 Jonathan Davis got together with Human Waste Project for their first demo tape dueting with vocalist Aimee Echo on a strictly non-saccharine cover version of 'This Town' by The Go-Go's. This recording was to be unearthed on a subsequent Korn bootleg. (Such was the fascination between fans of both bands that during late 1997 the acts convened once more in the recording studio to lay down a further take on the song interbred for use as a Korn single B side). Munky, Head, Fieldy, and Silveria in the meantime, had assembled LAPD. Whilst on the lookout for a singer, Silveria was headhunted for Mike Muir's Infectious Grooves, but opted to remain with his colleagues. Whilst on the hunt for a singer the quartet spotted Davis performing with Sexart at John Bryan's Bar. Apparently the guitar duo of Shaffer and Welch, were bar-hopping, had a few drinks, and were on their way out the door, when they heard the voice of their future singer in Jonathan Davis. Davis almost didn't go to the audition offered him by the band, but after visiting a psychic who told him he'd be stupid to pass on this, he decided to go.[citation needed] Auditions in Huntington Beach secured the band's new frontman, before the quintet even finished singing the first song (which was performede through a cheap vocal mic).
In 1993, the band released their demo titled "Neidermeyer's Mind," which featured the songs "Predictable," "Blind," "Daddy," and "Alive."The song "Alive" was the band's first ever song, which was an early version of the song which later became "Need To" on the band's self-titled major label debut album, and was also reworked for the band's 2003 album "Take a Look in the Mirror".
In 1994, Korn released their self-titled debut. The album was produced by famed record producer Ross Robinson and released by Epic/Immortal records. The album featured the singles "Blind," "Clown," and "Shoots and Ladders." The band toured with KMFDM and was not well-received by industrial fans.[edit] Life is Peachy, Elementree Records
The band followed up their debut album with their second album, Life Is Peachy, in October, 1996. The album was more successful than their first, debuting at No.3 on The Billboard 200. It spawned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance for the song "No Place To Hide."The album's release featured the first live Internet broadcast by the band, and thus Korn became the first music artist to appear live on the Internet to promote their new LP. Korn performed songs from the new album and took calls from Internet fans watching at home. The event was hosted by longtime Korn friend, Adam Carolla, known best for his hosting of The Man Show. The online performance was one of the first of its kind and helped launch Korn's Internet presence which soon became a predominant part of their marketing and availability to fans.
In late 1997 the band formed their own label, Elementree Records. The first band they signed was Orgy (featuring former members of Davis' old band Sexart), who became successful with their debut album "Candyass," which was certified platinum. Over the next few years they signed such acts as Videodrone, rapper Marz, and Deadsy.[edit] Breakthrough success
Prior to the release of the band's third album, Korn was featured once a week on their internet TV show, KornTV, which showed behind the scenes of the making of the record as well as special guests such as porn star Ron Jeremy, Limp Bizkit, 311 and many more. It also gave fans the chance to call in and ask the band questions. Korn was already ahead of the game by utilizing the internet to reach their fans. October 1998 saw Korn at their peak as they released their third album, Follow the Leader. It is generally recognized as their breakthrough album, and the album that ultimately ushered "nu metal" into the mainstream. It featured a number of guest vocalists such as Ice Cube, Tre Hardson from the Pharcyde, and Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit. Korn launched a whirlwind political campaign-style tour (from August 17, 1998 in Los Angeles through September 1 in Phoenix) to promote the release of Follow the Leader. It took the group all over North America to spread the news of their "Family Values" platform to hordes of fans at special "fan conferences" that were organized at every stop along the tour route. Korn chartered a jet, which took them to record stores in such cities as Riverside (CA), San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston, New York City, Toronto, Atlanta, and Dallas. They talked to fans at every stop, answered questions during the special "fan conferences" and signed autographs. Jim Rose hosted the entire "Kampaign" tour. Celebrities at various stops included Ice Cube and Todd McFarlane. The album was a success, reaching No.1 on the U.S. and Canadian charts and spawning the singles "Got the Life" and "Freak On A Leash." Follow The Leader debuted at the #1 slot in Canada, New Zealand and Australia; #4 in Finland; #5 in France, the UK and Norway; #8 in Japan; #10 in Holland; #12 in Germany; and it registered the highest debut on the Pan European "Music & Media" chart (at #6). The animated bullet segments in the video for "Freak On A Leash" were directed by Todd McFarlane (creator of the Spawn comic book and a former artist for Spider-Man comics). Greg Capullo, long-time Spawn penciler, drew the cover art for the album. The live action in the video, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, used innovative techniques which featured 'the magic bullet' that the camera followed through various scenes as well as a performance of the band in a Twilight Zone like room. "Freak on a Leash" won a Grammy for Best Video (Short Form), earned 9 MTV Awards nominations, for: Video of the Year, Breakthrough Video, Best Direction, Best Special Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Viewer's Choice. Eventually it won 2, for: Best Rock Video, and Best Editing. Follow the Leader is the band's most commercially successful album, being certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA and having sold almost 10 million copies worldwide.
The same year Follow the Leader was released, Korn started their own annual rock tour called the Family Values Tour. That year they headlined the tour along with Incubus, Orgy, Limp Bizkit, Ice Cube and Rammstein. It was a highly successful tour, there was a live CD and DVD from Family Values Tour'98 which earned gold and platinum status, respectively. In 1999, Limp Bizkit headlined, along with Primus, Staind, The Crystal Method, and Filter. Korn were not featured on the bill and instead only made surprise appearances at a few of the tour's stops to perform their first single off of their next album, "Falling Away From Me." The tour took a break in 2000 due to heavy competition.
In 1999 Korn performed at Woodstock '99 on 23 July in front of 250,000 fans. The band cites its performance as one of its most memorable moments.
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