The Famous 16 Rock and Metal Musicians Born in December
Rock and metal musicians born in December are a perfect topic for this time of the year. It’s December, and Christmas is getting closer and is a great moment to discuss musicians who were born during these dates. This also allows fans to talk and celebrate some of their biggest achievements, which deserve a lot of praise.
It is also worth pointing out that there are other rock and metal musicians born in December. However, these are some of the most prominent names in the business. These musicians have proven time and time again they are among some of the best in the genre.
Be that as it may, here is a list of the top 16 rock and metal musicians born in December. It is focused on their achievements, cultural impact, consistency, and a lot more.
Top 16 rock and metal musicians born in December
This list, like many others, is entirely subjective and is based on personal preferences. While the musicians on this list have all achieved amazing things, others probably deserve to be here. However, it is worth noting that this is just a fun exercise. And that this list is ordered by the date they were born.
Who are the top 16 rock and metal musicians born in December?
- Eric Bloom – December 1
- Chris Poland – December 1
- Ozzy Osbourne – December 3
- Bill Steer – December 3
- Corey Taylor – December 8
- Wolf Hoffman – December 10
- Nikki Sixx – December 11
- Paul Rodgers – December 17
- Keith Richards – December 18
- Mille Petrozza – December 18
- Eddie Vedder – December 23
- Dave Murray – December 23
- Lemmy Kilmister – December 24
- Tuomas Holopainen – December 25
- Lars Ulrich – December 26
- Scott Ian – December 31
Eric Bloom – December 1
As soon as December begins, there is Eric Bloom‘s birthday. The longtime Blue Oyster Cult singer has been a very important element in the band. In addition to providing his voice, he is one of the main writers of the lyrics of their songs.
His lyrics talk a lot about science fiction since it is one of Bloom‘s main interests and thanks to this, he developed a good friendship with writer Michael Moorcock, with whom he even got to work on a couple of songs.
The great thing about Bloom is consistency. Blue Oyster Cult‘s band members don’t often get a lot of individual praise. However, this band has been fairly consistent over the years. And Bloom is a huge reason for that.
Chris Poland – December 1
The guitarist, originally from New York, has had an extensive career that began back in 1977. Possibly, a lot of people remember him for his time with Megadeth. His history with Mustaine’s band is complicated but he has contributed in different periods. Poland played guitar on such iconic albums as “Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good!” and “Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?”
Additionally, he worked with Lamb of God, Damn the Machine or OHM in addition to his own solo project. Poland stands out because of his technical guitar playing and mixing jazz influences with a metal sound. He is one of the most gifted thrash metal guitarists as well.
Also read about Dave Mustaine and his favorite Megadeth albums
Ozzy Osbourne – December 3
In this interesting list of rock and metal musicians born in December, there is none other than Ozzy Osbourne. The legendary Prince of Darkness and the original vocalist of Black Sabbath as well as a solo artist.
There is not much to say (or maybe there is too much) to introduce this Englishman. He is simply a living legend in the rock and metal genres. This is both because of his time with Black Sabbath and because of his own work as a solo artist, which, in itself, is very good and has left important classics.
At this point, it is very rare that someone does not know Ozzy, either because of his music or because he is a television personality.
Related: the top 12 best Black Sabbath songs with Ozzy Osbourne
Bill Steer – December 3
Another one of those great rock and metal musicians born in December is Bill Steer. A guitarist who has been very influential in death metal due to his contributions mainly in Carcass, although he also had a period with Napalm Death.
Steer is a founding member of Carcass and remains in the band to this day. Despite this obvious relationship with death metal, the Brit has also had projects like Firebird, oriented towards a style more focused on soft rock or blues.
Another thing worth pointing out about Steer (and therefore, Carcass) is his musical evolution. In the early days of Carcass, he was playing much more brutal and aggressive death metal. However, by the early 90s, he evolved into a much more melodic and complex player. This is something that made him stand out from the extreme crowd during the bulk of his career.
Steer is perhaps not as famous as most names on this list but he is a supremely talented musician.
Corey Taylor – December 8
There is no denying that Corey Taylor is one of the most famous rock and metal singers of recent decades. His fame is mainly due to his work with Slipknot, although he also has other notable work with Stone Sour.
Taylor has been characterized by mixing more melodic and soft notes with louder screams and vocals. He often collaborates with other bands such as Apocalyptica, Steel Panther or Korn.
Also read about the 13 best Slipknot masks, ranked
Wolf Hoffman – December 10
Continuing with this list of rock and metal musicians born in December, there is the German guitarist, Wolf Hoffmann.
Currently, he is the only founding member of Accept who remains in the band, having started in 1976. His work with Accept has been a reference within heavy metal, speed metal, and European hard rock.
Hoffmann‘s contributions to the genre cannot be understated. Accept shaped and influenced German metal quite a lot, being the first band over there to have huge commercial success. He was also instrumental in the band’s resurgence in the 2010s, starting with the now-iconic “Blood of the Nations” album.
Nikki Sixx – December 11
At this point, Nikki Sixx is the only founding member who remains in Motley Crue without having left the band at any time. This means that he has remained within the band since its birth in 1981.
The California-born guitarist is an unavoidable reference in glam metal. Sixx has also worked as a producer or lyricist with other important artists such as Alice Cooper, Lita Ford, Meat Loaf and Drowning Pool, to name a few.
Paul Rodgers – December 17
There is no denying that Rodgers is one of the most influential rock and metal musicians born in December and in history in general. His singing style has been greatly recognized over the years by numerous major artists such as Freddy Mercury.
Rodgers has developed a great career since he started in the late 60s, through many bands such as Free, Bad Company, The Firm, and The Law, having participated on several occasions with Queen.
Another interesting fact about Rodgers is how his character wasn’t shaped or defined by one band. He sang in so many different bands and projects that make up his body of work. That definitely makes him stand out from the rest of his peers.
Keith Richards – December 18
This December, one of the most important musicians in the history of rock, who laid the foundations of the genre, turns 80.
Keith Richards is one of the founding members of The Rolling Stones and one of the most successful musicians in the world. He began his career as a musician in 1960 and over the years he has had a lot of notoriety for both his music and his lifestyle.
Even pushing eighty years old, he continues to make new music and perform all over the world. A true embodiment of what rock and roll is.
Mille Petrozza – December 18
Kreator is one of the most important bands in the European thrash metal scene and its leader is one of the rock and metal musicians born in December. Since 1982, when Kreator started, Petrozza has been constantly in the band, being the only member who can boast that.
He is also the band’s rhythm guitar player, vocalist, and main songwriter. Petrozza has shown a lot of strong leadership qualities as the years went by. He is also quite musically diverse, as shown through Kreator‘s several musical changes over the years. And his singing, while harsh, can also boast some melodic moments.
Eddie Vedder – December 23
As Christmas Eve is approaching, there is the birthday of one of the main voices of grunge, Eddie Vedder. The Pearl Jam singer is known for his characteristic voice and for the feeling that he can convey in his performances. Vedder has been part of other projects such as Temple of the Dog and his own solo work.
His work with Pearl Jam is the stuff of legends at this point and the input his voice in that success cannot be understated.
Dave Murray – December 23
The iconic guitarist of Iron Maiden who, along with bassist Steve Harris, are the ones who have remained in the band the longest. In 1976, at the age of 20, he joined a nascent Iron Maiden from which he would leave temporarily a year later, and then return in 1978, this time, permanently.
Murray has dedicated a large part of his career to Iron Maiden, although he has made small appearances in other projects by members or former members of the band such as Nicko McBrain’s solo project or Adrian Smith’s Psycho Motel.
Lemmy Kilmister – December 24
The iconic frontman of Motorhead is another of the rock and metal musicians born in December. Although Lemmy is known worldwide for being the singer and bassist of Motorhead, the Stoke-on-Trent native had several bands before as well as many parallel projects and collaborations.
Part of what made Lemmy so iconic was the way he played music. His unique vocal style and aggressive bass-playing were instrumental in Motorhead‘s iconic sound. He also proved himself as a very gifted songwriter and lyricist. Coupled with his charisma and larger-than-life personality and there is a rock and roll icon.
In 2015, he died from prostate cancer detected a few days before his death. However, his legacy, music, and charisma are timeless and live on with most metalheads.
Tuomas Holopainen – December 25
The Finnish keyboard player is another of the rock and metal musicians born in December. Holopainen is at first glance the keyboardist of Nightwish. However, he is also the leader, producer, writer and basically the one who sets the direction of the band.
Holopainen started his journey in music at a very young age (15 years old) and, in addition to Nightwish, he has participated in other bands such as Darkwoods My Betrothed, Nattvindens Grat or Auri.
Lars Ulrich – December 26
One of the most-known musicians on this list, for sure. Lars is a Danish drummer known worldwide for being the drummer of Metallica. Along with James Hetfield, he is the only founding member of the band to remain in Metallica.
In addition to his skill with the drums, Lars is famous for his business skills. That is something that he has applied very well during the band’s great career to position it as one of the best heavy metal bands of all time.
Also read everything you need to know about Metallica’s Master of Puppets song
Scott Ian – December 31
Before the end of the year, there is another major musician among rock and metal musicians born in December, Scott Ian.
The Anthrax guitarist is one of the most important musicians in the North American thrash metal scene. Ian is the only remaining founding member of Anthrax and has remained in the band continuously since their formation in 1981.
The guitarist has gained additional fame as a television personality as throughout his career he has made appearances on a host of shows. His knowledge and love for the metal genre is usually shown during those appearances. He is also praised for his combination of punk and metal influences on his riffs.
