 The three sisters, Este Arielle Haim (b. March 14, 1986), Danielle Sari Haim (b. February 16, 1989) and Alana Mychal Haim (b. December 15, 1991) were born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, California. Their father Mordechai ("Moti") was born in Israel and is of Bulgarian Jewish descent, while their mother Donna is of Polish descent. Both have been musicians; though he had been a professional soccer player in Israel, Moti also played drums, while Donna won a contest on The Gong Show in the 1970s singing a Bonnie Raitt song. While Danielle showed an aptitude for the guitar at a young age, Moti made the decision that Este would be more suited to the bass, buying her a second hand Fender for $ 50. The siblings were encouraged to listen to their parents'1970s classic rock and Americana records and, during their childhood, the family formed a band called Rockinhaim to play cover versions at local charity fairs, with Moti on drums and Donna on guitar. The group played typical wedding band material, including the Beatles' "Get Back", Billy Joel's "You May Be Right" and Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl", but only did free community and benefit gigs at churches, schools and hospitals.
