Rage Against the Machine Biography

Rage Against the Machine

The Grammy award-winning Rage Against the Machine established a reputation for speaking against social and political injustices. Formed in Los Angeles in 1991, the band gave its first public performance in a friend's living room. While still relatively unknown, the group recorded a twelve-track demo cassette, and managed to sell over five thousand copies on their own. Word spread fast about the band. In 1992 the group's eponymous debut album sold over a million copies and remained on Billboard's Top 200 album chart for eighty-nine weeks. The band's second album, Evil Empire (1996) entered Billboard 's Top 200 chart at No. 1, and later earned them a Grammy for Best Metal Performance for “Tire Me” and a Best Hard Rock Performance nomination for “Bulls on Parade”. The band's members are: Zack de la Rocha, lead vocals; Tom Morello, guitar; Tim Commerford, bass; and Brad Wilk, drums