Concert: Billy Corgan

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Billy Corgan Concert Schedule

Chicago Gigs

Billy Corgan

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Billy Corgan is a singer/songwriter and guitarist. He is also the ex-member of the alternative rock pioneers the Smashing Pumpkins. He was born on 17th March, 1967. Corgan got his first influence and inspiration towards music by listening to his father Bill Corgan, who was a blues guitarist. By the time he was 14, the young lad began to play the guitar proficiently. By 1985, Corgan had formed his own band called Marked.

But Marked played for a while, they didn't stay together long enough to accomplish anything major. Corgan then started working at a Record Store. This is where he decided he wanted to form a new band. He met guitarist James Iha and bassist D'Arcy and decided to play together. They performed in clubs and bars around Chicago. During their performances, they met up with drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and the band finally looked like a distinctive and powerful lineup. The band was named Smashing Pumpkins. After shuffling through many choices of labels, they finally signed up with Caroline Records and released their debut album, "Gish" in 1991.

The band's popularity grew with every release and by the mid-90's they were one of the biggest rock outfits in the industry. The Pumpkins music and Corgan's proficient song writing led to their songs being included in the sound track of movies like Singles, Lost Highway, Batman & Robin. Corgan individually recorded the music for movies like Stigmata and Ransom. He also produced albums for artists like Ric Ocasek, Hole and Catherine.

But the Pumpkins sadly didn't survive much longer, they broke up in 2000. Many expected Corgan to pursue a solo career. But he did just the opposite, he formed another band. He recruited his former band mate and drummer Chamberlin, guitarist Matt Sweeney from Chavez and bassist David Pajo. They were later joined by bassist Paz Lenchantin. The band was called "Zwan" and the foursome released their debut album in 2003. But unfortunately, the band parted ways under mysterious circumstances and finally Corgan took the dive as a solo artist.