Green Day is a punk rock band from Rodeo, California. They started out in 1987 calling themselves 'Sweet Children' and releasing an E.P. entitled 'Slappy'. The Lead Singer/Guitarist was Billie Joe Armstorng, born on the 17th of February 1972. The Bassist/Backup Singer was Mike Dirnt, born on the 4th of May 1972. Green Day then got themselves a drummer. Al Sobrante/John Kiffmeyer. Back in 1983, Billie Joe and Mike Dirnt were living in a mind blowing boring suburb and these 2 eleven year-olds were itching for a little rock 'n' roll. Armed with a Mötley Crüe album and a Fender Stratocastor, Mike and Billie formed a friendship. After a few years, Mike and Billie dropped out of High School and moved out of home into a squat apartment. In 1989 they decided to get to business and went to an audition for a record through a label called Lookout! Records. Then problems started to arise such as the audition was in a "shack" and this "shack" was out in Mendocino Country. Then something even more worse happened, the electricity ran out and the roof was nearly coming off. But that wouldn't stop the band. They got a generator running and candles for the members of the audience and then started to play. Within days they got signed and released the album 39/Smooth which had the Slappy E.P. and then they put out 1,039/Smoothed out Slappy Hours which was a complimation of 39/Smooth and the Slappy and 1,000 Hours EP's. This album attracted enough attention to the group to get them touring on the road. After a very tiring tour, John Kiftmyer dropped out of the band. Strait after that, Billie and Mike went to Gilmor Street and recruited a real punk verteran. 17 year-old Tre Cool who had been playing drums professionally since the rope age of 12. Tre had grown up in Mendocino Mountains (the same place were Green Day's first Lookout Audition) and had in fact begun his musical career as the drummer for the same Lawrence Livermore who signed Green Day. Green Day released an Album in 1992 entitled 'Kerplunk'. Tre had tight and accurate drumming on the album. The Albums cover is a Cartoon Girl holding a gun and winking. She is also wearing a T-Shirt with a Smilling Flower on it. The Lyrics sheet offers some Entertainment with a fictional story about a schoolgirl called Laurie L. (named after Lawrence Livermore) who murders her parents to go on tour with Green Day. In 1994, Green Day switched labels to Reprise and recorded and release Dookie which had World-Wide Succss. Green Day was invited to play at Woodstock '94 that year. Instead of reliving the summer of Peace and Love at Woodstock, it was a Mud-Filled Jaded Cash-In. Dookie had given the band lots of Publicity and Success. It was a year later that they released Insomniac which was a bit of a change in Green Day's music. Using loads of those Monster Power Chords. The Band had recored a song entitled Geek Stink Breath which was inspired from their friends who were hooked on Speed. Mike Dirnt said quote: "It's an Ugly Song for an Ugly Drug". In 1997, the band released Nimrod. The Album with a different mix from their previous albums. Redundant, one of the tracks from Nimrod, doesn't have just power chords this time. It even has a guitar solo. The song 'Good Riddance(Time of Your Life)' on Nimrod is played all around the world and was featured on the last episode of Seinfeld and is now the Official Song for the PGA Tour '98. Green Day have a come along way from the East Bay and are now very successful. 2000 they released their 5th cd which more mature and also more acoustic.