His full name is Frank Edwin Wright III, but most people know this hard hitting skinsman as Tre Cool, drummer in Green Day. He replaced initial drummer Al Sobrante and short term replacement John Kiftmeyer after the band had independently released its first EP, '1,000 Hours', in 1989.



Frank Wright/Tre Cool was born December 9, 1972. His father was a former Vietnam war helicopter pilot working as a truck driver. At the age of 12 Frank, as he was then known, stumbled across his nearest neighbor who just happened to be 30-year old punk vocalist Lawrence Livermore. When Livermore's band the Lookout's was in need of a drummer, the singer invited Frank to join the band. He then gave him the name Tre Cool. "They wouldn't even let me have cymbals for a long time," recalls Tre. "Lawrence locked them up, and after a while he would take them out one at a time and let use them."



From then on, Tre Cool passed the time by playing with the Lookout's and jamming with local jazz musicians. When the Lookout's recorded their album, the first release on Lookout! Records in 1986, 12 year old Tre was there behind the drum kit. When he reached his sophomore year, at high school in Mendocino, Tre Cool was class president. Tre didn't want to waste his time with school so he sat and passed a graduate equivalency exam. He wanted to focus on music.



Tre Cool had known Green Day for some time from the Gilman Street scene. He had even helped out John Kiftmeyer with drum tuition. So, when recording for Kerplunk! began in May 1991 and Green Day were without a drummer, Billie and Mike signed up Tre Cool. Green Day, as we know the band today, was born.



Tre Cool married Lisea Lyons in March 1995 and together they had a daughter, Ramona. Tre and Lisea are now divorced. Tre recently got re-married in early Sept. 2000 to Claudia at a mansion in Brisbane, CA and spent their 2 week honeymoon in Hawaii. They have a new baby together, but separated in 2003.



Tre Cool is known as the crazy and daring one. He is usually setting his drums on fire on stage, and he was seen climbing the big globe at the Mtv Video Awards.