Brad Delson | |
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 Delson performing with Linkin Park at Rock im Park in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bradford Philip Delson |
| Also known as |
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| Born | December 1, 1977 [1] Agoura, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument |
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| Years active | 1995–present |
| Member of | Linkin Park |
| Formerly of | Relative Degree |
| Website | linkinpark |
Bradford Philip Delson (born December 1, 1977 [2] ) is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist and one of the founding members of the rock band Linkin Park. [3]
Delson was born and raised in Agoura Hills, California. [4] He attended Agoura High School with his friend, Mike Shinoda. [5] Delson played the trumpet, [6] and later began playing the guitar when he was 12 years old. [7] [8] He enjoyed listening to Guns N' Roses and Metallica. [9] He played in the rock band Relative Degree with drummer Rob Bourdon, but the group disbanded after their first live show. [9]
Delson attended UCLA, where he was roommates with bassist Dave Farrell for three years. [10] He majored in communication studies, and later interned for Jeff Blue, then the vice president of A&R for Zomba Music. [11] Blue shared his insight and experience on the music industry with Delson, while also giving him constructive feedback on musical projects. [11] Delson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communication studies from UCLA in 1999. [12] He considered attending law school after graduation but instead pursued a career as a professional musician. [13]
Delson, alongside Mike Shinoda and Rob Bourdon, founded Xero, the earliest incarnation of Linkin Park, in 1996. [14] The band soon recruited vocalist Mark Wakefield, bassist Dave Farrell, and turntablist Joe Hahn. [14] After Wakefield left Xero, Delson turned to his former boss Jeff Blue from Zomba Music to help find a replacement. Blue introduced the band to Chester Bennington, who successfully auditioned and became the band's full-time vocalist. Blue later became the vice president of A&R for Warner Bros. Records, and helped the band sign a record deal. [14]
Delson played guitar on all seven of Linkin Park's albums. He also played bass on Hybrid Theory when Farrell temporarily left Linkin Park to tour with another band. [15] After the release of Hybrid Theory, Delson was closely involved with the production and creative direction of Linkin Park's sound alongside Shinoda. [16] [17] The two co-produced The Hunting Party (2014) and One More Light (2017). [18] While working on The Hunting Party, record producer Rick Rubin encouraged Delson to showcase his guitar playing by including more guitar solos compared to the band's previous albums. [17] Delson commented on the new approach, "On the last few records I certainly played guitar in the studio, but I'd been focusing on other instruments… But these songs are all about rediscovering the guitar and having a lot of fun with it." [17] He also oversaw the band's business operations, including their marketing and finance, alongside bandmates Farrell and Bourdon. [9] [10]
Delson and Linkin Park entered a seven-year hiatus following the sudden death of Chester Bennington in 2017. The band announced their reunion with new members in September 2024. [19] [20] Delson later revealed that he will not be joining the band on their upcoming tour, preferring to work behind the scenes. Alex Feder will tour in his place, but Delson remains an official member of the band. [21] He co-produced the band's eighth album From Zero (2024).
Delson and Shinoda founded their own record label, Machine Shop Records, in 2001. [22] Delson explained his rationale behind founding his own record label, commenting, "Too many people in the music industry tried to preserve the status quo instead of embracing innovation." [22]
Delson has stated that he "doesn't like to show off", and that he attempts to play his guitar so that it sounds as though it were the keyboard or strings so as to seamlessly fit in with the band's hip-hop- and electronica-style compositions. Delson has also stated that he likes to produce a gritty, "sampled" feel with his sound. Although a self-described "fervent opponent of guitar leads," he started performing solos in the Minutes to Midnight era after his bandmates encouraged him to do so. [24] [ dubious – discuss ] Delson performs guitar solos on the tracks "What I've Done", [25] "In Pieces", [26] and "The Little Things Give You Away." [27] Delson also played many solos on Linkin Park's 6th studio album The Hunting Party . [28]
Delson typically performs while wearing a pair of Shure brand headphones, in order to protect his hearing. [29] [30]
Delson's equipment includes the following: [31] [32]
To avoid problems with pedals being damaged during live performances, Delson keeps his effect pedals in a rack along with his amplifiers and controls them through a pedalboard onstage. The board also contains a pedal control which allows him to change the settings for his effect pedals. [33]
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For the first two albums, he used Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifiers and modified Marshall 1959SLP reissue heads live and in the studio, but during the recording of Minutes to Midnight Delson decided not to use much of his old equipment to give him a new sound. Delson used several vintage and rare amplifiers such as Soldano SLOs, Marshall JCM 800, Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, a 1972 50-watt Hiwatt Custom, a Bogner Uberschall, and an extremely rare Bo Diddley amplifier with an onboard tape delay that was probably made for Diddley by Watkins (WEM). During live performances, Delson relies on several Randall MTS Modules to recreate the sound from these different amplifiers. [35]
In 2014, the Randall rig was eventually phased out for a Fractal Axe-FX II setup, which is run direct into the PA system and a Matrix GT1000FX power amp. The only analog effect pedals being used are a Devi Ever Shoegazer fuzz, Electro-Harmonix H.O.G., and a Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor.
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Delson married Elisa Boren in September 2003. [36] The couple bought a home in Los Angeles' Beverlywood neighborhood in 2022. [37]
He was the keynote speaker at his alma mater UCLA's College of Letters and Science commencement ceremony on June 12, 2009, in Pauley Pavilion. [38] [39]
Delson has cited that his biggest influence is singer Sebastian Bach. [40]
Linkin Park is an American rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bassist Dave Farrell, co-lead vocalist Emily Armstrong, and drummer Colin Brittain. The lineup for the band's first seven studio albums included lead vocalist Chester Bennington and drummer Rob Bourdon until Bennington's death by suicide in July 2017, which caused the band to enter an indefinite hiatus. In September 2024, Linkin Park's reformation was announced along with the addition of Armstrong and Brittain.
Joseph Hahn is an American musician, DJ, director, and visual artist best known as the DJ and creative director of the rock band Linkin Park, doing the scratching, turntables, sampling, and programming for all eight of Linkin Park's albums. Hahn and bandmate Mike Shinoda are responsible for most of Linkin Park's album artwork. Hahn also directed many of the band's music videos.
Michael Kenji Shinoda is an American musician, songwriter, rapper, singer, record producer and graphic designer. He co-founded the rock band Linkin Park in 1996 and is the band's co-lead vocalist, as well as rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, primary songwriter and producer. Shinoda later created a hip-hop-driven side project, Fort Minor, in 2004. He has also served as a producer for tracks and albums by artists such as Lupe Fiasco, Styles of Beyond, and the X-Ecutioners.
Hybrid Theory is the debut studio album by American rock band Linkin Park, released on October 24, 2000, by Warner Bros. Records. Recorded at NRG Recordings in North Hollywood, California, and produced by Don Gilmore, the album's lyrical themes deal with problems lead vocalist Chester Bennington experienced during his adolescence, including drug abuse and the constant fighting and eventual divorce of his parents. Hybrid Theory takes its title from the previous name of the band as well as the concepts of music theory and combining different styles. It is also the band's only album on which bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell does not play, however, he is credited as a songwriter on some of its tracks as well as a member of the band.
Robert Gregory Bourdon is an American musician, best known as the former drummer and co-founding member of the rock band Linkin Park.
David Michael Farrell, also known by his stage name Phoenix, is an American musician, best known as the bassist of the rock band Linkin Park. He was also a member of Tasty Snax, a ska punk band.
"Papercut" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released as the third single from their debut album Hybrid Theory (2000) and appears as the opening track on the record. It combines multiple genres in a way that Chester Bennington said captured the essence of the band. He also said it was one of his favorite Linkin Park tracks. The song reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Jeffrey Blue is an A&R executive, record producer, and songwriter who is currently a music consultant for several major record labels and music supervisors. He has worked as the Senior Vice President of A&R and staff producer for Warner Bros. Records, Interscope Records, Virgin Records, Capitol Records, Sony BMG, Jive Records, RCA Records, and J Records. He specializes in discovering, developing, and signing unsigned artists. Blue most notably discovered Linkin Park, Macy Gray, Daniel Powter, and The Last Goodnight. In addition to signing Limp Bizkit and Korn to publishing deals, he has also written singles for artists such as Hoobastank, Macy Gray, Syndicate, and The Last Goodnight.
"Points of Authority" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It is the fourth track on their first studio album, Hybrid Theory. The song was released in 2001 as a promo release. A CD single for the song was set to be released in the UK in September 2001, but instead, "Papercut" was released as the third single from the album. It was later planned as the fifth official single from the album, planned for a January 2002 release but was cancelled for unknown reasons. In its place, the song's remix version was released. Mike Shinoda's verses originally had different lyrics, and Chester Bennington's parts became no different from the Hybrid Theory version.
"Not Alone" is a song written and recorded by American rock band Linkin Park from the compilation album, Download to Donate for Haiti. It was released as a charity single on January 19, 2010; accompanied by a music video released on February 19, 2010.
8-Bit Rebellion! is the soundtrack album for the online video game of the same name, consisting of songs recorded by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released on April 26, 2010 via Warner Bros. and Machine Shop and produced by Mike Shinoda. This is the fourth soundtrack released by the band. The previous soundtrack Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – The Score, released on June 12, 2009 in the UK and June 23, 2009 in the United States, was a collaborated film score album with music composer Steve Jablonsky for the 2009 Transformers sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
"Guilty All the Same" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. The song was recorded by the band for their sixth studio album, The Hunting Party, serving as the third track. The track features American rapper Rakim. The track premiered on March 6, 2014, on commercial mobile service Shazam, and was released as a single by Warner Bros. Records on March 7, 2014. The song was self-produced since the band decided not to have a producer for the album.
The Hunting Party is the sixth studio album by American rock band Linkin Park. The album, produced by band members Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson, was released by Warner Bros. Records and Machine Shop on June 17, 2014. It is the first album since Meteora (2003) not to be produced with Rick Rubin, who produced the band's previous three studio albums. The album's title is a contextual metaphor: Linkin Park is the party that is hunting to bring back the energy and soul of rock.
Minutes to Midnight World Tour was the fourth concert tour by American rock band Linkin Park. It was launched in support of Linkin Park's third studio album, Minutes to Midnight (2007). Linkin Park Underground the official fan club of the band released a live album as a part of their annual releases named as LP Underground 7.0. It consisted of the live performances of the shows across the 2007-Minutes to Midnight tour.
Studio Collection, released under the name of Studio Collection 2000–2012, is a box set of studio albums released by American rock band Linkin Park in 2013. The set consists of their first five studio albums and their 2002 remix album Reanimation, each one containing the main track list.
"Heavy" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park, featuring guest vocals from American singer Kiiara. The song is the first single from their seventh studio album, One More Light. The song was written by Linkin Park members Chester Bennington, Brad Delson, and Mike Shinoda, alongside Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter. The single was released for download on February 16, 2017, and was premiered on radio on February 21. It is the band's last single to be released during Bennington's lifetime.
One More Light is the seventh studio album by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released on May 19, 2017, through Warner Bros. Records and Machine Shop. It is the band's first album to have a title track, as they felt that the song "One More Light" was the heart of the album. It is also the band's final album to feature two of their longtime members: co-lead vocalist Chester Bennington, who died from suicide by hanging two months after the album's release, and drummer and band co-founder Rob Bourdon, who opted to not return for the band's reformation in 2024.
"Battle Symphony" is a promotional single by American rock band Linkin Park. The song was recorded by the band for their seventh studio album, titled One More Light. The song appears on the album as the fourth track. The song was written by Linkin Park members Brad Delson and Mike Shinoda. The song was released on March 16, 2017, but it was leaked some days before.
"She Couldn't" is a ballad by American rock band Linkin Park. Originally leaked in 2009, it was later officially released in 2020 as the first single from the 20th Anniversary Edition re-release of their debut album, Hybrid Theory.
You know, I started playing the guitar when I was 12.
I've been playing guitar since I was 12.
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