Rob Zombie

(b. 1965)

Versatile shock-rocker Rob Zombie rose from the late-'80s New York Noise Rock underground to conquer the mainstream without watering down his sound or his gleefully sleazy horror-movie sensibility. Something of a multi-media renaissance man, he's used his musical success to launch a parallel career as a filmmaker, while also pursuing projects as a record producer, label entrepreneur, visual artist and designer of haunted-house theme park attractions.

Born Robert Cummings in Haverhill, Massachusetts, Zombie moved to New York City in the mid-'80s. There he formed White Zombie, which achieved underground notoriety with a series of indie-label releases, before making a multi-platinum commercial breakthrough with their 1992 major-label debut La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 and its followup, Astro-Creep 2000. Zombie achieved even greater success as a solo artist, beginning with 1998's Hellbilly Deluxe and continuing with The Sinister Urge, Educated Horses, Hellbilly Deluxe 2 and Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor.

In addition to launching his own label, Zombie-a-Go-Go Records, Zombie has pursued a fruitful filmmaking career with such successes as 2003's House of 1000 Corpses, 2005's The Devil's Rejects and his 2007's remake of the 70s classic Halloween. He continues to balance his film work with music-making.