View source for Chad Channing

{{short description|American musician; former drummer of Nirvana (born 1967)|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{BLP sources|date=January 2010}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Chad Channing
| image             =
| caption           = Channing in 1989
| birth_name        = 
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|1967|1|31}}
| origin            = [[Santa Rosa, California]] U.S.
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Hard rock]]|[[grunge]]|[[indie rock]]|[[alternative rock]]|[[punk rock]]|[[hardcore punk]]}}
| occupation        = Musician
| years_active      = 1985–present
| instrument        = {{hlist|Drums|vocals|bass}}
| label             = {{hlist|[[Sub Pop]]|[[Dekema Records|Dekema]]}}
| past_member_of    = {{hlist|[[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]|Stonecrow|Redband|East of the Equator|Tic Dolly Row|Mind Circus|The Methodists|Fire Ants}}
| current_member_of = Before Cars
| website           = 
}}

'''Chad Channing''' (born January 31, 1967 in [[Santa Rosa, California]]) is an American musician who is best known as the drummer of the [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] from 1988 to 1990, during which time they recorded and released their debut album ''[[Bleach (Nirvana album)|Bleach]]''; he also appears on "[[Polly (Nirvana song)|Polly]]" in the follow-up album ''[[Nevermind]]''. He currently sings and plays bass in the band Before Cars.

==Biography==

===Early life===
Channing was born on January 31, 1967, in Santa Rosa, California,<ref name="Strong">Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, {{ISBN|1-84195-335-0}}, p. 441</ref> to Wayne and Burnyce Channing. Wayne was a radio disc jockey and the family was constantly moving all over the country due to different jobs being offered to him. At 13, Chad shattered his femur in an accident during gym class. Over the years of rehabilitation and surgeries, he discovered music; he started playing music with a bass guitar that his parents bought him. The bass filled Chad's time as he was unable to go to school. When he was out of his leg casts, his parents bought him a drum set to help build strength in his legs.{{cn|date=August 2020}}

Channing joined a band with future [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] guitarist [[Jason Everman]] called Stonecrow in 1985. Everman had known Channing since fifth grade, and the two had played in bands together in high school. Later, while working as a sauté cook on [[Bainbridge Island, Washington]],<ref>{{citation|title=Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana
|author=Michael Azerrad|year=1993|ISBN=0307833739|publisher=Random House|pages=78–79|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qrSDPW6G5ZIC&pg=PA78}}</ref> Channing started the band Tick-Dolly-Row with Chris Karr, John Hurd and [[Ben Shepherd]], also a Bainbridge Islander, who would later become the bassist for [[Soundgarden]]. Tick-Dolly-Row shared a bill with [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], who at the time were going under the name Bliss. Not long after, a mutual friend introduced Channing to [[Kurt Cobain]] and [[Krist Novoselic]], who were searching for a drummer. The three got together several times for jam sessions before they started playing shows.

===Nirvana===
In June 1988, a few weeks after Channing joined Nirvana, they recorded their first single "[[Love Buzz]]", also marking their [[Sub Pop]] debut. Nirvana began the recording sessions for ''[[Bleach (Nirvana album)|Bleach]]'' on Christmas Eve 1988, finishing toward the end of January 1989. Everman, a friend of the band, agreed to pay money for recording.<ref name="Strong" /> ''Bleach'' was released on June 15, 1989. Channing played drums with the exception of "Floyd the Barber" and "Paper Cuts", which featured [[Melvins]] drummer [[Dale Crover]] from sessions prior to Channing joining the band. Reissues of ''Bleach'' included the song "Downer", which also had Crover from those sessions.

In April 1990, Nirvana recorded eight songs at [[Smart Studios]] with producer [[Butch Vig]] for the band's second album, although the sessions were halted after Cobain lost his voice. During these sessions creative and artistic differences culminated in Channing's departure by mutual decision after their April-May 1990 tour. Nirvana used the Smart recordings as a demo to secure a new contract with a major label and the band re-recorded the tracks for a new studio album in late 1990, recruiting [[Dave Grohl]] as their new drummer who adopted many of Channing's drum parts. Although uncredited (until the Deluxe edition), the version of "[[Polly (Nirvana song)|Polly]]" used on ''[[Nevermind (album)|Nevermind]]'' is the original version the band recorded with Channing on percussion, the only song carried over from the Smart sessions.

Due to Nirvana's popularity and longevity, the issuing of their older work continued, both during the band's existence and following their demise. The 1992 compilation ''[[Incesticide]]'' featured the tracks "[[Dive (Nirvana song)|Dive]]", "Stain", and "Big Long Now", all crediting Channing as drummer. Live versions of "Polly" and "[[Breed (song)|Breed]]" that included Channing appeared on ''[[From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah]]'', a live album released in 1996. The 2004 ''[[With the Lights Out]]'' box set featured a DVD of a December 1988 Nirvana rehearsal, as well as seven songs scattered across the first two discs of the set, all with Channing on drums.

Following Nirvana's induction into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in December 2013, Channing said in an interview with the Radio.com website that he perceived the recognition as a gift for his daughter. However, Channing was later informed of his omission via text message, and was not included in the April 2014 induction, as the accolade only applied to Cobain, Novoselic and Grohl.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nirvana drummer dumped from Hall of Fame via brutal SMS|url=http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/38786/Nirvana-drummer-dumped-from-Hall-Of-Fame-via-brutal-SMS|work=Faster Louder|publisher=Faster Louder Pty Ltd|access-date=March 22, 2014|author=Darren Levin|date=March 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322132945/http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/38786/Nirvana-drummer-dumped-from-Hall-Of-Fame-via-brutal-SMS#|archive-date=March 22, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Channing did attend the ceremony, and his replacement [[Dave Grohl]] made a point to publicly thank Channing for his contributions to the band and noted that some of Nirvana's most recognizable drum riffs, such as those on "[[In Bloom]]", were in fact written by Channing.<ref>{{cite web|title=Read Nirvana's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Acceptance Speech|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/read-nirvanas-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-acceptance-speech-20140411|publisher=[[Rolling Stone]]|date= April 11, 2014|access-date=April 1, 2016}}</ref>

===Post-Nirvana work===
After leaving Nirvana, Channing formed the Fire Ants who released the ''Stripped'' EP on [[Dekema Records]] in 1992, produced by [[Jack Endino]], who had produced ''Bleach''. Members of the Fire Ants included Brian Wood (vocals) and [[Kevin Wood (guitarist)|Kevin Wood]] (guitars), brothers of the late [[Mother Love Bone]] singer [[Andrew Wood (singer)|Andrew Wood]], and bassist Dan McDonald. Channing and McDonald collaborated again in 1998 with John Hurd and Erik Spicer, forming The Methodists who released the album ''Cookie''.

Chad stepped from behind the drum set to front his new project Before Cars, which released the single "Old Chair" in 2006. They released their debut album ''Walk Back'' in 2008, again produced by Jack Endino. Channing supplies lead vocals and bass on all tracks as well as some acoustic guitar.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/Before-Cars-108320485542/|title=Chad Canning|website=Facebook.com|access-date=March 15, 2020}}</ref>
In 2015 he released an album under the name Benkyo.
<ref>{{cite web|url=https://benkyo.bandcamp.com/album/benkyo|title=Benkyo|website=Bandcamp.com|access-date=March 16, 2025}}</ref>

In 2024 he formed a duo called Can of Clouds with Justine Jeanotte. They have released an album called ''Passing Vistas.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allison |first=David |date=2025-03-19 |title=Can Of Clouds release stunning debut album "Passing Vistas" |url=https://custommademusicmag.com/2025/03/can-of-clouds-release-stunning-debut-album-passing-vistas/ |access-date=2025-10-19 |website=Custom Made Music Mag |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Discography==
===With Tic Dolly Row===
* ''Live'' demo (1987)

===With Nirvana===
{{mainlist|Nirvana discography}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Release
! Notes
|-
| ''[[Bleach (Nirvana album)|Bleach]]'' (1989)
| Does not appear on "Floyd the Barber", and "Paper Cuts", nor on "Downer" in the 1992 reissue
|-
| ''[[Blew]]'' (1989)
| [[Extended play|EP]]; appears on all tracks
|-
| ''[[Nevermind]]'' (1991)
| Appears on "[[Polly (Nirvana song)|Polly]]"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.livenirvana.com/sessions/studio/april-1990.php |title=Sessions History &#124; Studio Sessions &#124; April 2–6, 1990 – Studio A, Smart Studios, Madison, WI, US |publisher=Live Nirvana |access-date=October 9, 2011}}</ref> (uncredited until the Deluxe edition)
|-
| ''[[Incesticide]]'' (1992)
| [[Compilation album|Compilation]]; appears on "[[Dive (Nirvana song)|Dive]]", "Stain", and "Big Long Now"
|-
| ''[[From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah]]'' (1996)
| Live album; appears on "Polly" and "[[Breed (song)|Breed]]"
|-
| ''[[Nirvana (Nirvana album)|Nirvana]]'' (2002)
| Compilation; appears on "[[About a Girl (Nirvana song)|About a Girl]]" and "[[Been a Son]]"
|-
| ''[[With the Lights Out]]'' box set (2004)
|Drums on tracks 16, 17, 21-23 (disc one), tracks 6 & 7 (disc two), and tracks 1-12 (DVD)
|-
| ''Bleach'' deluxe edition (2009)
| Reissue with bonus Pine Street Theatre live performance; Channing appears on said performance. Channing does not appear on "Floyd the Barber", "Paper Cuts" or "Downer" on the main album
|-
| ''Nevermind'' deluxe/super deluxe edition (2011)
| Expanded edition; appears on the [[Smart Studios]] sessions, and is officially credited for the cymbals on "Polly" on the main album
|}

===With Fire Ants===
* ''Ant Acid'' 7" (1992)
* ''Stripped'' EP (1992)

===With The Methodists===
* ''Cookie'' (1998)

===With Before Cars===
* ''Old Chair'' EP (2006)
* ''Walk Back'' (2008)
* ''How We Run'' (2013)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.myspace.com/beforecars Official MySpace for Chad Channing and Before Cars]
*[http://www.myspace.com/redbandmusic Red Band MySpace]
*[http://www.myspace.com/theoriginalfireants Fire Ants MySpace]
*[http://www.myspace.com/themethodistsrock The Methodists MySpace]
*[https://rockstage.com.br/chad-channing-a-historia-e-importancia-para-o-nirvana Rockstage Brasil]

{{S-start}}
{{Succession box| title=[[Nirvana (band)|Drummer of Nirvana]]| before=Dave Foster| after=[[Dale Crover]]| years=1988–1990}}
{{S-end}}

{{Nirvana (band)}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Channing, Chad}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Musicians from Bainbridge Island, Washington]]
[[Category:Musicians from Santa Rosa, California]]
[[Category:Nirvana (band) members]]
[[Category:Sub Pop artists]]
[[Category:Grunge musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American drummers]]
[[Category:American male drummers]]
[[Category:Drummers from California]]
[[Category:Drummers from Washington (state)]]