1. John Joseph Theodore Rzeznik is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and producer.
24 Facts About John Rzeznik
1. 2.
John Rzeznik formed the Goo Goo Dolls in 1985 with bassist Robby Takac, and the band achieved success in the 1990s with a series of albums that blended alternative rock, punk, and power-pop influences.
3.
John Rzeznik was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008 and received accolades throughout his career.
4.
John Rzeznik has been open about his personal struggles, including his battle with alcoholism, and is a dedicated philanthropist, participating in charity events and fundraisers.
5.
John Rzeznik was born in Buffalo, New York, the youngest of five children and only son of Edith and Joe John Rzeznik, a bar proprietor and postal clerk.
6.
The original pronunciation of his last name John Rzeznik is "Zhezh-neek", Polish for "butcher".
7.
John Rzeznik's father died at the age of 53 on February 2,1981, from a diabetic coma when John Rzeznik was 15 years old.
8.
John Rzeznik paid for his own apartment using Social Security Survivor Benefit checks.
9.
John Rzeznik briefly attended Buffalo State College, dropping out after his first year.
10.
In 1985, John Rzeznik formed the band that became the Goo Goo Dolls with Robby Takac.
11.
Previously John Rzeznik had been in a band with Takac's cousin, called The Beaumonts.
12.
He, along with Ryan Cabrera produced the latter's 2004 album Take It All Away with John Rzeznik being the main producer.
13.
From October to December 2007, Rzeznik was a judge alongside Sheila E and Australian Idol judge and marketing manager Ian "Dicko" Dickson on the Fox network's The Next Great American Band.
14.
On June 19,2008, John Rzeznik was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and was awarded the Hal David Starlight Award.
15.
The youngest of his four older sisters moved towards punk music and John Rzeznik became interested in bands such as Ramones and The Clash.
16.
John Rzeznik cites Paul Westerberg as an "obvious influence" on his music.
17.
However, John Rzeznik was approached for writing the soundtrack of the movie City of Angels, and after watching the movie, John Rzeznik penned down the song, which changed the band's career.
18.
John Rzeznik is known for his use of alternate guitar tunings in his songs.
19.
Now without an amplifier, John Rzeznik borrowed a near-identical Marshall JCM800 from a mutual friend of the band, Charles Root.
20.
Since the late 1990s, John Rzeznik has used Fender electric guitars.
21.
John Rzeznik has used many variations such as the Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar and a "Halfcaster".
22.
John Rzeznik used Guild acoustic guitars on the Dizzy Up the Girl and Gutterflower tours.
23.
John Rzeznik met former model Laurie Farinacci in 1990, married her in 1993 but divorced in 2003; they did not have any children.
24.
John Rzeznik started dating Melina Gallo in 2005 and married her in Malibu, California, on July 26,2013.