Portrait of Matt Sorum

Birthday profile

Matt Sorum

Matt Sorum, American drummer, songwriter, and producer

Born
November 19, 1960
Age in 2026
66
Zodiac sign
Scorpio
Birth year
1960

About Matt Sorum

Matthew William Sorum (born November 19, 1960) is an American drummer. He is best known as both a former member of the hard rock band The Cult, Guns N' Roses, with whom he recorded three studio albums, and as a member of the supergroup Velvet Revolver. Sorum has toured and recorded with Billy Gibbons, is a member of the touring project Kings of Chaos, and is a former member of both The Cult and Y Kant Tori Read. Sorum was also a member of Guns N' Roses side projects, Slash's Snakepit and Neurotic Outsiders, and has released two solo albums, Hollywood Zen (2004) and Stratosphere (2014). He was the touring drummer for the supergroup Hollywood Vampires from 2015 to 2017. His recent project was Deadland Ritual, featuring Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens, and Apocalyptica vocalist Franky Perez. After performing on Tori Amos' first record and synthpop band Y Kant Tori Read's sole album, Sorum joined the Cult in 1989 to tour in support of their fourth studio album, Sonic Temple (1989). During the tour, Sorum was spotted by Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash and subsequently replaced their drummer Steven Adler in 1990. Remaining in the band for seven years, Sorum recorded the albums Use Your Illusion I (1991), Use Your Illusion II (1991), and "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993), before departing in 1997 following an argument with Axl Rose. In 1999, Sorum rejoined The Cult to perform on their reunion album, Beyond Good and Evil (2001), and its subsequent 2000/2001 tours, and subsequently co-founded the hard rock supergroup Velvet Revolver, alongside former Guns N' Roses bandmates Slash and Duff McKagan. The band, which included guitarist Dave Kushner and Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland, released two successful studio albums, Contraband (2004) and Libertad (2007), before entering an extended hiatus following Weiland's departure. Sorum has been a permanent member of hard rock cover band Camp Freddy since 2003, alongside Jane's Addiction members Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney, and assisted in hosting its radio show and podcast on Indie 103.1. In 2012, Sorum founded a touring project, entitled Kings of Chaos, featuring members of Guns N' Roses, Deep Purple, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Cheap Trick and Slipknot. In 2012, Sorum was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Guns N' Roses.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Matt Sorum timeline

  1. After performing on Tori Amos' first record and synthpop band Y Kant Tori Read's sole album, Sorum joined the Cult in 1989 to tour in support of their fourth studio album, Sonic Temple (1989).
  2. In 2012, Sorum founded a touring project, entitled Kings of Chaos, featuring members of Guns N' Roses, Deep Purple, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Cheap Trick and Slipknot.

The world when Matt Sorum was born

Matt Sorum was born in 1960. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1960

  • #1 song"The Twist" – Chubby Checker
  • Top movieThe Apartment
  • Top TV showGunsmoke
  • Best-selling bookTo Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentCassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) wins Olympic gold in boxing
  • Top headlineJFK elected as youngest US president
  • Technology milestoneFirst working laser demonstrated
  • Defining fadThe Twist dance craze
  • Notable inventionLaser
  • World population3.03 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderDwight D. Eisenhower
  • Sports championPittsburgh Pirates (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population180.7M

1960 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Matt Sorum's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19602026
Gas$0.31$3.45/gal
Average home$12,700$435,000
Average income$7,400$67,500
Minimum wage$1.00$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.69$11.95
Postage stamp$0.04$0.73
Population180.7M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.