Travis Barker: Blink-182’s Legendary Drummer

Travis Barker made his name as the drummer for Blink-182. The speed and precision that made him one of pop-punk’s most recognizable drummers also carried over into his work in hip-hop and rock.

With his punk attitude and his versatility, embracing almost any genre between rock’n’roll and EDM, including hip-hop and rap, the drummer from Blink-182 is still one of the most popular musicians out there.

Not only a musician but also an entrepreneur and a writer, Travis Barker surely distinguished himself as an interesting and influential artist, able to go beyond any boundary of genre or style.

He had to overcome some serious difficulties in his life. This includes losing his mother at an early age and also having to cope with the emotional and physical aftermath after he survived a plane crash. If you want to learn more about that, it’s worth listening to his interview on the Joe Rogan podcast (check it out here)

Before we talk about Travis in more detail, check out this fantastic drum solo video of him playing:

Humble beginnings

Barker was born and raised in a working-class neighborhood in Fontana, California.

His mother, a babysitter, gifted him with his first drum kit at the age of four. One year later he started taking drum lessons and in school he later expanded his interest in music, studying singing and the trumpet.

As a teenager, Travis focused on his passions for skateboarding and surfing, planning to become a professional in one of the two sports, but he would often get back to music as his favorite means of self-expression, finding some big comfort and support in his mother Gloria.

Before he started attending high school, however, Gloria died due to an auto-immune disease. It was a horrific time for young Travis, who was so firmly supported by his mother in all of his ambitions. Nevertheless, despite his first encounters with drugs, Barker kept working hard to accomplish his dreams and gained a lot of drumming experience in different styles and genres, from jazz to rock.

Blink-182

After graduating, Travis had to work as a trash man and often slept on friends’ couches because of his financial problems. Meanwhile, he would join many promising bands in the Californian scene, including the ska-punk group Aquabats. The band had a chance to work with well-known producer Jim Goodwin, and, to promote their upcoming record The Fury of the Aquabats!, they went on tour with the more popular Blink-182, who had already released their second album at that time, in 1997.

Barker played in The Aquabats as Baron Von Tito, the costumed ska-punk band’s drummer during the Fury of the Aquabats! era.

Barker first filled in behind the kit while The Aquabats and Blink-182 were on tour. He had to learn a new set quickly, with a playing style quite different from the ska parts he was used to.

Barker joined Blink-182 in 1998 after Scott Raynor’s departure. His first studio album with Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge was 1999’s Enema of the State, which brought the band a much wider audience.

Famous Stars and Straps

Following the success of Blink-182, Travis Barker started a clothing company in 1999, the same year Enema of the State was released. Famous Stars and Straps still takes inspiration from the punk, tattoo, and skateboarding cultures to deliver music-focused designs and good-quality clothes and shoes. At the same time, Barker also bought a recording studio, the first step towards his label project LaSalle Records, officially founded in 2004.

Meanwhile, the dynamics in the band started shifting, as DeLonge decided to work on a solo project, asking Barker to join him on a few tracks. Through Tim Armstrong (the vocalist for Rancid), Travis also got involved in a rap-rock project called the Transplants, which led him to discover a new, exciting style of music.

Television success and family issues

In 2005, Blink-182 took a break, but Travis didn’t stop being a huge rockstar.

While he kept working at Transplants’ records, Barker also became a television personality through the MTV reality show Meet the Barkers.

In the same year, he started collaborating with former Blink-182 Hoppus at a new electro-rock music project, +44. The band debuted with When Your Heart Stops Beating, which wasn’t very well received by the critics.

After breaking up with his second wife Shanna Moakler in 2006, Travis Barker started experiencing issues with addiction. Despite the difficult situation, however, he kept working on hip-hop tracks, remixes, and the +44 project, putting constant effort into his clothing line too.

On September 19, 2008, Barker and his TRV$DJAM collaborator DJ AM were aboard a private jet that crashed during an aborted takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina. They were the only two survivors.

Barker and DJ AM managed to get off the plane on time. They both survived, despite the horrific burns and wounds.

DJ AM died in 2009. Barker returned to drumming after the crash and Blink-182 reunited in early 2009. He later described the long aftermath of the crash in his memoir and the documentary Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear.

Solo projects

In 2011, Travis Barker released his first solo album, Give the Drummer Some, with guests including Corey Taylor of Slipknot. Blink-182 released Neighborhoods that year. Matt Skiba later filled in for Tom DeLonge and recorded California with Hoppus and Barker. The album came out in 2016.

Meanwhile, Travis temporarily put the sticks aside to write a memoir, Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums.

His style and influences

A versatile drummer, who plays different genres, from punk to trap, from jazz to hip-hop, Travis Barker has a very personal drumming style, able to fit in potentially any musical project. His main influences are quite eclectic too, as they range from Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham to buddy rich.

Is Travis Barker a good drummer?

Travis Barker is an outstanding drummer. With his unique technique, he is one of those drummers who puts everything into his drumming and you can always see that. With maximum effort and tireless playing, he has proven himself time and time again.

His name goes hand-in-hand with punk rock drumming. He is an incredibly influential drummer that has inspired a lot of musicians and drummers in particular. With an interesting style, he is widely copied and used as an example.

Travis Barker Today

Barker kept working outside Blink-182, including with Machine Gun Kelly and Yungblud. He also returned to the studio with Hoppus and DeLonge for One More Time... in 2023, their first Blink-182 album together since Neighborhoods. The expanded Part 2 followed in 2024.

He has continued his punk rock ways and style of drumming, mostly with MGK, featuring songs like “I Think I’m OKAY”, “Bloody Valentine”, and a few live performances as well. You can check out his song with both MGK and Yungblud just below.

Conclusion

Through a life of difficulties, excesses, but also incredible work ethics and tireless drumming, Travis Barker is distinguished as one of the most important drummers of the pop-punk generation and beyond.

His achievements and dedication to music are admirable, and his story is one of survival and overcoming obstacles. Barker continues to make music and tour with his band Blink-182 and other projects. His unique drumming style and passion for music are something that all musicians can learn from.

References

1. The Aquabats’ band biography

Featured Image by “Blink – 182” (CC BY 2.0) by CLender