Dave Grohl's Real Name: David Eric Grohl

Quick answer: Dave Grohl's full name is David Eric Grohl. He was born on January 14, 1969, in Warren, Ohio. Dave is the familiar form of David, and Eric is his middle name. He was the drummer for Nirvana and later founded Foo Fighters, whom he fronts as singer and guitarist. Britannica credits him with 17 Grammy Awards (Britannica; Library of Congress).

Real name and early life

Britannica gives his name "in full" as David Eric Grohl. The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Grohl, David," with the variant "Grohl, Dave." It cites a source stating "David Eric Grohl, born in Warren, Ohio on Jan. 14, 1969." Liner notes and books credit him under both Dave and David.

According to Britannica, his father was a journalist and his mother an English teacher. When he was 3, the family moved from Ohio to Springfield, Virginia, and his parents divorced three years later. His elder sister, Lisa, introduced him to bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Kiss. At 10 he formed his first band, the HG Hancock Band. At 13 a punk show at Chicago's Cubby Club inspired him to teach himself the drums. He never learned to read music.

Career highlights

After leaving high school in his junior year, Grohl drummed for the Washington, D.C., punk band Scream. In 1990 Kurt Cobain invited him to audition for Nirvana, and he played his first show with the band on October 11, 1990, in Olympia, Washington. Nirvana's major-label debut, Nevermind (1991), was an instant hit. On In Utero (1993) Grohl received a cowriting credit on "Scentless Apprentice." His song "Marigold" appeared as a B-side to "Heart-Shaped Box." He also released the cassette Pocketwatch (1992) under the name Late!

After Cobain's death in 1994 ended Nirvana, Grohl started Foo Fighters as a one-man project. He played every instrument on the debut album, Foo Fighters (1995), before recruiting a full band. The Colour and the Shape (1997) was an international success. There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999), One by One (2002), Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007), and Wasting Light (2011) all won the Grammy for best rock album. Later albums include Sonic Highways (2014), Concrete and Gold (2017), Medicine at Midnight (2021), and But Here We Are (2023).

He has also drummed for Queens of the Stone Age. His directorial debut was the documentary Sound City (2013), about the Los Angeles recording studio. The Sonic Highways miniseries won two Emmy Awards in 2015.

Name notes for searchers

David is his legal first name, and Dave is the short form he uses. Eric is his middle name, and Grohl is his family surname. "Late!" was a one-off recording alias, not a personal name.