Tom Morello - Biography

Last Editor: rdsuperman				Tom Morello Biography -   Name : Tom Morello Profession : guitar player Birth Details : born May 30, 1964 Personal quotes : "We are committed to continuing with our efforts to effect change in the social and political arena and look forward to creating more ground-break

Tom Morello Trivia -

His mother, Mary, started Parents for Rock and Rap, an organization against censorship in music. His father was a guerilla in the Mau-Mau uprising that freed Kenya from British rule. Has started the rock band Audioslave with fellow Rage Against The Machine members Tim Commerford, Brad Wilk and former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell. [2002] Was in a band called Electric Sheep with Tool guitarist Adam Jones. His uncle is the late Jomo Kenyatta, one of the earliest and best known African nationalist leaders who went on to become the first president of Kenya. His father was a civil servant. was part of the first Kenyan delegation to the United Nations in New York. His mother, Mary, is of Irish/Italian heritage. Along with his former Rage bandmates, he heavily supported the "Free Mumia" movement. This called for the release and retrial of covicted Philadelphia cop killer Mumia Abu Jamal, who has been on death row since 1981. As a result of the affiliation, Rage's music is permanently banned from one of Philadelphia's rock stations, WMMR (although Audioslave songs are allowed). Tirelessly continues his political activism during Audioslave's off time through the non-profit organisation he co-founded Axis of Justice which focuses on issues of peace, human rights, and economic justice. In 2004, Morello combined activism and music as his alter ego The Nightwatchman on the 'Tell Us The Truth' tour which also included Billy Bragg and Steve Earle. Is a close friend and supporter of 'Farenheit 9/11' film maker Michael Moore (Moore directed the RATM video 'Sleep Now In The Fire', nominated for a VMA in 2000). Is a long time friend and protégé of U2 frontman Bono who personally sought out RATM to open for U2 during their juggernaut Achtung Baby tour back in the early 1990s.

Tom Morello Detailed Biography -

Thomas Baptist Morello (born May 30, 1964) is the guitarist of the band Audioslave, and formerly of Rage Against The Machine. He is acclaimed for his unique guitar style--he was named by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 greatest guitarists in rock history --and noted for his outspoken radical politics. Morello was born in Harlem, New York. His mother, Mary Morello, is a founder of Parents For Rock And Rap, an anti-censorship group. His father was a Mau Mau guerrilla, a Kenyan revolutionary who later was the first Kenyan delegate to the United Nations. Morello's great-uncle, Jomo Kenyatta, was the first elected president in Kenya. Morello grew up in Libertyville, Illinois, at the time a nearly all-white suburb of Chicago. There he attended Libertyville High School, where he sang in the chorus and was active in speech and drama club. (One prominent role was Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream.) He showed his political leanings early; in the 1980 mock elections at LHS, he campaigned for a fictitious anarchist "candidate" named Hubie Maxwell. (He almost beat out Jimmy Carter for third place at the overwhelmingly Republican high school.) He also wrote a piece headlined "South Africa: Racist Fascism That We Support" for the school's alternative paper, The Student Pulse. Around 1980, Morello first started studying the guitar seriously. He had formed a band in 1980 called the Electric Sheep with future Tool guitarist Adam Jones. Few if any of the Sheep could really play an instrument at first, but the band was an impetus to start honing his skills. At the time Morello's musical tastes lay in the direction of heavy metal, particularly Kiss and Alice Cooper. Morello graduated in 1982 and began attending Harvard University. There he made a point of practicing every day without fail, no matter how much studying he had to do (or partying he had done). He graduated with honors in 1986 with a degree in social studies. He moved to L.A., where he briefly worked as an aide to Sen. Alan Cranston as he set about trying to join or start a band. (Adam Jones moved to L.A. as well; Morello introduced Jones to some of his future bandmates.) In 1988 Morello joined Lock Up, a glam rock band that released one album through Geffen Records before splitting up. Afterward, Morello approached Brad Wilk, who had auditioned for Lock Up, about forming a band. After meeting with Zack de la Rocha at an LA club where Zack was rapping, Zack introduced him to his friend Tim Commerford and their new band, Rage Against The Machine, was formed. In 2000, Zack de la Rocha left Rage Against the Machine. The remaining three members formed the band Audioslave with former Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell. Audioslave have since achieved commercial success with their eponymously titled debut album and their second studio album, Out Of Exile.