Travis Barker, the former drummer for Blink-182, is recovering nicely after sustaining third degree burns to his body when his private jet crashed immediately after take-off on Sept. 18. DJ AM, Travis’ bandmate, is the only other survivor of the crash, which claimed the lives of the two pilots?as well as?two of Barker’s friends, Chris Baker and Charles Still.
A blown tire is believed to have caused the plane to not take-off properly and crash into an embankment. Barker and DJ AM were able to escape from the burning plane with second and third degree burns to their torsos and lower bodies. Both men are expected to fully recover within a year.
Barker and DJ AM were performing at a show with Gavin DeGraw and Jane’s Addiction front man Perry Farrell the night before the crash. Barker has had many musical collaborations after his short stint as “Baron Von Tito,” the drummer for the Aquabats.
Barker left the Aquabats and became a star as the drummer for Blink-182. The band had released three albums prior to Barker’s arrival with minimal success. After he joined, his innovative, upbeat drumming style helped produce three multiplatinum albums, multiple number one hits and made Blink-182 a household name.
After the break up of Blink-182, Barker started many side projects, including The Transplants, Box Car Racer, +44 and Expensive Taste. The most popular song from these groups is “Diamonds and Guns” by the Transplants, also known as the “woo woo” song in the Garnier Fructis commercials.
Many musicians have sought out Barker to add drum tracks to their existing songs, including Rihanna, Soulja Boy and Busta Rhymes. The Youtube video for his Soulja Boy remix is up to 20 million hits and is a great example of his drumming style.
After breaking a finger during a +44 tour, Barker not only trained himself to play one handed with his non-dominant hand, but he played far better than most drummers could with both hands. Tom DeLonge of Blink-182 said, “Travis is the most talented and hardworking musician I’ve ever seen, regardless of the instrument.”
He also is the founder of LaSalle Records and the extremely popular Famous Stars and Straps clothing company.
