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Brad Delson
Bradford Philip Delson (born December 1, 1977) is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist and one of the founding members of the rock band Linkin Park.
Delson was born and raised in Agoura Hills, California. He attended Agoura High School with his friend, Mike Shinoda. Delson played the trumpet, and later began playing the guitar when he was 12 years old. He enjoyed listening to Guns N' Roses and Metallica. He played in the rock band Relative Degree with drummer Rob Bourdon, but the group disbanded after their first live show.
Delson attended UCLA, where he was roommates with bassist Dave Farrell for three years. He majored in communication studies, and later interned for Jeff Blue, then the vice president of A&R for Zomba Music. Blue shared his insight and experience on the music industry with Delson, while also giving him constructive feedback on musical projects. Delson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communication studies from UCLA in 1999. He considered attending law school after graduation but instead pursued a career as a professional musician.
Delson, alongside Mike Shinoda and Rob Bourdon, founded Xero, the earliest incarnation of Linkin Park, in 1996. The band soon recruited vocalist Mark Wakefield, bassist Dave Farrell, and turntablist Joe Hahn. After Wakefield left Xero, Delson turned to his former boss Jeff Blue from Zomba Music to help find a replacement. Blue introduced the band to Chester Bennington, who successfully auditioned and became the band's full-time vocalist. Blue later became the vice president of A&R for Warner Bros. Records, and helped the band sign a record deal.
Delson played guitar on all eight of Linkin Park's albums. He also played bass on Hybrid Theory when Farrell temporarily left Linkin Park to tour with another band. After the release of Hybrid Theory, Delson was closely involved with the production and creative direction of Linkin Park's sound alongside Shinoda. The two co-produced The Hunting Party (2014) and One More Light (2017). While working on The Hunting Party, record producer Rick Rubin encouraged Delson to showcase his guitar playing by including more guitar solos compared to the band's previous albums. Delson commented on the new approach, "On the last few records I certainly played guitar in the studio, but I'd been focusing on other instruments… But these songs are all about rediscovering the guitar and having a lot of fun with it." He also oversaw the band's business operations, including their marketing and finance, alongside bandmates Farrell and Bourdon.
Delson and Linkin Park entered a seven-year hiatus following the sudden death of Chester Bennington in 2017. The band announced their reunion with new members in September 2024, and the band's eighth album, From Zero, was released in November, which Delson co-produced. Delson later revealed that he would not be joining the band on tour, preferring to work in the studio and behind the scenes. Alex Feder performs in his place, but Delson remains an official member of the band, and states that he has not ruled out a return to touring in the future.
Delson and Shinoda founded their own record label, Machine Shop Records, in 2001. Delson explained his rationale behind founding his own record label, commenting, "Too many people in the music industry tried to preserve the status quo instead of embracing innovation."
Delson has stated that he "doesn't like to show off", and that he attempts to play his guitar so that it sounds as though it were the keyboard or strings so as to seamlessly fit in with the band's hip-hop- and electronica-style compositions. Delson has also stated that he likes to produce a gritty, "sampled" feel with his sound. Although a self-described "fervent opponent of guitar leads," he started performing solos in the Minutes to Midnight era after his bandmates encouraged him to do so.[dubious – discuss] Delson performs guitar solos on the tracks "What I've Done", "In Pieces", and "The Little Things Give You Away." Delson also played many solos on Linkin Park's 6th studio album, The Hunting Party.
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Brad Delson
Bradford Philip Delson (born December 1, 1977) is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist and one of the founding members of the rock band Linkin Park.
Delson was born and raised in Agoura Hills, California. He attended Agoura High School with his friend, Mike Shinoda. Delson played the trumpet, and later began playing the guitar when he was 12 years old. He enjoyed listening to Guns N' Roses and Metallica. He played in the rock band Relative Degree with drummer Rob Bourdon, but the group disbanded after their first live show.
Delson attended UCLA, where he was roommates with bassist Dave Farrell for three years. He majored in communication studies, and later interned for Jeff Blue, then the vice president of A&R for Zomba Music. Blue shared his insight and experience on the music industry with Delson, while also giving him constructive feedback on musical projects. Delson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communication studies from UCLA in 1999. He considered attending law school after graduation but instead pursued a career as a professional musician.
Delson, alongside Mike Shinoda and Rob Bourdon, founded Xero, the earliest incarnation of Linkin Park, in 1996. The band soon recruited vocalist Mark Wakefield, bassist Dave Farrell, and turntablist Joe Hahn. After Wakefield left Xero, Delson turned to his former boss Jeff Blue from Zomba Music to help find a replacement. Blue introduced the band to Chester Bennington, who successfully auditioned and became the band's full-time vocalist. Blue later became the vice president of A&R for Warner Bros. Records, and helped the band sign a record deal.
Delson played guitar on all eight of Linkin Park's albums. He also played bass on Hybrid Theory when Farrell temporarily left Linkin Park to tour with another band. After the release of Hybrid Theory, Delson was closely involved with the production and creative direction of Linkin Park's sound alongside Shinoda. The two co-produced The Hunting Party (2014) and One More Light (2017). While working on The Hunting Party, record producer Rick Rubin encouraged Delson to showcase his guitar playing by including more guitar solos compared to the band's previous albums. Delson commented on the new approach, "On the last few records I certainly played guitar in the studio, but I'd been focusing on other instruments… But these songs are all about rediscovering the guitar and having a lot of fun with it." He also oversaw the band's business operations, including their marketing and finance, alongside bandmates Farrell and Bourdon.
Delson and Linkin Park entered a seven-year hiatus following the sudden death of Chester Bennington in 2017. The band announced their reunion with new members in September 2024, and the band's eighth album, From Zero, was released in November, which Delson co-produced. Delson later revealed that he would not be joining the band on tour, preferring to work in the studio and behind the scenes. Alex Feder performs in his place, but Delson remains an official member of the band, and states that he has not ruled out a return to touring in the future.
Delson and Shinoda founded their own record label, Machine Shop Records, in 2001. Delson explained his rationale behind founding his own record label, commenting, "Too many people in the music industry tried to preserve the status quo instead of embracing innovation."
Delson has stated that he "doesn't like to show off", and that he attempts to play his guitar so that it sounds as though it were the keyboard or strings so as to seamlessly fit in with the band's hip-hop- and electronica-style compositions. Delson has also stated that he likes to produce a gritty, "sampled" feel with his sound. Although a self-described "fervent opponent of guitar leads," he started performing solos in the Minutes to Midnight era after his bandmates encouraged him to do so.[dubious – discuss] Delson performs guitar solos on the tracks "What I've Done", "In Pieces", and "The Little Things Give You Away." Delson also played many solos on Linkin Park's 6th studio album, The Hunting Party.