From Blink 182 drummer and drummer of other bands, Travis Barker is undoubtedly a talented musician.
Travis Barker is a genuine drumming celebrity, a larger-than-life personality with chops and talent to match the tabloid headlines.
Travis Barker’s story is a unique one in the world of modern music. But his vibrant personality, incredible work ethic, and unwavering dedication to the craft demonstrate exactly what it takes to be successful in a business that has no shortage of competition. Whether you’re a fan already or not, there’s plenty to admire about Travis Barker.
We collected all the interesting stuff about his life and career, fusing it into an extensive introduction to one of the most famous drummers in the world. Dig in!
Who is Travis Barker
Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician and producer and drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He was a frequent collaborator with the late DJ AM as part of the duo The Transplants and has formed a new project, Expensive Taste.
He came to fame with the highly successful pop-punk band Blink-182 and has moved on to play with groups such as +44, The Transplants, and Box Car Racer — all this while keeping busy in his “free” time by producing hip-hop beats, taking piano lessons, writing songs, and starring in his own reality TV series.
Barker has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, such as Kid Cudi and Lil Wayne. He has worked on some of their songs, such as “All Summer” from Cudi’s debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi (2008), “Dance 4 Eternity” from Wayne’s mixtape Sorry 4 the Wait (2010), and “Sex on Fire” from Wayne’s 2011 album Tha Carter IV.
In addition to drumming in his own band, Barker has been involved in several side projects, including collaborations with artists such as Adam Goldstein under the moniker TRV$DJAM. In 2008 he formed a new band called Expensive Taste with former rap artist Lupe Fiasco; they released only one track titled “Go Hard”, after which they disbanded due to creative differences between them.
How did Travis Barker start playing drums
Travis Barker got his first drum set at age four. When he started playing the drums, he found inspiration in jazz music. During his school days, he played in various jazz, rock and marching bands. Barker played in the school’s jazz ensemble, earning the second chair in the drumline.
His mother’s death the day before the start of his freshman year of high school had a huge impact on Barker, urging him to get serious about his craft. Before his graduation, the drum corporation asked him to audition. Travis wanted to go on tour with his rock band, so he declined the offer. Since then, he has been playing on thousands of rock shows around the world.
After graduating from Fontana High School, Barker worked as a trash man in Laguna Beach. He was a part of local punk rock bands Snot and Feeble during this time. In the mid-to-late ’90s, Barker became involved in the punk scene, playing with local punk rock bands Snot and Feeble. After meeting Chad Larson, he joined a ska-punk group, The Aquabats, with whom he released The Fury Of The Aquabats in 1997.
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What drum kit does Travis Barker use
Travis Barker always used a minimalistic drum kit. He changed it many times over the years.
In 2005 he used an Orange County Drums Type 4 Glowstick Green Acrylic, including:
DRUMS ORANGE COUNTY DRUM & PERCUSSION
24″ x 22″ Bass Drum
14″ x 6.5″ Modern Classic Snare Drum
10″ x 5″ Snare
12″ x 10″ Tom
16″ x 14″ Floor Tom
CYMBALS ZILDJIAN
14″ Mastersound Hi-Hats
11″ K Custom Hybrid Splash
20″ K Crash/Ride
22″ K Ride
21″ Brilliant Sweet Ride
20″ Oriental Crash Of Doom
Barker likes large crash cymbals, and sometimes he uses ride cymbals in that role. His cymbals usually have a ‘brilliant’ finish which provides a bright sound.
Other Endorsements DW hardware and pedals, Zildjian sticks, Remo heads, LP percussion, and Roland electronics.
When did Travis Barker join Blink 182
While on tour with The Aquabats, headliners Blink-182 asked Barker to fill in for drummer Scott Raynor, who had recently been ejected from the band. Astoundingly, Barker saved Blink-182’s show by learning 20 songs in one day and performing them almost flawlessly later that night.
Once a full-fledged member of Blink, Barker quickly earned a reputation with his inventive and energetic punk drumming, which combined rapid-fire sixteenth-note fills with colorful accents and pin-point accuracy to accompany the punchy riffs and catchy lyrics of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus and guitarist/vocalist Tom Delonge.
During their seven-year career, Blink-182 released several top-selling albums, including the quintuple-platinum Enema Of The State (1999). In the process, Barker gained worldwide fame for his spunky and innovative pop-punk drumming, winning his first DRUMMIE! Award for Drummer Of The Year in 2001.
In 2005 Blink-182 went on indefinite hiatus, and Barker took the chance to spend more time with his family before forming +44 with Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus — originally an electronic-based project that later fell into the alternative rock genre.
Additionally, Barker began putting more energy into The Transplants, a genre-bending collaboration formed in 2002 between Barker, Rancid singer/guitarist Tim Armstrong, and singer “Skinhead Rob” Ashton that mixes hip-hop, punk, and drum ’n’ bass rhythms. He also kept busy working in a variety of styles with various groups, recording for such artists as Avril Lavinge and Pink.
After barely surviving a high-profile plain crash in September 2008 that killed four other members of his entourage, Barker’s return to the stage took on a whole new significance. And now, with Blink-182’s reunion, his star power promises to only grow brighter in the years ahead.
—Steve Barry
- BANDSBlink-182, +44, The Transplants, Independent
- DATE OF BIRTHNovember 14, 1975
- INFLUENCES Stewart Copeland, Tommy Lee, Tré Cool, Latin beats, hip-hop
- FACTOIDAfter breaking his foot in Australia while on tour in 2004, Travis Barker played out the remainder of the U.S. dates left-footed with his kit reversed.
Why did Travis Barker leave Blink 182
In 2005 Blink-182 went on indefinite hiatus, and Barker took the chance to spend more time with his family before forming +44 with Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus — originally an electronic-based project that later fell into the alternative rock genre.
Additionally, Barker began putting more energy into The Transplants, a genre-bending collaboration formed in 2002 between Barker, Rancid singer/guitarist Tim Armstrong, and singer “Skinhead Rob” Ashton that mixes hip-hop, punk, and drum’ n’ bass rhythms. He also kept busy working in a variety of styles with various groups, recording for such artists as Avril Lavinge and Pink.
The band reunited in 2009, appearing on stage together in February 2009 Grammy Awards, and announced their reunion. They held a reunion tour of North America from July to October 2009, and a few years later, they celebrated the tenth-anniversary celebration of Blink-182 with a series of shows.
However, the reunion of the band was not how they expected it to be. Barker and DeLonge characterized it as dysfunctional. Finally, in 2014 Travis Barker left Blink 182 because of his flying phobia. He couldn’t get over the horrific events of the plane crash and 4 people dying, including his best friends. Since the touring required frequent flying, which he couldn’t do, he decided to quit the band.
How did Travis Barker survive the plane crash
The Blink-182 drummer was involved in a horrific plane crash on September 19, 2008.
The musician and his friend Adam Goldstein, aka DJ AM, were among the six passengers aboard a private jet coming back from Columbia, South Carolina, to Los Angeles, after playing a show with the TRV$DJAM project.
However, the pilots were forced to abandon takeoff due to a burst wheel, sending the jet crashing into an embankment on the runway and bursting into flames.
Four people lost their lives in the crash: the two pilots, as well as Barker’s assistant and security guard, whom he considered his best friends.
Barker was caught in flames and was covered in jet fuel, which Goldstein extinguished using his own shirt.
Barker was burned third-degree on 65% of his body and spent three months in the hospital enduring 26 surgeries. Goldstein died of a drug overdose nearly a year after the incident, leaving Barker as the only survivor.
Travis once recalled several peculiar incidents that took place before the flight.
His wife (at that time) and model Shanna Moakler was intended to be with him on that plane, but she changed her mind at the last minute with an explanation that she had an unnerving feeling and someone needed to stay to be with the children if something went wrong.
Also, the plan for a flight was to be the next morning, but after the show, they changed their mind and left that night. Barker remembers calling his father just before flying off and telling him he had a weird feeling about the flight.
Travis has been open about his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and fear of flying after a plane crash. But after 13 years, last summer, the drummer of Blink-182 took his first flight to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, from Los Angeles with his girlfriend, Kourtney Kardashian.
Who is Travis Barker dating now
Travis and his new wife, Kourtney Kardashian, are the center of attention right now. They are very open about their emotions and love. Their journey, which begins with long-time friends and ends with them being married in Vegas, moves quickly. But Kourtney is his third wife. Barker’s first wife was Melissa Kennedy, but their marriage lasted just nine months.
After his first divorce, Travis meets model Shanna Moakler, and the two married in a gothic style in 2004. They have two kids together, older son Landon Asher Barker and daughter Alabama Luella Barker.
Besides biological children, he also has a third, former stepchild from his marriage, Atiana De La Hoya, who is 22 years old and whom he treats as his daughter. However, their relationship has had many ups and downs, and they filed for divorce in 2006, but their marriage officially ended in 2008.
Following that, Barker is linked to a number of well-known ladies, including Paris Hilton, Rita Ora, and Lindsay Lohan. But for now, it appears that he has found love and happiness with Kourtney Kardashian.