Billie Joe Armstrong is the lead singer and guitarist for the punk rock band Green Day. He was born in Oakland, California, on February 17, 1972, and was given his first guitar "Blue" at the age of 11 by his father Andy. He started Green Day in 1987 with his friend Mike Dirnt and later added Al Sobrante as a drummer. When Sobrante left the band to go to college, Tre Cool replaced him as a drummer. The band gained a following in the punk scene before becoming extremely popular after releasing Dookie in 1994. The band has been very popular ever since and Armstrong is considered by many to be one of the best punk frontmen of all time.