Tré Cool

American drummer (born 1972)

Tré Cool

Tré Cool at the Isle of Wight Festival 2024

Background information
Birth name| Frank Edwin Wright III
Also known as|

* The Snoo[1]
* Frank E. Wright III
* Bjorn Roarkson

* King Underpants[2]

Born|  (1972-12-09) December 9, 1972 (age 52)
Frankfurt, Hesse, West Germany
Origin| Willits, California, U.S.
Genres|

* Punk rock
* pop-punk
* alternative rock
* hardcore punk
* garage rock
* new wave
* death metal[3]

Occupation| Musician
Instrument| Drums
Years active| 1985–present
Member of|

* Green Day
* The Network
* Foxboro Hot Tubs
* Dead Mermaids
* Bubu and the Brood

Formerly of|

* The Lookouts
* Samiam

Spouses|

* Lisea Lyons

(m. 1995; div. 1996)​

* Claudia Suarez

(m. 2000; div. 2003)​

* Sara Rose Lipert

(m. 2014)​

Musical artist

Frank Edwin Wright III (born December 9, 1972), better known by his stage name Tré Cool, is an American musician, best known as the long-time drummer for the rock band Green Day.[4] He replaced the band's former drummer, John Kiffmeyer, in 1990.[5] Cool has also played in the Lookouts, Samiam, Dead Mermaids, Bubu and the Brood and the Green Day side projects the Network and the Foxboro Hot Tubs.[6][7]

## Early life

[edit]

Frank Edwin Wright III was born on December 9, 1972,[8] in Frankfurt, West Germany,[8] to Frank Edwin Wright Jr. and Linda Wright. He lived in Willits, California, with his father and elder sister Lori. He has German heritage, and his father was a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War.[9][10]

In his second year, Cool dropped out of high school and opted to earn a GED. He began taking classes at a local community college but would again drop out as Green Day became a more time-consuming priority. During this time, the band considered breaking up because it took a long time to adjust to playing with Cool.[11][12]

## Career

[edit]

Wright's closest neighbor in his childhood was Larry Livermore, who at the time was the singer of the punk band the Lookouts. When Wright was 11, Livermore recruited him as the drummer of the Lookouts, and Tre took on the name of "Tré Cool", using both the French word "très" (meaning "very") and the English word "cool" as a way of saying he was "very cool". "Trey", a play on Wright's family's generational titles, since he was the third Frank Wright, had already been Wright's nickname prior to the addition of "Cool."[12][13]

Cool sang "The Mushroom is Exploding" from the Lookouts' 1987 debut album, One Planet One People. A twelve-year-old Cool can be heard singing the demos of which in 1985's "Lookout! It's The Lookouts!" He then appeared on their second album, Spy Rock Road, with "That Girl's from Outer Space" and "Sonny Boy".

When Green Day's drummer, John Kiffmeyer, left the band, the group recruited Cool to be their drummer. Cool's father was supportive and overhauled a bookmobile to transport the band. He would later say: "I watched them go from a bunch of kids to a group of musicians with work ethic," also adding: "On their first tour or two, it was more of a party than anything else. I still scratch my head and say, 'How in the hell did they make it?' They used to practice in my living room here – a lot of the songs they did on Dookie. You hear it coming together, and you don't expect people are going to go out and buy it. But when it does, you just say, 'Wow that's so cool.'"[14][15]

With Green Day, he sang and played the guitar on "Dominated Love Slave" from Kerplunk and the hidden track "All by Myself" from Dookie, both of which he wrote and composed (on "Dominated Love Slave", guitarist and vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong played drums). He wrote and sang the subtrack "Rock and Roll Girlfriend" from the medley "Homecoming" featured on the album American Idiot. He also sang and wrote the track "DUI" ("Driving Under the Influence"), which was recorded for Green Day's fifth studio album, Nimrod, and was due to be released on the compilation album Shenanigans in 2002, but was omitted and can only be found on promotional unmastered copies of the album and online. Several live tracks also exist, usually from around 1993, such as "Food Around the Corner", a song from the 1943 Elmer Fudd cartoon An Itch in Time. Another live track, "Billie Joe's Mom", was also recorded.

In 1998, after Green Day won a "Moon Man" Trophy at the MTV Music Awards, Cool famously climbed on the Universal Globe at Universal Studios.[16]

During a radio interview at Washington D.C.'s alternative station DC 101 (Elliott in the Morning), Cool sang and played acoustic guitar on a short song entitled "Like a Rat Does Cheese", a song about the pleasure of fellatio. He has also recorded a version of Tay Zonday's "Chocolate Rain".[17] He also sang on the Network songs "Hungry Hungry Models", "Asphyxia" "Flat Earth", "Respirator", "Squatter", "That's How They Get You", "The Stranger", and "Hey Elon" as the Snoo.

Cool was featured in the Nitpick Six: The Six Best Drum Fills and ranked in at number 6 for the intro to "Basket Case".[18] In 2014, LA Weekly named Tré Cool No. 2 of the "Top 5 Punk Drummers of All Time".[19]

On April 18, 2015, Cool and his Green Day bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

On May 1, 2025, Cool and his Green Day bandmates got their star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

## Artistry

[edit]

### Musical style

[edit]

Tré Cool with Green Day at Rock im Park 2013

Before joining Green Day, Tré Cool employed a more intricate drumming style. He explained that "When I started, I had too many drums. I was a little reggae-happy and into fancier beats than was needed. It took me a while to get it: play the song, don't play the instrument. I started figuring out how to make the band a stronger unit, to make it jump."[20] After playing with Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt, Tré Cool adopted a more rhythmic style with fewer drum fills to match Dirnt's bass lines.[20]

Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune referred to Tré Cool as "Green Day's most potent weapon", adding that "His monstrous kick-drum wallop evokes John Bonham, while his manic fills make him punk's answer to Keith Moon."[21] His stage persona has also been compared to Moon.[22] Sound engineer Neill King, who worked with Green Day on Dookie, noted that Tré Cool shares Moon's "wild animal approach" to playing drums, and explained that the band encountered difficulties while recording "Basket Case" due to his unpredictable style: "It's not that Tré wasn't a good drummer, but in terms of his performances we wanted the best of the best...So, although we wanted him to do all of his wild fills and crazy drumming, we couldn't just let him go. He'd drift in and out of time, which is terrific live, but which was unacceptable on radio at that time."[23]

### Influences

[edit]

During his speech at Green Day's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2015, Cool credited Ringo Starr from the Beatles, Keith Moon from the Who, John Bonham from Led Zeppelin, Mitch Mitchell from the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Charlie Watts from the Rolling Stones, jazz and big band drummer Buddy Rich, John Wright from NoMeansNo, Alex Van Halen from Van Halen, Dave Mello from Operation Ivy, Al Schvitz from MDC, Meg White from the White Stripes, and Aaron Elliot from Crimpshrine and Pinhead Gunpowder as his favorite drummers.[24][25] Green Day performed the Beatles' version of the Shirelles' "Boys" with Starr at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony that same year, in which Cool drummed alongside his idol.[26]

## Personal life

[edit]

Tré has three children, Ramona Isabel Wright, born in 1995, with Lisea Lyons; Frank Edwin Wright IV, born in 2001, with Claudia Suarez; and Mickey Otis Wright, born in 2018, with Sara Rose Lipert.

During early 2020, Cool sat in with Willie Nelson and his band after the death of Nelson's friend and drummer Paul English.[27]

## Discography

[edit]

### Green Day

[edit]

* Kerplunk! (1991) – drums, lead vocals and guitar on "Dominated Love Slave"
* Dookie (1994) – drums, lead vocals and guitar on "All by Myself"
* Insomniac (1995) – drums
* Nimrod (1997) – drums, bongos, tambourine
* Warning (2000) – drums, percussion, accordion
* American Idiot (2004) – drums, percussion, lead vocals on the fourth part of "Homecoming", "Rock and Roll Girlfriend"
* 21st Century Breakdown (2009) – drums, percussion
* ¡Uno! (2012) – drums, backing vocals
* ¡Dos! (2012) – drums, percussion
* ¡Tré! (2012) – drums, percussion
* Revolution Radio (2016) – drums, percussion
* Father of All Motherfuckers (2020) – drums, percussion
* Saviors (2024)[28][29] – drums, percussion

### DVD

[edit]

* Bullet in a Bible (film; 2005) – himself
* Awesome as Fuck (film; 2011) – himself

### The Lookouts

[edit]

* Lookout! It's the Lookouts (demo album, 1985) – drums, vocals, lead vocals
* One Planet One People (1987) – drums, vocals, lead vocals on "The Mushroom Is Exploding"
* Spy Rock Road (1989) – drums, lead vocals on "That Girl's from Outer Space" and "Sonny Boy"

### Foxboro Hot Tubs

[edit]

* Stop Drop and Roll!!! (2008) – drums

### The Network

[edit]

* Money Money 2020 (2003) – drums, lead vocals on "Hungry Hungry Models" (as the Snoo)
* Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So! (2020) – drums, lead vocals on "Asphyxia", "Flat Earth", "Respirator", "Squatter", "That's How They Get You", "The Stranger", and "Hey Elon" (as the Snoo)

### Other media appearances

[edit]

* King of the Hill (TV series; 1997) – Cane Skretteberg
* Jackass Backyard BBQ (TV special; 2002) – himself
* Riding in Vans with Boys (film; 2003) – himself
* Live Freaky! Die Freaky! (film; 2006) – The Maid
* The Simpsons Movie (film; 2007) – himself
* Heart Like a Hand Grenade (film; 2008) – himself
* Green Day: Rock Band (video game; 2010) – himself (voice, likeness, and archive footage)
* ¡Cuatro! (film; 2013) as himself
* Broadway Idiot (film; 2013) – himself
* Fred Armisen: Standup for Drummers (Netflix Special; 2018) – himself
* Let There Be Drums! (film; 2022) – himself

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Owen, Chess. "Names -> Music Performer Pseudonyms -> S". Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2008. "The Snoo, Frank Edwin Wright LXI, Tré's cover name when he plays in the band The Network"
2. ^ "Mendocino Homeland". bandtoband.com. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
3. ^ Krol, Charlotte (October 5, 2018). "Green Day drummer Tré Cool's Icelandic death metal band release new EP". NME. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
4. ^ Cid, Martin (December 9, 2015). "Famous Birthdays Today, December 9: Tre Cool, Kendall Vertes, McKayla Maroney, Alexi Blue, Simon Helberg". Yareah. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
5. ^ Foege, Alec (December 28, 1995). "Green Day: From Punk to Platinum". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
6. ^ Montgomery, James (April 10, 2008). "Green Day Exclusive: Yes, They Are Foxboro Hot Tubs, Just In Case There Was Any Doubt". MTV. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
7. ^ McCall, Tris (October 2, 2012). "Court Tavern to reopen with show by Samiam". NJ.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
8. ^ a b "Tré Cool Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
9. ^ Spitz, Marc (2006). Nobody Likes You: Inside the Turbulent Life, Times, and Music of Green Day. Hachette Book Group. ISBN 978-1-4013-8579-8.
10. ^ "Band – Biography". GREEN DAY INC. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
11. ^ Raihala, Ross (November 10, 2015). "Green Day struts the Great White Way". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
12. ^ a b Myers, Ben (2006). Green Day: American Idiots & The New Punk Explosion. Disinformation Books. ISBN 978-1-60925-898-6.
13. ^ Webster, Melissa (May 17, 2015). "Larry Livermore: Spy Rock Road Album Release, Featuring a Teenage Tre Cool". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
14. ^ Kimpel, Dan (2006). How They Made It: True Stories of How Music's Biggest Stars Went from Start to Stardom. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-0-634-07642-8.
15. ^ Rolling Stone, January 26, 1995
16. ^ Billie Joe Armstrong (interviewee), Tre Cool (interviewee) (December 25, 2010). Tre Cool Climbs The MTV Globe. VH1. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
17. ^ Kaufman, Gil (August 13, 2007). "Chocolate Rain Creator Talks of Life Beyond His 15 Minutes of Fame". MTV. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
18. ^ Wasoba, Ryan. (October 24, 2011) [1] Archived December 25, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. Blogs.riverfronttimes.com Retrieved on 2019-12-25.
19. ^ Tavana, Art (July 16, 2014). "Top 5 Punk Drummers of All Time". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
20. ^ a b Fricke, David (May 15, 2009). "Tre Cool on Growing Up Punk and Finding Green Day's Groove". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
21. ^ Kot, Greg (September 26, 2004). "Review: American Idiot – Green Day". The Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 30, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
22. ^ Paulson, Dave (July 30, 2009). "Green Day surprises with age". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on December 14, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
23. ^ Buskin, Richard (February 2, 2011). "Green Day: 'Basket Case' – Classic Tracks". Sound on Sound. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
24. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Green Day Acceptance Speeches at the 2015 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony". YouTube. April 27, 2020.
25. ^ The Howard Stern Show (January 17, 2024). Tré Cool Answers Who the Greatest Drummer of All Time Is. Retrieved September 20, 2024 – via YouTube.
26. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Ringo Starr with Green Day – Boys". YouTube. August 4, 2015.
27. ^ Doyle, Patrick (January 24, 2020). "Green Day's Tré Cool on Drumming for Willie Nelson". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
28. ^ Dunworth, Liberty (October 24, 2023). "Green Day announce album 'Saviors' and share new single". NME. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
29. ^ "Top-Tier Producer Rob Cavallo Captures the 'Big Studio Sound' in Private Studio with Solid State Logic BiG SiX". Solid State Logic. May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023. "He is currently producing the newest Green Day album due out early next year"

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tré Cool.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Tré Cool.

* Tré Cool on Drummerworld.com
* Tré Cool at IMDb
* DRUM! Magazine's interview with Tre Cool
* Tre Cool at BehindTheDrums.com Archived July 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine contains discography and equipment list

Awards for Tré Cool

* v
* t
* e

Grammy Award for Record of the Year

1950s|

* "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)" – Domenico Modugno (May 1959)
* "Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin (November 1959)

1960s|

* "Theme from A Summer Place" – Percy Faith (1961)
* "Moon River" – Henry Mancini (1962)
* "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" – Tony Bennett (1963)
* "Days of Wine and Roses" – Henry Mancini (1964)
* "The Girl from Ipanema" – Astrud Gilberto & Stan Getz (1965)
* "A Taste of Honey" – Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1966)
* "Strangers in the Night" – Frank Sinatra (1967)
* "Up, Up and Away" – The 5th Dimension (1968)
* "Mrs. Robinson" – Simon & Garfunkel (1969)

1970s|

* "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" – The 5th Dimension (1970)
* "Bridge over Troubled Water" – Simon & Garfunkel (1971)
* "It's Too Late" – Carole King (1972)
* "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Roberta Flack (1973)
* "Killing Me Softly with His Song" – Roberta Flack (1974)
* "I Honestly Love You" – Olivia Newton-John (1975)
* "Love Will Keep Us Together" – Captain & Tennille (1976)
* "This Masquerade" – George Benson (1977)
* "Hotel California" – Eagles (1978)
* "Just the Way You Are" – Billy Joel (1979)

1980s|

* "What a Fool Believes" – The Doobie Brothers (1980)
* "Sailing" – Christopher Cross (1981)
* "Bette Davis Eyes" – Kim Carnes (1982)
* "Rosanna" – Toto (1983)
* "Beat It" – Michael Jackson (1984)
* "What's Love Got to Do with It" – Tina Turner (1985)
* "We Are the World" – USA for Africa (1986)
* "Higher Love" – Steve Winwood (1987)
* "Graceland" – Paul Simon (1988)
* "Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin (1989)

1990s|

* "Wind Beneath My Wings" – Bette Midler (1990)
* "Another Day in Paradise" – Phil Collins (1991)
* "Unforgettable" – Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole (1992)
* "Tears in Heaven" – Eric Clapton (1993)
* "I Will Always Love You" – Whitney Houston (1994)
* "All I Wanna Do" – Sheryl Crow (1995)
* "Kiss from a Rose" – Seal (1996)
* "Change the World" – Eric Clapton (1997)
* "Sunny Came Home" – Shawn Colvin (1998)
* "My Heart Will Go On" – Celine Dion (1998)

2000s|

* "Smooth" – Santana featuring Rob Thomas (2000)
* "Beautiful Day" – U2 (2001)
* "Walk On" – U2 (2002)
* "Don't Know Why" – Norah Jones (2003)
* "Clocks" – Coldplay (2004)
* "Here We Go Again" – Ray Charles & Norah Jones (2005)
* "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" – Green Day (2006)
* "Not Ready to Make Nice" – Dixie Chicks (2007)
* "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse (2008)
* "Please Read the Letter" – Alison Krauss & Robert Plant (2009)

2010s|

* "Use Somebody" – Kings of Leon (2010)
* "Need You Now" – Lady Antebellum (2011)
* "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele (2012)
* "Somebody That I Used to Know" – Gotye featuring Kimbra (2013)
* "Get Lucky" – Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers (2014)
* "Stay with Me" (Darkchild version) – Sam Smith (2015)
* "Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (2016)
* "Hello" – Adele (2017)
* "24K Magic" – Bruno Mars (2018)
* "This Is America" – Childish Gambino (2019)

2020s|

* "Bad Guy" – Billie Eilish (2020)
* "Everything I Wanted" – Billie Eilish (2021)
* "Leave the Door Open" – Silk Sonic (2022)
* "About Damn Time" by Lizzo (2023)
* "Flowers" – Miley Cyrus (2024)
* "Not Like Us" – Kendrick Lamar (2025)

* v
* t
* e

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Class of 2015

Performers|

* Paul Butterfield Blues Band
* Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, Elvin Bishop, Mark Naftalin, Jerome Arnold, Billy Davenport, Sam Lay
* Green Day
* Billie Joe Armstrong, Tré Cool, Mike Dirnt
* Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
* Ricky Byrd, Lee Crystal, Joan Jett, Gary Ryan, Kenny Laguna
* Lou Reed
* Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
* Chris Layton, Tommy Shannon, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Reese Wynans
* Bill Withers

Early influences|

* The "5" Royales
* Obadiah H. Carter, James E. Moore, Lowman Pauling, Jr., Eugene Tanner, John L. Tanner

Award for Musical Excellence|

* Ringo Starr

* v
* t
* e

Green Day

* Billie Joe Armstrong
* Mike Dirnt
* Tré Cool

* John Kiffmeyer

Studio albums|

* 39/Smooth
* Kerplunk
* Dookie
* Insomniac
* Nimrod
* Warning
* American Idiot
* 21st Century Breakdown
* ¡Uno!
* ¡Dos!
* ¡Tré!
* Revolution Radio
* Father of All Motherfuckers
* Saviors

Live albums|

* Bullet in a Bible
* Awesome as Fuck
* Woodstock 1994
* BBC Sessions

Compilations|

* 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours
* International Superhits!
* Shenanigans
* Demolicious
* Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band

EPs|

* 1,000 Hours
* Slappy
* Sweet Children
* Bowling Bowling Bowling Parking Parking
* Tune In, Tokyo...
* Last Night on Earth: Live in Tokyo
* 21 Guns

Tours|

* Pop Disaster Tour
* American Idiot World Tour
* 21st Century Breakdown World Tour
* 99 Revolutions Tour
* Revolution Radio Tour
* Hella Mega Tour
* The Saviors Tour

Associated acts|

* Foxboro Hot Tubs
* The Network
* Pinhead Gunpowder
* The Frustrators
* The Lookouts
* The Big Cats
* The Influents
* The Longshot
* The Coverups

Related articles|

* Discography
* List of songs
* Awards and nominations
* Adeline Records
* Seltzer v. Green Day, Inc
* Punk Bunny Coffee
* Cigarettes and Valentines
* Money Money 2020
* Stop Drop and Roll!!!
* American Edit
* Green Day's American Idiot
* soundtrack
* Green Day: Rock Band
* songs
* ¡Cuatro!
* Foreverly
* "Boulevard of Broken Songs"
* Ordinary World
* Love Is for Losers
* No Fun Mondays
* Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So!

* Category

* v
* t
* e

The Lookouts

* Larry Livermore
* Kain Kong
* Tré Cool

Studio albums|

* One Planet One People
* Spy Rock Road

EPs|

* Mendocino Homeland
* IV

Related articles|

* Green Day
* Lookout! Records

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Czech Republic

Artists|

* MusicBrainz
* Grammy Awards

*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced
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