page_title: Tom DeLonge
section_title: Early life
hierarchical_section_title: Tom DeLonge / Biography / Early life
caption_attribution_description: Tom Delonge method at Poway High
context_page_description: Thomas Matthew DeLonge is an American musician, singer, songwriter, author, record producer, actor and filmmaker. Possessing a distinctive nasal singing voice, he is the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Angels & Airwaves, which he formed in 2005, and was the co-lead vocalist, guitarist, and co-founder of the rock band Blink-182 from its formation in 1992 until his dismissal from the group in 2015.
  DeLonge grew up in the suburbs of Poway, California, where he embraced skateboarding at an early age. When DeLonge received his first guitar, he began writing punk rock songs. He formed Blink-182 with bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Scott Raynor during his high school years. The band created a following in the mid-1990s through independent releases and relentless touring, particularly in their home country and in Australia. They signed to MCA Records in 1996 and their second album, Dude Ranch, featured the hit single "Dammit". The group had bigger success with Enema of the State, which featured three hit singles and went quadruple-platinum in the U.S., selling upwards of 15 million copies worldwide.
context_section_description: Thomas Matthew DeLonge was born in Poway, California. His father was an oil company executive and his mother a mortgage broker. His first musical instrument was a trumpet, which he received as a Christmas gift at age 11. Despite his early interest in music, becoming a musician was not his first calling. DeLonge originally planned to become a firefighter, and participated in the San Diego Cadet Program. He first picked up the guitar from a friend at church camp, and became preoccupied by the instrument. DeLonge received his first guitar as a Christmas present from two friends in the sixth grade – "a beat-up, shitty acoustic guitar that was worth about $30." He gathered his brother, Shon, and sister, Kari, as an audience for his original songs.
  In the seventh grade, DeLonge visited a friend in Oregon who introduced him to the music of Stiff Little Fingers, Dinosaur Jr. and the Descendents. He dyed his hair purple, and consequently began practicing the guitar loudly in his room. DeLonge attempted to form a band named Big Oily Men, which was essentially a one-man band: the band's lineup consisted of whoever he could persuade to join him for short periods.
  DeLonge first began skateboarding in the third grade, which would consume much his activity outside of school. "I lived, ate, and breathed skateboarding. All I did all day long was skateboard. It was all I cared about", he later remarked. He and friends would begin at one side of San Diego and attempt to skateboard to the other half, intermittently pulling pranks on people in the process. As such, he was an average student: "I knew exactly how hard I had to work in school. As long as I got that C, I wouldn't try one minute extra to get a B. I just cared about skateboarding and music". His parents were constantly fighting in his formative years, culminating in a divorce when DeLonge was 18. Shortly thereafter, his mother lost her job. DeLonge promptly moved out, feeling as though he needed to start his life. His brother was also away at that time in the United States Army, and his departure affected his family. "My mom and sister were left asking, 'What happened to our family?'".
  Following high school, DeLonge would work in construction, driving around a Diesel truck and handling concrete and piping. "I hated, hated, hated my job. You know those people who hate their job? That was me", he later said. He promptly quit when Blink-182 signed to MCA Records in 1996.
caption: DeLonge skateboarding at Poway High School in the 1990s
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