Paramore () is an American
rock band that formed in
Franklin,
Tennessee in 2004 consisting of
Hayley Williams (
lead vocals/
keyboard), Josh Farro (
lead guitar/
backing vocals), Taylor York (
rhythm guitar), Jeremy Davis (
bass guitar), and Zac Farro (
drums). The group released their debut album
All We Know Is Falling in 2005, and their second album
Riot! in 2007, which was certified
platinum in the US and gold in the UK and Ireland.
History
2002–2005: Formation and All We Know Is Falling
In 2003, at the age of 14, vocalist Hayley Nichole Williams (born December 27, 1988) moved from her hometown
Meridian,
Lauderdale County,
Mississippi to
Franklin,
Williamson County,
Tennessee USA where she met brothers Josh and Zac Farro while she was attending a private school.
Shortly after arriving, she began taking vocal lessons with
Brett Manning.
Prior to forming Paramore, however, Williams and bassist Jeremy Davis took part in a
funk cover band called The Factory, while the Farro brothers had practiced together after school.
The other members of what was soon to be Paramore had been "edgy about the whole female thing" of having Williams as vocalist/tambourine/accordion, but, because they were really good friends, she started writing for them and it eventually worked out.
The band was officially formed by Josh Farro (
lead guitar/
backing vocals), Zac Farro (
drums), Jeremy Davis (
bass) and Hayley Williams (
lead vocals) in 2004,
with the later addition of Williams' neighbor
Jason Bynum (
Rhythm Guitar). They took the name Paramore, which is derived from the maiden name of the mother of one of the group's former bassists during the time in which they were "still playing in the garage"
; once the group learned the meaning of the homonym
paramour ("secret lover"), they decided to adopt the name, using the
Paramore spelling.
The band's first song written together was "Conspiracy", which was later used on their debut album.
Over the following years, Paramore performed at venues outside the greater Nashville area, including the concert festivals
Purple Door and
Warped Tour.
John Janick, CEO and co-founder of the music label
Fueled by Ramen, got a hold of Paramore's demos and went to a
Taste of Chaos performance in
Orlando, Florida to see the band perform live. After a smaller private performance at a warehouse, the band was signed to the label in April 2005.
