📍Des Moines, IA, USA
1973 – 1997“Corey Todd Taylor was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in December 1973, and grew up mostly there, in the flat, working-class neighbourhoods of the state capital, raised by his young single mother. He never knew his father, and the family moved often and had very little money. He has spoken openly about a traumatic childhood, including abuse, poverty and the drugs and alcohol around him, and he has said that music saved his life. He found refuge in records, discovering heavy metal and punk as a boy, from Black Sabbath and Kiss to Misfits and Metallica, and he loved singing along to them. He was bright, funny and rebellious, and struggled at school. As a teenager he was homeless for a time, sleeping in friends' houses, and he went through some very dark moments. He began writing songs and singing in local bands, and he worked in an adult bookstore and other jobs while trying to make it in music. The small but fierce Des Moines metal scene became his family. In 1992 he co-founded the band Stone Sour with drummer Joel Ekman, playing around Des Moines, and in 1997 he was asked to join another Des Moines band, Slipknot, replacing its original singer. Wearing a mask and a jumpsuit, he became the voice of Slipknot, whose albums, including Iowa, made them one of the biggest metal bands in the world, while Stone Sour had hits of their own. He has written several books, speaks openly about mental health and recovery to help others, and remains proud of his Iowa roots, which run through all of Slipknot's music.”
🗺️ Approximate location today
📍 Street view today