In 1987, along with singer Jesse Michaels, bassist Matt Freeman and drummer Dave Mello, Armstrong formed the ska punk band Operation Ivy and enjoyed modest success before the group disbanded in 1989, the same night the album was released. Two years later they broke up, and Operation Ivy was founded shortly after. The band never released any albums or EPs, but recorded demos and were featured on local compilations. Music career Armstrong in 1987 Basic Radio īasic Radio was founded in 1985 and included Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong. Īrmstrong's cousin, Scott, was the guitarist for Canadian punk band Desperate Minds, but they did not know each other until they were introduced at a show in Chicago in 1988 by John Jughead of Screeching Weasel. Some of Rancid's songs on 1998's Life Won't Wait ('Who Would've Thought', 'Corazón de Oro') detail Armstrong and Dalle's relationship, and songs on 2003's Indestructible (' Fall Back Down', 'Ghost Band', 'Tropical London') deal with Armstrong's feelings about his divorce. Dalle claimed Armstrong was very controlling of her and it took her three years to leave him. Homme claimed he received death threats from Armstrong's fans. The couple separated in 2003, after Armstrong saw a picture of Dalle kissing Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme in an issue of Rolling Stone magazine she and Homme would later marry. In 1997, when Dalle was 18, she moved to Los Angeles to live with Armstrong, and she formed the band The Distillers. They met in 1994, when Dalle was 15 and Armstrong was 30, after Rancid and Dalle's band Sourpuss both played Summersault Festival in Australia. He was married to musician Brody Dalle from 1997 to 2003. Īrmstrong's relationship with Bikini Kill drummer Tobi Vail inspired the Rancid song 'Olympia, WA' from.

Freeman and Armstrong formed bands many years later based on their shared love of bands such as The Clash and the Ramones. They grew up a few blocks apart in Albany, California, where Armstrong lived with his mother, police officer father, and older brother Jeff. Armstrong won a Grammy Award for his work with Jimmy Cliff and Pink, and has also worked with Joe Walsh.Īt the age of five, Armstrong met Matt Freeman while playing Little League Baseball. Armstrong is also a songwriter for other artists. In 2012, through his website, Armstrong started releasing music that influenced him, along with stripped-down cover songs of his own under the name Tim Timebomb. In 1997, along with Brett Gurewitz of the band Bad Religion and owner of Epitaph Records, Armstrong founded Hellcat Records. Prior to forming Rancid, Armstrong was in the ska punk band Operation Ivy.

Known for his distinctive voice, he is the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Rancid and hip hop/punk rock supergroup Transplants. Timothy Ross Armstrong (born Novem) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer.

Tim armstrong fender