Rob Zombie

American musician and filmmaker originally from Haverhill, Massachusetts, Rob Zombie developed from the 1980s an aesthetic combining heavy metal, industrial metal and imagery drawn from horror cinema. Born Robert Bartleh Cummings in 1965, he first gained recognition as the singer and primary songwriter of White Zombie, a New York–formed band that mixed metallic riffs, a strong groove and B-movie references. In the late 1990s he launched a solo career with the album Hellbilly Deluxe (1998), which established an aesthetic blending aggressive metal, electronic touches and sound collages from horror pop culture, continued on The Sinister Urge (2001) and Educated Horses (2006). On stage and in the studio he surrounds himself with musicians from the metal and hard rock scenes — notably guitarist John 5 for many years — and regularly performs at festivals and on international tours. At the same time, Rob Zombie has directed several horror feature films that further reinforce the connections between his musical output, stage visuals and a marked taste for dark atmospheres and retro references.