Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters

Oliver Taylor Hawkins (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters. Prior to joining the band in 1997, he was the touring drummer for Alanis Morissette on her Jagged Little Pill and Can't Not Tour, as well as the drummer in a progressive experimental band called Sylvia. He currently moonlights as "Animal" in "The Muppets Do Christmas On Broadway." His cousin, Kevin Harrell, introduced him to Dave Grohl after camping with him for several weeks in the Ozarks. Hawkins would eventually become the drummer for Grohl's band, Foo Fighters. He was voted "Best Rock Drummer" in 2005 by the UK drumming magazine Rhythm.

In 2004, Hawkins formed his own side project, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, in which he plays drums and sings.

Oliver Taylor Hawkins was born in Fort Worth, Texas on February 17, 1972. His family moved to Laguna Beach, California in 1976, where Hawkins grew up. Hawkins has a brother, Jason, and a sister, Heather. He attended Thurston Jr. High School and later went to Laguna Beach High School. After leaving the Orange County-based band Sylvia (later emerging as ANYONE), he joined up as the drummer for Sass Jordan, which in turn he left to act as the drummer for Alanis Morissette. He has appeared in Morissette's videos for "You Oughta Know" and "You Learn."

Hawkins struggled with addiction throughout the mid- to late-1990s, culminating with an overdose on heroin in 2001 while on tour with Foo Fighters in London. Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl sat beside Hawkins' hospital bed until he woke up.

Hawkins and his wife, Alison Hawkins, have three children. Their son, Oliver Shane, was born in 2006; their daughter, Annabelle, was born in winter, 2009; and their second daughter, whose name has not yet been disclosed, was born in November, 2014.

They currently reside in Hidden Hills, California after moving from Topanga Canyon in 2012. Hawkins is also very athletic and loves to go mountain biking. He usually bikes with fellow Foo Fighters bandmate Nate Mendel.

He is a childhood friend of current Yes lead vocalist Jon Davison. Hawkins was the one who suggested Davison to Yes bassist Chris Squire even before the departure of replacement vocalist Benoit David. "Strangely enough, Jon's name came up when we started working with Benoit," Squire recalled. "In fact, my friend, Taylor Hawkins, had been telling me for years: 'If you ever need a replacement (singer), I know exactly the guy.'"

In a Howard Stern interview with Dave Grohl and Taylor, Dave said that Taylor looked like both Beavis from Beavis and Butthead and Brad Pitt and that he called him Beavis Pitt!