List of Foo Fighters band members

The current lineup of Foo Fighters, from left to right: Chris Shiflett, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel. Not shown: Pat Smear.

Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band formed by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Dave Grohl in 1994. After recording the album Foo Fighters alone, Grohl enlisted guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith to join the band.^[1] This lineup recorded the second Foo Fighters album, 1997's The Colour and the Shape, although most of Goldsmith's drum recordings were removed and re-recorded by Grohl for the release, after he left the band due to creative tensions.^[1] Goldsmith was replaced by Taylor Hawkins, and Franz Stahl replaced Smear after he also departed, although he only remained in the band for a short period and did not record an album with the group.^[1] The group's third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose, featured Hawkins on drums and was released in 1999.^[1]

After the completion of There Is Nothing Left to Lose, Chris Shiflett was brought in as Stahl's replacement on guitar.^[1] With the core lineup of Grohl, Shiflett, Mendel and Hawkins, Foo Fighters recorded their fourth album, One by One, which was released in 2002 and was the first album by the band to reach the top three of the US Billboard 200 chart.^[2] The band's next release was a double album in the form of 2005's In Your Honor, which spawned the first single by the band to top both the US Alternative Songs and Mainstream Rock singles charts, "Best of You".^[2] In 2005, Pat Smear rejoined as a touring member of the band, in addition to keyboardist Rami Jaffee and percussionist Drew Hester, all of whom featured on the 2007 album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.^[1]

Smear rejoined as a full-time member in 2010, bringing the lineup of the band up to five members for the first time since its inception.^[1] In 2011 Foo Fighters released its seventh studio album, Wasting Light, which was their first to top the Billboard 200 chart,^[2] followed in 2014 by the band's eighth album Sonic Highways, which featured a wide range of guest musicians including Rick Nielsen, Gary Clark, Jr. and Joe Walsh.^[3]

Members

Current

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Dave Grohl	1994–present	vocals, guitars, drums, percussion, bass	all Foo Fighters releases
	Pat Smear	1995–1997, 2005–2010 (touring), 2010–present	rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals	The Colour and the Shape (1997) and from Skin and Bones (2006) to present
	Nate Mendel	1995–present	bass	all Foo Fighters releases from The Colour and the Shape
	Taylor Hawkins	1997–present	drums, percussion, backing vocals	all Foo Fighters releases from The Colour and the Shape (1997) to present
	Chris Shiflett	1999–present	lead guitar, backing vocals	all Foo Fighters releases from One by One (2002) to present

Former

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	William Goldsmith	1995–1997	drums, percussion	Foo Fighters" to The Colour and the Shape (1997)
	Franz Stahl	1997–1999	lead guitar, backing vocals	A320 (1998) and Walking After You (1998)

Touring

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Petra Haden	2005–2007	violin, mandolin, backing vocals	In Your Honor (2005) and Skin and Bones (2006)
	Rami Jaffee	2005–present	keyboards, piano	Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007), Wasting Light (2011), Sonic Highways (2014) and Saint Cecilia (2015)
	Drew Hester	2005–2010	percussion	all Foo Fighters releases from Skin and Bones (2006) to Wasting Light (2011)
	Jessy Greene	2007–2010	violin, cello, double bass, backing vocals	Wasting Light (2011)

Timeline

Lineups

References