992's La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1, and the hit singles that came from it, "Thunder Kiss '65" and "Black Sunshine". The line-up that released this album was Rob Zombie, Jay Noel Yuenger, Sean Yseult and Ivan de Prume. Stylistically, this album blended grooving rhythms with heavy-metal guitars and punk-rock style vocals.
Their live shows became famous for impressive musicality, big horror-based props and Rob's signature zombie costume. Following 3 years of continued mainstream success, the group then released 1995's Astro-Creep: 2000 with a new drummer, John Tempesta. Ivan de Prume had left the band to form a recording studio, Burningsound Studios. Astro-Creep: 2000 scored a hit with the grooving "More Human Than Human". This album was much darker than La Sexorcisto, taking away most of the punk-rock inspirations in favor of a more heavy-metal style.
In 1996, Rob Zombie collaborated with his long-time inspiration Alice Cooper on the song "Hands of Death (Burn Baby Burn)" for the X-Files tie-in CD Songs in the Key of X. It was Zombie's first work outside of his band White Zombie. The song was nominated for a Grammy for Best Metal Performance the same year, but lost to Nine Inch Nails for their song "Happiness in Slavery".
Rob Zombie formed his own solo band in 1998. John Tempesta (drums) came directly from White Zombie, and was joined by Mike Riggs on guitar and Blasko (Rob Nicholson) on bass. They recorded and released Rob's debut solo album, Hellbilly Deluxe, in 1998, produced by Scott Humphrey. This album contained the hit singles "Dragula", "Living Dead Girl" and "Superbeast". White Zombie dissolved after the release of Hellbilly Deluxe. Rob Zombie toured extensively to promote the debut album, releasing American Made Music to Strip By in 1999, an album of remixes from Hellbilly Deluxe.
Rob Zombie next released The Sinister Urge in 2001, again produced by Scott Humphrey. This release contained the singles "Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy)", "Feel So Numb" and "Demon Speeding". While the album still featured Rob's signature heavy metal sound, it was also more experimental than Hellbilly Deluxe, such as including brass instruments on "Go To California."
Rob released his 1st greatest-hits album, Past, Present & Future, in 2003, containing hit songs both from his solo band and White Zombie. It also featured a new song ("Pussy Liquor"), covers (The Commodores' "Brick House" and The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop") and unreleased songs ("Two-Lane Blacktop" and "Girl on Fire").
After a 2002-2003 world tour, Mike Riggs and John Tempesta left Rob Zombie to form a similar band, Scum Of The Earth. This put plans for another tour or new album on hold for a while. However, between 2003 and 2005, Rob Zombie released 2 self-directed horror films, House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects.
In 2005, Rob Zombie returned to the music world by recruiting former Marilyn Manson guitarist, John 5, and former Alice Cooper drummer, Tommy Clufetos. Blasko and Humphrey remained, and the 5 began recording Educated Horses, which was released in 2006.
Stylistically, Educated Horses is Rob's most experimental release. In contrast to the heavy metal sound of his first 2 albums, this one has a more alternative metal sound to it. The single "Foxy, Foxy" can be described as his most "party-going" song. The other 2 singles, "Let It All Bleed Out" and "American Witch", featured his signature heavy sound. It was also his 1st album to not contain heavy amounts of horror - either in the artwork, songs, or even his physical appearance (Rob Zombie is dressed in regular clothes on the album cover, and his dreadlocks are gone). However, the songs "Seventeen Year Locust" and "The Scorpion Sleeps" featured song topics of creepy-crawlies.
20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection: The Best of Rob Zombie was also released in 2006 by his label, Geffen Records. It contains songs similar to his 1st greatest-hits album, but there are also songs on this release from Educated Horses. Sometime in 2007, Rob Zombie plans on releasing a White Zombie box-set and a Live CD/DVD, possibly containing footage from his most recent tour in 2006. He is currently not playing any concerts.
Though Blasko played on the album, he was not on the subsequent Educated Horses tour. He left to play bass for Ozzy Osbourne (he's done this before: in 2005, during Rob's musical hiatus). To fill in, Rob hired Piggy D. of Wednesday 13. Recently, Ozzy finished touring, and Blasko has mentioned that he wants to return with Zombie.
On May 31st, 2006, Rob Zombie was joined by guitarist Slash (Guns 'n' Roses, Velvet Revolver), Gilby Clark (formerly of Guns 'n' Roses) on rhythm guitar, Scott Ian of Anthrax on bass, Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe on drums and special guest Ace Frehley of KISS also on lead guitar. The occasion was a 1-time supergroup tribute to KISS for the first annual VH1 Rock Honors Award Show. They played one song, "God Of Thunder," before handing it off to the honoree.
House Of 1000 Corpses was Rob Zombie's directorial debut and his first horror film. It took four years to make (1999-2003), and was finally released by Lion's Gate Films in 2003, after Stacy Snider, then-head of Universal Pictures, sold the film to them, as she did not wish for Universal to release the film. It was later revealed that Snider is not a fan of horror films. It featured a shocking amount of violence and gore, a hark back to Rob's exploitation-film influences. It told the tale of a group of unlucky teenagers who stumble upon the Firefly Family, a family of sadistic and vicious murderers. The film was shot in a surreal and over-the-top style that alternated between dark and campy humor.
1000 Corpses sequel, The Devil's Rejects, showcased a much different style. Whereas House was at times comedic and bizarre, Rejects was more dark, serious and gritty and was more of a Western revenge movie than an outright horror film. Released in 2005, Rejects had the Firefly Family on the run from the law and a particularly vengeful sheriff whose brother was murdered by them in the first film.
Rob Zombie has recently returned to the movie business. He contributed to the 2007 exploitation film Grindhouse, by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. He directed a faux trailer, called Werewolf Women of the S.S.. He is also working on his 3rd film, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, based upon his comic series, 'The Adventures of El Superbeasto'. Unlike his first 2 films, this one is an animated film. It is also due for a 2007 release. Rob is also working on Halloween, a remake of the 1978 classic. It is due for release on August 31st, 2007.
On Friday, October 13, 2006, Rob Zombie became the host of TCM Underground on the Turner Classic Movies channel with the screening of a double feature of Ed Wood's Plan 9 From Outer Space and Bride of the Monster. Every Friday night at two in the morning, Zombie hosts a different double bill with his hosting duties scheduled to last until at least January 2007.[2]
Rob Zombie told Fangoria that his presenting style would be the antithesis to Robert Osborne's.[3]
Rob Zombie uses many horror-movie samples and other references in his music. These include:
Other movie references include:
In addition, Rob Zombie references horror films in his imagery. These include:
<gallery> Image:Hellbilly_Deluxe.jpg|<center>Hellbilly Deluxe<br><center> 1998 <br><center>#5 US (3x Platinum), #2 Canada Image:Rob Zombie - Sinister Urge.jpg|<center>The Sinister Urge<br><center> 2001 <br><center>#8 US (Platinum) Image:Rob Zombie Educated Horses.jpg|<center>Educated Horses<br><center> 2006 <br><center>#5 US
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