Billy Corgan Biography

Billy Corgan

Lead singer of the rock band Smashing Pumpkins, which rose to popularity during the heyday of the grunge era. After playing with a band in Florida, Corgan formed the Smashing Pumpkins in 1988 with bassist D'Arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The band released the debut album, Gish in 1994 and headlined the alternative rock summer festival Lollapalooza the same year. The melancholy Corgan intrigued fans and the press, bringing his artistic talents and mysterious persona into the center of the limelight. In 1996, they won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance for the single “Bullet With Butterfly Wings.” Other albums include Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995), Siamese Dream (1996), Adore (1998), and Machina: The Machine of God (2000).