1972, the year all three Green Day members were born.  Little did anyone know that these three Californian boys were going to change rock music forever.  Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, vocal) and Mike Dirnt (bass) met they decided to start playing together and form their first band, Sweet Children.

      Billie Joe Armstrong began his musical career at the age of five.  He released his first album called Look for Love in 1977.  Billie Joe's father was a talented Jazz drummer who encouraged Billie to make and listen to music.  In 1982, when Billie Joe was just 10 years old, his father died of cancer.  Leaving Billie and his five brothers and sisters to basically raise themselves.  His mother was usually always working.  Around the time of Billie Joe's coping he met Mike Pritchard (a.k.a Dirnt).

      May 4, 1972 is the day Mike Pritchard was born.  As well as the day he was put up for adoption.  Mike's biological mother was a heroin addict, and chose to put him up for adoption.  He was later adopted by an African American mother and a white father.  When Mike was seven, his adoptive parents divorced.  His mother decided to move after the break up.  Mike enjoyed spending time with Billie practicing cover songs so much that he decided to rent a room in the Armstrong house and live with Billie at the age of 15.  Mike eventually changed his name to Mike Dirnt.  "Dirnt" is the sound his bass made when he would sit around strumming it as a teenager.

      Frank Edwin Wright III, otherwise known as Tre Cool has been playing drums since he was 12 years old.  Tre lived in a rural town known as Willits, California.  His closest neighbor was a mile away.  His closest neighbor is the reason that Tre Cool became a drummer.  Lawrence Livermore also lived in Willits.  Livermore needed a drummer for his band "The Lookouts".  Te only person he could think of recruiting for the band was his 12 year old neighbor, Frank.  At the time, Livermore was in his thirties and his drummer was only 12.  It seemed like a joke until Tre started getting good.  Age didn't matter to the guys just as long as they had a great band.  The Lookouts became regulars at a punk club, 924 Gilman Street.  This is where the boys met and formed an incredible band we now know as Green Day.

While Tre was playing with "The Lookouts" Mike and Billie were also playing in another band called Sweet Children.  Sweet Children's drummer was John Kiffmeyer.   Because the boys were no longer children they decided to change the bands name to "Green Day".

924 Gilman Street located in Berkeley, California is the underground punk club that has given us great bands such as Operation Ivy and the Mr. T Experience.  This is also where Green Day got their start.  As well as where Billie and Mike met Tre.  All three boys were nearly always at the Gilman performing or just hanging out.  John Kiffmeyer decided to drop out of the band to go to college.  Green Day was now in need of a drummer, and there were some big shoes to fill.  The Lookouts had disbanded just before John left the band for college.  Tre was available and willing to play in Green Day.  Tre Cool seemed to be the perfect person to complete the band.  Shortly after this, Green Day began to realize that Lookout Records were too small to keep up with their ongoing success.