Michael Stipe

Michael Stipe (birth name John Michael Stipe, born January 4, 1960 in Decatur, Georgia) is the lead singer and frontman of rock band R.E.M. Stipe has become well-known (and occasionally parodied) for the &q

Michael Stipe (birth name John Michael Stipe, born January 4, 1960 in Decatur, Georgia) is the lead singer and frontman of rock band R.E.M. Stipe has become well-known (and occasionally parodied) for the "mumbling" style of his early career and for his complex, surreal lyrics, as well as his social and political activism. Stipe and the other members of R.E.M. have become godfathers of alternative rock and are perhaps the first such band to achieve mainstream success.

Stipe met Peter Buck, Bill Berry and Mike Mills in 1980 (see 1980 in music) while studying photography and painting at the University of Georgia. They formed R.E.M. that year and issued their debut single, "Radio Free Europe", on Hib-Tone. The song was a college radio success and the band signed to I.R.S. Records for the release of the Chronic Town EP one year later. Beginning with 1983's Murmur (see 1983 in music), R.E.M. released a series of critically acclaimed albums with a wide variety of mainstream success. A few hit singles and growing visibility as a social activist eventually made Stipe a star and also earned him a devoted fanbase. The late River Phoenix was among his friends, and 1994's Monster had the dedication "For River" in the liner notes. The late singer of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain was also one of his close friends. According to Stipe, they planned a collaboration project, but didn't manage to compose or record anything before Cobain died.