On December 8th, 1973, Corey Taylor was born. We all know the singer would go on to front Slipknot and Stone Sour, but to mark his birthday, here are 15 things you might not know about him:

1. Corey was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and raised by his mother in Waterloo, Iowa, a town he described as a “hole in the ground with buildings around it.”

2. Corey first became interested in darker-themed content in 1979, when his mother took him to seeBuck Rogers in the 25th Century. Before it, there was a trailer for the 1978 horror flick Halloween, which introduced Taylor to masks and scary themes.

3. Taylor’s first taste of rock music came when his grandmother exposed him to Elvis Presley records.

4. By age 15, Corey was addicted to drugs and had OD’d on cocaine twice.

5. To help him overcome his bad habits, Taylor’s grandmother took him in and helped him buy musical equipment.

6. As a 17-year-old, Corey attempted suicide by trying to OD. His ex-girlfriend’s mom took him to the hospital where doctors were able to resuscitate him. He’s called it the “lowest point in his life.”

7. In 1997, Corey joined Slipknot. All of the band members are known by a number between 0 and 8. Corey is “Number Eight,” a nickname he chose because eight symbolizes infinity.

8. When Corey was 30, he first met his father.

9. In 2003, Corey attempted to jump off an eighth-floor balcony in Hollywood but a friend stopped him.

10. In 2006, Taylor founded a record company he named Great Big Mouth Records.

11. Corey spent a lot of time working on Anthrax’s 2011 album Worship Music, but his sessions with them remain unreleased.

12. Taylor has produced albums like Face Cage’s self-titled effort and Walls of Jericho’s redemption.

13. Corey occasionally performs with Audacious P, a Tenacious D cover band.

14. Corey was once considered to front Velvet Revolver after the band parted ways with Scott Weiland.

15. Corey isn’t just a rocker, he’s an actor too. He appeared in the horror film Fear Clinic and provided the roars for The Fisher King on an episode of Doctor Who.

Happy birthday Corey! Hope it's a good one!

Maria Palmer