Phil Anselmo

lead vocals

b. 1968 in New Orleans

Philip Hansen Anselmo (born June 30, 1968) is an American musician best known as the lead singer for groove metal band Pantera, southern metal/sludge metal supergroup Down, and hardcore band Superjoint, amongst other musical projects. He is the owner of Housecore Records. Anselmo is regarded as one of the most iconic frontmen in metal history, known for being particularly animated and donning a machismo attitude that became emblematic of the general theme of Pantera. Earlier in his career with the band, Anselmo took considerable inspiration from traditional heavy metal vocalists such as Rob Halford, singing in full head voice.

Early life

Anselmo was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is mainly of Italian and French heritage. He also has Danish heritage through his maternal great-grandmother. He attended many schools across Louisiana and Texas, the last of which was Grace King High School in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, which he dropped out of during 12th grade. Anselmo's father, Phil, owned and operated a restaurant in Metairie called Anselmo's, which closed following Hurricane Katrina. Anselmo has said in various interviews that he was the class clown as a child. As a teenager, Anselmo accidentally started a fire in his parents' house while attempting to prank his sister. The incident resulted in smoke damage to most of the furniture and part of the house needing renovation. Anselmo worked on a shrimp boat with his stepfather in his teenage years.

Personal life

On October 31, 2001, Anselmo married his longtime girlfriend, Stephanie Opal Weinstein. That same year, the couple created an all-acoustic duo called Southern Isolation and released an eponymous four-song EP. As of 2011, Anselmo lives in rural Louisiana, and is in a relationship with Kate Richardson, who also helps run his record label, Housecore Records. He is an atheist.