Maynard James Keenan

Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan; April 17, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, philanthropist, record producer, and winemaker.

He is best known as the singer and primary lyricist of the rock bands Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer.

Having grown up in Ohio and Michigan, Keenan joined the U.S. Army after graduating from high school.

After leaving the Army, he attended the Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

James Herbert Keenan was born in Ravenna, Ohio, on April 17, 1964, the only child of Southern Baptists Judith Marie (née Dougherty; 1943–2003) and Michael Van Keenan.

He is of Irish and Italian descent.

When his parents divorced in 1968, his father moved to Scottville, Michigan, and Keenan would only see him about once a year for the next 12 years.

His mother remarried, bringing Keenan into an "intolerant and unworldly household" where his intelligence and creative expression would be stifled.

His mother suffered a paralyzing subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a ruptured cerebral aneurysm in 1976 when Keenan was 11, and this incident would later serve as the inspiration for songs such as Tool's "Jimmy", "The Patient", "Wings for Marie" and A Perfect Circle's "Judith".

A few years later, she persuaded Keenan to live with his father in Scottville, which he considers "the best move [he] ever made".

During the 1980s, Keenan played bass guitar for TexA.N.S. and sang for Children of the Anachronistic Dynasty, both independent bands.

During this time, he wrote an early version of "Sober", later Tool's first successful single.

Inspired by Bill Murray's performance in the 1981 comedy film Stripes, Keenan joined the United States Army, with the intention of having the G.I. Bill fund his dream of attending art school.

By this point, he had lived in Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas.

In 1982, he graduated from Mason County Central High School in Scottville, where he was a member of the wrestling team.

His father was one of the coaches for the team and left coaching at the same time Keenan graduated in 1982.

He initially served in the Army as a forward observer before studying at West Point Prep School from 1983 to 1984.

In addition to completing a rigorous math and English curriculum, Keenan wrestled, ran on the cross country team, and sang in the glee club.

It was during his time in the military that he adopted the sobriquet "Maynard" on a whim, based on a fictional character he had created in high school.

He was distinguished in basic and advanced training, but declined an appointment to West Point and instead chose to pursue a music career because of his disillusionment with his colleagues' values and because he knew West Point would not tolerate his dissidence.

Upon completing his term of prep school, Keenan studied art at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

From there he moved to Somerville, Massachusetts, where his love of animals led him to practice interior design for a Boston-area pet store.

He was transferred to a store in Los Angeles, before he was quickly fired and began working in set construction.

He relocated to Los Angeles in 1988 to pursue a career in interior design and set construction, and formed Tool with Adam Jones shortly thereafter.

In addition to his music career, Keenan owns Merkin Vineyards and Caduceus Cellars in Arizona, where he resides.

Since rising to fame, he has been noted as a recluse, although he does emerge to support charitable causes and for the occasional interview.

He has also ventured into acting.

He also (with future Tool bandmate Danny Carey) performed live and recorded with Green Jellö between 1990 and 1993, playing guitar and performing backup vocals as the voice of one of the pigs on the band's hit song "Three Little Pigs" on their debut album Cereal Killer, and appearing in the music video for "Slave Boy" on the band's follow-up LP 333.

Around this time he also struck up a friendship with Tom Morello, who has credited Keenan with introducing him to Drop D tuning.

Keenan spent time jamming with Morello and Brad Wilk, as did Zack de la Rocha: Morello and Wilk considered Keenan and de la Rocha as candidates for the vocalist with what would become Rage Against the Machine before deciding to ask the latter.

After moving to Los Angeles, Keenan met Adam Jones who had in college heard him singing on a demo.

Impressed with Keenan's vocals, Jones suggested that they form a band.

Reluctant, Keenan eventually agreed and, in 1990, Tool was formed.

Fronted by Keenan, the eventual lineup included guitarist Jones; his neighbor, drummer Danny Carey; and bassist Paul D'Amour, who would later be replaced by Justin Chancellor.

Tool signed to Zoo Entertainment in November 1991 and released the Opiate EP the following year.

To support this release, the band toured with Fishbone and Rage Against the Machine.

Shortly thereafter, Tool released their 1993 debut album, Undertow, in the United States.

It was certified gold after just eight months, and platinum less than a year later.

In 1994, the band released their single "Prison Sex" with a corresponding music video created and directed by Jones.

The video was deemed "too graphic and offensive", and was withdrawn by MTV after a few airings due to "a symbolic dealing with the sensitive subject of child abuse".