John Rzeznik
John Joseph Theodore Rzeznik (/ˈrɛznɪk/; born December 5, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the founder, guitarist and frontman of the American rock band Goo Goo Dolls, with whom he has recorded 14 studio albums.
John Rzeznik
John Joseph Theodore Rzeznik
Johnny Rzeznik
December 5, 1965
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
- Singer-songwriter
- guitarist
- record producer
- Vocals
- guitar
1981–present
1
Early life[edit]
Rzeznik was born in Buffalo, New York, the youngest of five children and only son of Edith (née Pomeroy) and Joe Rzeznik,[5] a bar proprietor and postal clerk.[6][7] Both of Rzeznik's parents were musicians, playing the clarinet and flute. Rzeznik had a strict Catholic upbringing in Buffalo's working-class East Side Polish neighborhood and attended Corpus Christi Grammar School. Rzeznik's paternal grandparents were born in Poland.[8] The original pronunciation of his last name Rzeźnik is "Zhezh-neek" (zh as in beige) [ˈʐɛʑɲik], Polish for "butcher".[9]
Rzeznik's father died at the age of 53 on February 2, 1981, from a diabetic coma when Rzeznik was 15 years old. On October 26, 1982, his mother died at the age of 51 from a sudden heart attack in the family's living room. Having lost both of his parents, he was brought up by his four older sisters, Phyllis, Fran, Gladys and Kate, with help from their cousin, John Guljas. He paid for his own apartment using Social Security Survivor Benefit checks. It was during this period and while attending McKinley Vocational High School that Rzeznik began playing the guitar. He briefly attended Buffalo State College, dropping out after his first year.[10]
Equipment[edit]
After the Goo Goo Dolls' equipment was stolen from a van in New York City (including Rzeznik's Marshall JCM800 amplifier and his only guitar at the time), following the recording of their 1989 album, Jed, a custom, yellow Stratocaster-style guitar (later nicknamed "Boing") was made for Rzeznik by ESP. Now without an amplifier, Rzeznik borrowed a near-identical Marshall JCM800 from a mutual friend of the band, Charles Root. This amp was then used to record Hold Me Up and Superstar Car Wash. Since the late 1990s, Rzeznik has used Fender electric guitars. He has used many variations such as the Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar and a "Halfcaster" (a Stratocaster cut in half). He also used Guild acoustic guitars on the Dizzy Up the Girl and Gutterflower tours. Rzeznik noted in a 2003 interview that "No matter what guitar I have, it seems that anything with strings makes music to my ears."[23]
Personal life[edit]
Rzeznik met former model Laurie Farinacci in 1990, married her in 1993 but divorced in 2003; they did not have any children.[24][25] He started dating Melina Gallo in 2005 and married her in Malibu, California, on July 26, 2013.[26] On December 22, 2016, he and Gallo had their first child, a daughter, Liliana.[27] Rzeznik and his family reside in Westfield, New Jersey.[28]
Rzeznik is a recovering alcoholic. In a 2018 interview, he reported that he had been sober for nearly four years.[28]