Perry Farrell is the lead singer, songwriter and front man for Jane’s Addiction, and has also led Porno for Pyros and Satellite Party. Perry, born Peretz Bernstein on March 29, 1959, in Queens, NYC, changed his name as a pun on the word “peripheral.” His mother committed suicide when Perry was 3, an event that features prominently in JA songs. He grew up on Long Island, and moved to Miami, FL, with the family as a teenager. After high school, he moved to California to chase the surfer lifestyle.
Farrell fronted Psi Com from 1981-1985, and then formed Jane’s Addiction. Though their career has been on again, off again, JA is recognized as one of alternative rock’s most influential groups. They put out 3 albums, before breaking up in 1991, in part because of Perry’s severe heroin addiction. JA reunited briefly in 1997. In 2001, Perry reunited the band to headline the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, an act credited with saving the failing event. Farrell is the only performed to have played Coachella every year. JA broke up again in 2004, reuniting again in 2008. During the JA breakups, Perry fronted Porno for Pyros and Satellite Party, and did some solo work, and did guest appearances.
Perry is also one of the founders of Lollapalooza, a touring music festival started before JA’s 1991 break up.
Happy Birthday to Perry Farrell!
