Linkin Park

The seeds of what would become Linkin Park were sown in Southern California in 1996, when three high school friends – drummer Rob Bourdon, guitarist Brad Delson and vocalist Mike Shinoda – decided to form a band. Soon after graduation, they completed their lineup by recruiting three more members: bassist Dave Farrell, turntablist Joe Hahn and temporary lead singer Mark Wakefield. Calling themselves first SuperXero and then simply Xero, the group began recording demos but failed to garner much interest in their songs.

While the band was still struggling to get signed by a record label Wakefield left. Delson's connections at Warner Music referred the band to Chester Bennington. Bennington was a Phoenix, Arizona native who had just left a band called Grey Daze.

The band began to promote itself aggressively. Unfortunately in the process they discovered that the name "Xero" had already been taken. The band changed its name to Hybrid Theory, to reflect their unique sound.

Linkin Park released their first album in 2000. Hybrid Theory, a reference to the group’s rejected band name, was a massive success, becoming one of the biggest debuts of all time, selling approximately 10 million copies in the U.S. alone and spawning several hit singles like “In the End” and “Crawling.” In the process, the band became one of the most successful acts in the fledgling rap-rock movement.

Its band members are:- Chester Born 3/20/76 Band Vocalist	Mike Born 2/11/77 Band Hip Hop and rhyme Vocalist	Brad Born 12/1/77 Band Guitarist
Phoenix Born 2/8/77 Band Bassist	Rob Born 1/20/79 Band Drummer	Joseph Born 3/15/77 Band DJ