In 1987, childhood friends Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt (both 14 years...(More)

In 1987, childhood friends Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt (both 14 years old) formed a two person band called Sweet Children. The first Sweet Children show took place on October 17, 1987, at Rod's Hickory Pit in Vallejo, California where Armstrong's mother was working.[9] In late 1989, Armstrong, Dirnt and John Kiffmeyer (also known as Al Sobrante) formed Green Day, allegedly choosing the name for their fondness of marijuana. Green Day performed its first show in the courtyard of Contra Costa College, a junior college in San Pablo, California that Sobrante attended.[10] Shortly thereafter, Larry Livermore, owner of independent label Lookout! Records, went to one of the bands shows. The band, he said, played the show like "The Beatles at Shea Stadium".[11][12] Livermore signed the band to Lookout!, and In late 1989 it released its first EP, 1,000 Hours, and quickly followed it up with its first LP, 39/Smooth in early 1990. Early Green Day, when John Kiffmeyer was the drummer. Early Green Day, when John Kiffmeyer was the drummer. The lyrics sheet of 39/Smooth included a letter purporting to be from I.R.S. Records that claimed the label had made an attempt to sign Green Day. It also included a response from the band making it clear that they were loyal to Lookout! Records, saying that I.R.S. was a "cheesy and washed-up" label. Green Day would record two EPs later that year: Slappy and Sweet Children, the latter of which included some older songs they had recorded for Minneapolis indie label Skene! Records. In 1991, Lookout! Records released 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, a compilation of the 39/Smooth, Slappy, and 1,000 Hours EPs. In late 1990, shortly after the band's first nationwide tour, Sobrante left the East Bay area to attend college.[13] Lookouts drummer Tré Cool began filling in as a temporary replacement, and when it became clear that Sobrante did not plan on committing to the band full time, Tré Cool's position as Green Day's drummer became fixed. The band went on tour for most of 1992 and 1993, and played a stretch of shows overseas in Europe. Its second full length album Kerplunk sold about 50,000 copies in the U.S.,[14] which was considered quite a large amount for the independent punk scene in 1992.(Less)