Biography
Incendiary rock guitarist and acoustic troubadour Tom Morello, known for his innovative guitar solos and thunderous chords, is a groundbreaking artist whether in his solo career or as an original member of the rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, two acts responsible for multiple Grammy Awards and a combined 30 million albums sold worldwide. He’s released three solo albums as The Nightwatchman and formed the band Street Sweeper Social Club with Boots Riley of The Coup in 2009. Morello has also been recognized by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the “100 Greatest Guitar Players of All-Time (#26).”
Morello has joined Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band for their tour in support of Springsteen’s studio album High Hopes (Columbia Records) on which Morello is featured on eight tracks.
Morello graduated from Harvard University with honors as a Political Science major and has been a widely recognized political activist throughout his career. In 2006, he was the recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award. Morello’s family has been a constant source of political and social inspiration as his great-uncle, Jomo Kenyatta, was the first President of Kenya, and his mother, Mary Morello, founded Parents for Rock and Rap, an anti-censorship counterweight to Tipper Gore’s PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center). With System of A Down’s Serj Tankian, Morello formed Axis of Justice, an organization whose purpose is to bring together musicians, music fans, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice. In the spring of 2008, Morello also launched The Justice Tour, a recurring nationwide concert tour initially formed in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Human Rights Declaration. Tour stops, which have featured members of Guns and Roses, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Jane’s Addiction, MC5, Alice in Chains, Cypress Hill and many more, have visited cities with a day dedicated to a local charity and a rock show to benefit that charity at each stop.
As a producer, Morello has worked with The Crystal Method, Anti-Flag, P Diddy, and many more. He has also scored compositions for major motion pictures such as the 2008 hit Iron Man (where he was also seen as an actor), it’s 2010 sequel Iron Man II, The A- Team, Collateral, Charlie’s Angels, Talladega Nights, and more. Morello also wrote and launched a politically charged comic book series called Orchid, which CBR News describes as “An epic look at a sunken ransacked Earth, where most of the population lives in fear… with a tale of heroism and sacrifice.” Always tying in music, Morello scored original songs to accompany the comic series.