Buckethead

American guitarist, songwriter born in Huntington Beach, California on May 13, 1969.

Known for his innovative and virtuosic electric guitar playing, and for his highly prolific musical output.

Carroll began playing guitar at the age of 12 & later took guitar lessons with various professors, notably with famous virtuoso guitarist [a=Paul Gilbert]. Being an avid horror fan, he was inspired to buy a mask and create his Buckethead persona after seeing the film "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" in 1989.

Buckethead is a silent character that wears a KFC bucket on his head (both on and off stage), which is occasionally adorned with an orange bumper sticker that reads FUNERAL, paired with an expressionless white mask directly inspired by Michael Myers, the boogeyman from the horror movie franchise Halloween. On video interviews, he talks with the help of a severed zombie prop head called "Herbie" that speaks on his behalf & does the talking parts on songs during live shows. On concerts, Buckethead gifts toys to the audience, does robot dancing and nunchaku performances, all in between songs.

That same year (1989), he sent demo tapes to Guitar Player magazine, where editors Joe Gore & Jason "Jas" Obrecht, recognizing his talent, encouraged and helped him launch his carrier (a CD of those collected first demo tapes was released as [m1466196] in 2008, as well as a compilation of his 1991 demos called [m924446]).

His first album "Bucketheadland", produced by famed funk bassist [a=Bootsy Collins] was released in 1992 on [a=John Zorn]'s Japanese avant-garde [l=Avant] records.

Formed around late 1995, the short lived band called [a=Giant Robot (2)] made up by Bucket, drummer [a=Brain (26)] & keyboardist/producer [a=Pete Scaturro] released in 1996, a unique album called [r1428600] on Pete's label [l=NTT Records].

Bucket's earliest (experimental metal) band, the [a=Deli Creeps], was formed in the late 1980s/early 1990s and lasted until 2007. Their first and only feature length album "Dawn of the Deli Creeps" was released in late 2005. Some re-recorded versions of Deli Creeps songs appeared on Buckethead's second album Giant Robot (1994, Sony Japan), and the group was featured prominently on Buckethead's official DVDs ("Young Buckethead" 1 & 2, and "Secret Recipe").

Buckethead was one the lead guitarists for hard rock band [a=Guns N' Roses] from 2000 to 2004. He recorded on the long-delayed [r1546300] (2008) album and accompanied the band on the first legs of the album's accompanying tour without having to change his trademark appearance for the gig.

In 2005, he released an collaborative album called [m=233053] on [a=Serj Tankian]'s (singer of metal band [a85889]) [l=Serjical Strike Records] label.

He was also an on & off member of producer/bassist [a=Bill Laswell]'s funk metal/fusion band [a=Praxis] (a group that also comprised his friends/collaborators/[a=Science Faxtion] bandmates Bootsy Collins & drummer [a=Bryan Mantia] aka [a=Brain (26)] from [a=Primus]) from 1992 to 1996, in 2005 & 2022.

Buckethead has written and performed music for television & major studio films, such as Saw II, [a=John Carpenter]'s Ghosts of Mars, Beverly Hills Ninja, Mortal Kombat, Last Action Hero (with composer [a=Michael Kamen]), Dragon Ball Z - The History Of Trunks, Masters of Horror, and the soundtrack for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.

Buckethead played in the 2000 unreleased/lost film "All American Massacre", a spin-off of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1 & 2 directed by William Hooper (son of [a=Tobe Hooper]) starring Buckethead as Leatherface and actor [a=Bill Moseley] (with whom Bucket created the band [a=Cornbugs]) returning as [a=Choptop].

He has collaborated on various albums of actor/musician [a=Viggo Mortensen] (of the Lord of the Rings films) released on [a=Travis Dickerson]'s label [l=TDRSmusic] (home of many Buckethead albums, Bucket/Travis' instrumental jazz fusion project [a=Thanatopsis] & [a=Gorgone] with [a=Deli Creeps]/[a=Cornbugs] drummer [a=Pinchface]) .

Illustrator [a=Dave Mckean] (long time collaborator of writer [a=Neil Gaiman] & cover artist of his comic book series 'The Sandman') wrote and illustrated a short promo Buckethead comic book called "A Comic Book Presentation of the World of Buckethead" ([l=CyberOctave] Comics - 1995), designed two LP covers & directed the 1999 music video "The Ballad of Buckethead" (from 'Monsters and Robots', Bucket's fifth & best selling solo studio album).