Dominic Howard

Dominic James Howard (born 7 December 1977) is an English musician, best known as the drummer, percussionist and co-producer for the rock band Muse. He also contributes to the synthesizer and electronic-based elements found in their music.

Howard was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in England. When he was around 8 years old he moved with his family to Teignmouth, a small town in Devon. He began playing drums at about the age of 12, when he was inspired by a jazz band performing at school.

Howard's first band was named Carnage Mayhem, which he was in at school. Meanwhile, he befriended Matt Bellamy, who played guitar but did not have a stable band. Not long after, Bellamy was offered the chance to join Howard's band. After two years of drop-outs, Bellamy suggested that they write their own songs, and only Howard and Bellamy remained. Chris Wolstenholme, who played drums in "Fixed Penalty", then entered the scene and with a great "spirit of sacrifice" he began to play bass.

In the first months of 1994 Gothic Plague was born, followed by Rocket Baby Dolls and then finally Muse.

He is a left-handed drummer. He also played drums in Vicky Cryer with Jason Hill from Louis XIV.

In 2004, Howard's father, William Howard, came to watch Muse's performance at Glastonbury Festival. Just after their performance finished, William died from a heart attack. The band then cancelled other shows including an Italy tour. The band released a statement "In this dreadfully difficult time, we request that the privacy of Dom's family and friends is respected".

In a session where he and Bellamy answered questions from fans, Howard stated that the celebrity, alive or dead, he'd most like to meet is Jimi Hendrix. He once had a dog called Hendrix.

On 26 September 2008, Howard, along with Bellamy and Wolstenholme, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Plymouth.