John Rzeznik

In 1985, Rzeznik formed the band that became the Goo Goo Dolls with Robby Takac. Previously Rzeznik had been in a band with Takac's cousin, called The Beaumonts.[14] It is thought the band was originally called The Sex Maggots, however Rzeznik admitted this was a joke on stage one night, and he was "never actually in a band called The Sex Maggots".[15] They got the name Goo Goo Dolls from an ad in a True Detective magazine when a concert promoter asked them.

In the early days of The Goo Goo Dolls, the band performed at gigs relentlessly, with Takac as the frontman (Rzeznik gradually becoming the frontman over the next few albums, as each new album contained more songs sung by Rzeznik than the last). They were soon picked up by a small record label, Celluloid. Under Celluloid they released their first eponymous album on a $750 budget (later the re-prints would be referred to as "First Release"). This attracted the attention of a larger record label, Metal Blade, who released their next few albums. For the next few years the band toured, produced albums and held down regular jobs.

Following the album Gutterflower, Rzeznik wrote "Always Know Where You Are" and "I'm Still Here" for the Disney film Treasure Planet,[16] which were also released as a single independently from the band.

From October to December 2007, Rzeznik was a judge alongside Sheila E. and Australian Idol judge and marketing manager Ian "Dicko" Dickson on the Fox network's The Next Great American Band.[17]

On June 19, 2008, Rzeznik was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and was awarded the Hal David Starlight award.[18]

On March 24, 2014, Cash Cash released their new single "Lightning". The single featured Rzeznik on vocals and was written by Cash Cash and Rzeznik together.[19]

On November 29, 2020, he participated in a virtual fundraiser to help combat hunger and raise money for the Community Foodbank of New Jersey.[20]

Most of the music Rzeznik listened to while growing up was influenced by his sisters, and consisted of classic rock such as The Rolling Stones and The Kinks. The youngest of his four older sisters moved towards punk music and Rzeznik became interested in bands such as Ramones and The Clash.[21] Rzeznik attributes his gift for melody to listening to bands such as Kiss, Cheap Trick, The Cure and Rush in the early 1980s.[21] Rzeznik also cites Paul Westerberg as an "obvious influence" on his music.[22] Westerberg co-wrote the 1993 Goo Goo Dolls song "We Are the Normal" with Rzeznik, who reflected on the experience by stating "To some people, Keith Richards is their hero. I feel that way about Westerberg. Keith Richards got to do his thing with Chuck Berry, and I got to do it with Westerberg. That was amazing to me."[23]

Rzeznik believes writing is not just an inspirational act but that writing music is "ninety nine percent perspiration." He says that when writing a song, he often "runs tape and screws around with stuff," and his songs are often both biographical and autobiographical. According to Rzeznik, before penning down the song "Iris", he was on the verge of leaving the band because he had been writing songs for the past nine years and it had been a low. However, Rzeznik was approached for writing the soundtrack of the movie City of Angels, and after watching the movie, Rzeznik penned down the song, which changed the band's career.[24]

• Limp Bizkit and Johnny Rzeznik – "Wish You Were Here" – America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001)
• "Always Know Where You Are"[27] – Treasure Planet (2002)
• "For Your Love" – with The Yardbirds – Birdland (2003)
• "Once in a Lifetime" – Good Morning, Miami theme (2002)
• "All I Want is You" – Les Paul & Friends: American Made World Played (2005)
• "Men of War" – with Steve Morse & Michael Lee Jackson (original version from the Gillan album, Double Trouble) – Gillan's Inn (2006)
• "Lightning" – with Cash Cash (2014)