Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn "No. 6" Crahan and bassist Paul "No. 2" Gray. After several lineup changes in their early days, the band consisted of nine members for the greater part of their tenure: Sid "No. 0" Wilson, Joey "No.1 " Jordison, Paul "No. 2" Gray, Chris "No. 3" Fehn, Jim "No. 4" Root, Craig "No. 5" Jones, Shawn "No. 6" Crahan, Mick "No. 7" Thomson, and Corey "No. 8" Taylor.
However, the Death of Paul "No. 2" Gray on May 24, 2010, left the band with only eight remaining members. Former guitarist Donnie Steele was the band's touring bassist in 2011. Steele left during the recording sessions for The Gray Chapter, being replaced by Alessandro Venturella and Jay Weinberg replaced Joey on drums after his departure in 2013. It was revealed that he (Joey) suffered from transverse myelitis, a neurological disease (Joey "No. 1" Jordison Passed Away on July 26, 2021) and Chris "No. 3" Fehn was dismissed in 2019 right after the Lawsuit. And Michael Pfaff replaced Chris Fehn on Percussion.
Slipknot's current line up includes: Corey Taylor, Jim Root, Sid Wilson, Craig Jones, Alessandro Venturella, Jay Weinberg, Mick Thomson, Shawn Crahan and Michael Pfaff.
Slipknot originally stated that they wore their masks because it was about the music that was important, not the people behind it. Later this changed as the band became more mainstream excepted and began using their masks as a gimmick, updating them for new albums, videos and shows.