The Christian band Skillet was formed in 1996 by vocalist John Cooper and guitarist Ken Steorts. The first of them recently left the ranks of Seraph, and the second left the collapsed Urgent Cry, but since both of these teams were working in different directions, the newborn project was named after the frying pan on which it was supposed to “fry and mix” the previous styles. The third to join the lineup was drummer Trey McClurkin, and less than a month had passed since his arrival, when the Christian label ForeFront Records became interested in the band. Already in the fall of 1996, “Skillet” released their debut album, filled with not too heavy post-grunge and spiritual lyrics.
The work was produced by Paul Aebersold, Cooper, in addition to the microphone, was responsible for the bass and keys, and his partners helped him with backing vocals. The same company recorded the second album, but the sound of “Hey You, I Love Your Soul” was noticeably different from the debut album. On the new album, the musicians moved away from their grunge roots and leaned on electronics, which made critics reproach the “frying pan” for borrowing from “Nine Inch Nails”.
Meanwhile, John was finding it difficult to work live, and he called his wife Corey to help, who relieved him of his keyboard duties. Shortly before the recording of the third feature, Miss Cooper was introduced to official composition, and it’s up to the departed to decide family problems Steorts was replaced by Kevin Haaland. “Invincible” turned out to be even more electronic than “Hey You, I Love Your Soul”, and after its release there was another reshuffle in the band, and Lori Peters took Trey’s place. At the end of 2000, Skillet released a special service album, Ardent Worship. The record was recorded live and consisted of half original material and half covers. The next studio album of “frying pans” was reminiscent of “Marilyn Manson” in style (Cooper’s visit to one of the concerts of the famous shock rocker had an impact here), but the lyrics were still exclusively religious in nature.
Shortly before the end of the Alien Youth sessions, Haaland left the band, and one of the tracks was being completed with new guitarist Ben Kasica. The title song from the record was high demand in the Christian market, and thanks to this, "Skillet" were able to acquire headlining status.
However, the group did not want to stand still and, having changed their guidelines, the musicians released the “Collide” program, inspired by the work of “Linkin Park” and “P.O.D.” The album, like "Alien Youth", made it into the coveted Billboard top two hundred, and therefore the majors finally paid attention to the group. The next opus, recorded under the auspices of "Lava Records" (a division of "Atlantic"), continued the style of "Collide", but excessively protruding keyboards were replaced by orchestral arrangements and guitar distortion. "Comatose" debuted at No. 55 on Billboard's main chart and peaked at No. 4 on the Top Christian Albums list. Since January 2008, Jen Ledger became the new drummer of “Skillet”, since Laurie was tired of touring.
In the autumn of the same year, the live album "Comatose Comes Alive" was released, and the following January work began on the album "Awake". The longplay, located on the second step of Billboard, became the final breakthrough for the frying pans into the mainstream, and the single “Monster”, made in the manner of Rob Zombie, played the greatest role in this.
Last update 10/19/10Skillet was founded in 1996 by John Cooper. The team promotes Christian faith and evangelical position. The group's discography includes 9 successful albums. During their career, the musicians were nominated for two dozen different awards.
Creating a team
The founder of the group always dreamed of a team in which he could be the frontman. In the mid-90s musical preferences people have changed a lot. Heavy and pop metal are a thing of the past, replaced by grunge. John liked this musical direction. The dream of creating your own team could come true. Because of his Christian preferences and the influence of various John called Skillet team. The band's biography begins in Memphis, Tennessee. The first performances of the musical group took place here.
The pastor always admired the musician's talent. One day he suggested creating his own band together with Fold Zandura lead singer Ken Sturt. After performing together, the pastor decided to become a producer of the group and create a Christian music group. Trey McLarkin later joined them. He was not a rock fan and decided to help the guys until they found a real fanatical drummer. At the same time, John began training his voice for grunge vocals. But because strong influence Christian music ended up being a vocal hybrid. The vocals were reminiscent of the music of Kurt Cobain from Nirvana. The name Skillet (“frying pan”) meant a mixture of different musical styles.
Ardent records label and recording of the first albums
The Skillet group quickly became famous and won the hearts of their first fans. A month later, the Ardent records label offered the team cooperation and recording of the first album. Paul Ambersold helped them work on recording their debut album. In November 1996, the group released their debut album of the same name, Skillet. The songs “Saturn”, “Gasoline” and “I Can” gained particular popularity. After the decline in popularity of grunge, the band decided to change their performance style. They added an electronic sound to their new songs. Skillet began to be compared to Nine Inch nails.
During the recording of the second collection “Hey You, I Love Your Soul”, the group imagined in what rhythm and genre of performance they needed to compose songs. After this, the musicians tried to collaborate with a major label. They worked with all companies, but due to the Christian content of their tracks, the Skillet group was never able to sign a contract. The super hit “Locked in a Cage” won the hearts of many fans. But as soon as the labels found out that the Skillet team were Christians, they immediately refused to cooperate. As a result, the group’s next release was released on Ardent records.
Dramatic changes and first glory
In 1998, John Cooper's wife, Corey Cooper, joined the team. She invited the team to go on tour to Europe. Participants supported this risky idea. And the risk paid off - the concerts went off with a bang. After the tour ended, John and Cooper continued to lead services in the Memphis church. In 1999, dramatic changes took place in the team. Ken left the group and was replaced by Kevin Haaland. Later, the musician admitted that he devoted too little time to his beloved wife and two children, so he left the band and found a less busy job.
Already together in Kevin, the musicians began recording their third collection. In early 2000, Skillet released their third album, Invincible. In this collection, the post-industrial sound became most pronounced and modern. The song "Rest with Invincible" was included in the top five tracks of the year, according to CHR. Musical composition“Best kept secret” received rotation on MTV. This song is called the band’s most important hit.
After the release of this album, Skillet's popularity began to gain momentum. The team was noticed by the media, their videos were played on channels, tracks were played on radio stations. The group was loved by millions of fans for the kindness and sincerity of their songs.
Modern band Skillet
To date, the Skillet group has 4 members. Founder John Cooper and his wife Corey Cooper are considered to be the main ones. The backing vocalist and drummer is now Jen Ledger. Seth Morrison became the lead guitarist.
The group's discography includes 9 successful albums. The team was awarded a Grammy for the best Christian albums. In 2011, Skillet received a music award for best album And best performer on annual award Billboard Music Awards. The group has been awarded the prestigious Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Awards 6 times.
1. John Cooper and Ken Stewart are the founders of the band Skillet. They spent a long time deciding which of them would be the vocalist, but in the end this role went to John.
2. When Jen auditioned for the band Skillet as a drummer, John didn’t like her. Despite this, Ledger eventually made it onto the team, but only thanks to Corey, who persuaded her husband to do so. Later, when John found out that Jen was 17 years old at the time, he said that if he had known her age, he would not have allowed her to audition at all.
3. Skillet drummer Jen Ledger released her debut in April 2018 solo album. You can listen to it, and there you will also find comments from Jen herself about her solo career.
5. John and Corey met in church when John decided to take a vow of celibacy and Corey came in to pray. John was struck by her beauty and therefore asked the priest for leave for one girl. After a short time they got married.
6. The newlyweds did not give each other rings; they approached this tradition in a more original way, tattooing wedding jewelry on their ring fingers.
7. John Cooper's parents were Christians, so they forbade their son to listen to rock music.
8. John composed the song “Savior,” which became a worldwide hit, in just 10 minutes.
9. Corey loves Russia very much. In 2013, during a Russian tour, she promised fans that she would learn Russian.
10. Before John realized himself in the musical field, he worked in a church.
11. After leaving Skillet, Ben became a co-owner of the clothing company LifeLoveMusic.
12. Today, the Cooper family lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Father Corey lives nearby and has his own church, where he has held services for over 40 years.
13. Jen Ledger was born in England, but now also lives in Kenosha and attends Father Corey's church.
14. Skillet's lead guitarist, Seth Morrison, lives in Nashville.
15. An album called "Rise", released in 2013, was the first in which Seth recorded with the group Skillet.
16. Seth Morrison has Russian roots.
17. In one of his interviews, John Cooper said that his favorite song is "Rebirthing".
18. Corey Cooper is 30 cm shorter than his husband John (Corey is 158 cm tall, John is 188 cm tall)
19. Each member of Skillet cares deeply about their fans.
20. The Coopers have a tradition: they are each New Year watch all parts of the film "The Lord of the Rings".
21. John and Corey Cooper's son, Xavier, loves bands like Papa Roach, Three Days Grace and Alice Cooper.
23. Corey uses a PRS Custom 22 guitar.
24. One of Corey's tattoos is an excerpt from Augustine Aurelius' Confessions.
25. John Cooper is a fan of Russian things, including collecting books by Russian authors, including works by Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy.
Skillet is a rock band from Memphis, Tennessee, founded in 1996. The founding members of Skillet are bassist and vocalist John Cooper and guitarist Ken Stewarts. They originally played in two different Christian bands: Seraph and Urgent Cry. On the advice of their pastor, they performed together as an opening act for the band Fold Zandura and recorded several demos together. Later, Trey McLurkin joined John and Ken as a drummer. About a month after the guys started playing together, ForeFront Records became interested in them and offered them a contract. Ken and John agreed to this proposal, as they had long wanted to play together.
The name Skillet (Russian: Frying Pan) for the group was suggested by the same pastor who advised Ken and John to create a group. This name was supposed to symbolize a mixture of different musical styles together.
In 1996, together with producer Paul Ambersold, the musicians recorded and released their debut album of the same name. The album's songs were written by Stewart and Cooper. According to Ken, they took ideas for songs from the Bible, sermons, prayers, books and life. They also said that the band wanted God to be able to reach "lost" people through their album. The disc was generally received positively music critics, however, was not a commercial success: the album failed to enter any of the American charts.
In 1997, Skillet began recording their second album, Hey You, I Love Your Soul, which was released in 1998. This album marked a change in the band's style - a transition from grunge to a calmer alternative rock. During the tour in support of him, John's wife, Corey Cooper, joined Skillet, playing synthesizer and electric guitar. The name of the group, Skillet (Frying Pan), symbolized a mixture of different musical directions together. This name is still not very popular among the band members, but it reflects its essence well.
In 2005, their album Collide was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album, and in 2007, another album, Comatose, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album: Comatose.
Comatose hit the hundred for the first time best songs Billboard 200 - at 44th place. In 2009, the album was awarded gold status.
Audio recordings of Hero and Monster ended up in various TV shows and became soundtracks for video games. Hero was used in advertising the first football match 2009 NFL season between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans. This song is also on the soundtrack of the video game WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010. Monster was used in MTV's Jason: The Pretty-Boy Bully episode of Bully Beatdown. It was also the theme for "Battle Royale (2010)" and "Hell in a Cell".
Also, the song Awake and Alive became the soundtrack to the film “Transformers 3: Dark side Moon."
Founder of the group Skillet- John Cooper. Since childhood, he was obsessed with Christianity, accepting its teachings as the only true one, and this is what was reflected in the near future in the work of his group. IN early years he began to master the guitar, trying to write his first songs. It is worth considering in detail his biography, because if not John Cooper, then the groups Skillet didn't exist.
He took part in the first team at the age of 15 (actually as). Then he began to play in a group founded at a church parish. The decisive role was played by a local priest, who suggested that he form his own group and record the first demo. This is how the group got together Skillet. Shortly before this, John had an idol - Kurt Cobain(), in the assembled composition he was the youngest participant, but this fact did not bother him at all.
Naturally, at first the main focus was on style and Post Industrial. After some time, the label became interested in the new team Ardent records, who subsequently offered to record an album in the studio. None of the participants wanted to become an ordinary ordinary team, so it was decided to take the reference point. Since grunge as a style began to gradually die out, the guys began to look for new alternative options. At that time, all participants had different musical tastes, so the album turned out to be very diverse, but when recording the second album, all the participants decided exactly in which direction they should work together.
Afterwards, a decision was made to change the label, but since all their music was exclusively Christian in theme. The search for a new studio to release their records dragged on for a long time; in the end, the group returned to their original label.
During the first tour, the Founder's Wife joins the group.
1998 brings the first fruits for the formation of the group on the world music scene - the first tour of European cities starts. The year 2000 brings long-awaited popularity, nominations for various music awards and awards. It was during this period that the group drew its attention to the media. In parallel with this, Christian music industry notices the growing potential of his parish team, thus Skillet wins many Christian music awards (of course in the mainstream music field they mean little, but for church fanatics it means a lot).
At the same time, musicians understand that the main focus of their songs must be on youth, otherwise the intended goal will be impossible to achieve. There was also one distinguishing feature, many acquaintances and fans said that Skillet They sound much better live than on recordings. This prompted John to record a live album.
Today Skillet is successfully progressing (developing) and giving many concerts. They were able to find their niche in the world music arena.
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