Born Henry Garfield February 13, 1961 in Washington D.C.
Garfield grew up in Washington, D.C., As a young man, he was enrolled in a prep school, where he gained the nickname "Rollins" from a shirt he wore. He became involved in the punk scene through his close friend Ian MacKaye (who would later head Minor Threat and Fugazi). He formed his own band, State of Alert, which would release one EP before disbanding. In 1981, his friend Mitch Parker gave him a copy of Black Flag's Nervous Breakdown EP; Garfield soon became a huge fan of them and went to see them in New York. At an impromptu show in a bar, he jumped up on stage to sing the song Clocked In. As vocalist Dez Cadena was going to switch to guitar, the band invited Garfield to practice with the band. They invited him to become their permanent vocalist, and despite some doubts, he accepted. He adopted his nickname, Rollins, as his last name. His large, muscular figure and intense personality made him a perfect fit as their frontman.
Rollins toured and recorded with Black Flag from 1981 until their breakup in 1986. He soon formed a band with his friend Chris Haskett and former Gone members Andrew Weiss and Sim Cain. Called the Rollins Band, they gained popularity through the strength of albums like The End of Silence (1992) and Weight (1994). He also gained roles in movies and television shows (particularly as a VJ on MTV) and released several books.
Throughout the 90s, he toured as a spoken word artist, focusing mostly on social topics, as well as recounting his life experiences. His blend of self-conscious humor and serious discussion of important social issues has gained him great popularity. He has released nine spoken word albums through his 2.13.61 publishing company, which has also released books by Rollins, Joe Cole, Nick Cave, and Michael Gira, as well as Rollins Band albums.
Discography
1987 Big Ugly Mouth
1990 Live at McCabe's
1992 Human Butt
1993 Rollins: The Boxed Life
1994 Get in the Van: On the Road
1996 Everything
1997 Black Coffee Blues
1998 Think Tank
1999 Henry Rollins In Eric The Pilot
2001 A Rollins in the Wry