Paul Gray (American musician)
As Slipknot's foundational bassist and co-founder, his thunderous, melodic grooves were the dark, steady heartbeat of the band's chaotic sound.
1972–2010 (age 38)·American bassist·Birthday: April 8·Generation X
Biography
Paul Gray, called #2 or 'the Pig', co-founded Slipknot in Des Moines, Iowa, and wrote the bass lines for songs including 'Wait and Bleed' and 'Duality'. His playing provided a melodic anchor within the nine-member band's dense percussion and vocal assault. On stage, hidden behind his mask, he projected focused power. Gray died in 2010 from an accidental drug overdose, a loss that shook the music world and left a permanent gap in the band. The Paul Gray signature model bass secured his influence on a generation of heavy music players. His contributions shaped the sound of Slipknot's most recognized work.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Paul was born in 1972, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Paul Was Born
The biggest hits of 1972
#1 Movie
The Godfather
Best Picture
The Godfather
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Paul's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1972Born
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1977Started school
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1985Became a teenager
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Could drive
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1990Could vote
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Turned 21
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2002Turned 30
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2010Died at 38
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
Key Achievements
- Co-founded Slipknot, a band that would become one of the most influential and commercially successful in modern heavy metal.
- His bass work is featured on all of Slipknot's first four studio albums, including the platinum-certified 'Iowa'.
- Posthumously awarded, with the rest of Slipknot, a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for the song 'Before I Forget' in 2006.
Did You Know?
His original Slipknot mask was a modified bondage mask that inspired his nickname 'the Pig'.
He was left-handed but played right-handed bass guitars.
A street in his hometown of Des Moines was renamed 'Paul Gray Memorial Way' in his honor.
He was designated #2 in Slipknot's numbering system for members.
“We're not here to make friends, we're here to make music. If you like it, cool. If you don't, that's cool too.”
