Thomas Matthew DeLonge, Jr. (born December 13, 1975) is an American musician, most famous for being the founding member of, and guitarist/vocalist in Blink-182 between 1992 and 2005, when he left the band amid tension with other members. While still member of Blink-182, he collaborated with former member Travis Barker in the one-off project Box Car Racer in 2002, releasing one self-titled album. Since leaving Blink-182, he formed the supergroup Angels & Airwaves with former members of Hazen Street, The Distillers and The Offspring.
DeLonge was raised by his mother and father in Poway, California. He has an older brother, Shon, and a younger sister, Kari. Tom was expelled from Poway High School during junior year after being caught drinking at a school basketball game. He went to Rancho Bernardo High School, where he developed an interest in punk rock. Some of his influences have been The Cure, Descendents and Screeching Weasel. When he returned to Poway High School during his senior year, the students voted him Homecoming King, despite the fact he wasn't on the ballot.
When DeLonge attended Rancho Bernardo High School, he was introduced to Mark Hoppus through the latter's sister, Anne. In 1992, they met Scott Raynor and decided to form a band together that would become blink-182. When Raynor was replaced with Travis Barker in 1998 amidst many rumours of Raynor's possible alcoholism and drug addictions[citation needed], Blink-182 released Enema of the State, which was met with a huge amount of mainstream success, spawning three hit singles. Follow-up Take Off Your Pants and Jacket eventually went to the number one spot on the Billboard 200. After DeLonge and Barker participated in the band Box Car Racer, a side project created by DeLonge with his high-school friend David Kennedy in 2002. In 2003 blink-182 released their final eponymous album. Delonge then decided to leave the band, allegedly due to mounting tensions and communication difficulties, creating a rift between him and the other members of the band. Blink-182 announced an 'indefinite hiatus' in February 2005.
While there is no set plan for Blink 182 to reunite, the band's management commonly responds to questions about the possibility by saying "no one knows what tomorrow may bring". Barker stated in an interview "I guess we are seeing the real Tom", questioning DeLonge's attitude towards his former band, and his new project. DeLonge for his part has said that he would like to eventually reunite blink-182, but not until he continues his career in Angels & Airwaves for a while, because otherwise "it would be a waste of time".
DeLonge is the lead vocalist and one of two guitarists in the alternative rock band Angels & Airwaves. He formed the band with high-school friend and former Hazen Street and Box Car Racer bandmate David Kennedy on guitar, as well as former The Offspring drummer Adam Willard and former The Distillers bassist Ryan Sinn. They released their debut, We Don't Need to Whisper in 20 May 2006. During the recording of their second album, I-Empire , Ryan Sinn quit and was replaced by former 30 Seconds to Mars bassist Matt Wachter. He still covers blink-182 songs, such as "Down", "I Miss You", "Not Now", and "Reckless Abandon" with Angels & Airwaves, along with Box Car Racer songs "There Is" and "My First Punk Song".
