There have been multiple musicians from Des Moines, Iowa, mainly rock bands and jazz musicians. The most popular being the Heavy Metal band, Slipknot, with most its members being born in Des Moines. Des Moines has a lot of local venues, independent radio stations, and community events that help expand music in the surrounding areas. Local festivals such as the Hinterland Music Festival and 80/35 Music Festival attract many visitors. Many musicians from the area credit Des Moines in shaping their careers.
The combined events venue of Casey's Center, EMC Expo Center, and the Community Choice Credit Union Veterans Auditorium ballroom has hosted 346 events so far, as of 2025, and has made a profit of $1.84 million.
Bands
Slipknot is the most popular music group from Iowa, with 14.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify. 10 members from the group were born in Des Moines, the oldest being Donnie Steele, born on December 31, 1967 (age ), and the youngest being Michael Pfaff, born on May 17, 1980 (age ). The group's album Iowa has reached platinum status in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
+Slipknot membersNameBornYears activeReferenceDonnie SteeleDecember 31, 1967 (age )1993–1996, 2011–2014Shawn CrahanSeptember 24, 1969 (age )1992–presentCraig JonesFebruary 11, 1972 (age )1992–2023Anders ColsefniApril 15, 1972 (age )1988–2003, 2005–2015, 2020–presentChris FehnFebruary 24, 1973 (age 1998–2019Mick ThomsonNovember 3, 1973 (age )1992–presentCorey TaylorDecember 8, 1973 (age )1992–presentJoey JordisonApril 26, 1975 (died July 26, 2021, aged 46)1990–2018Sid WilsonJanuary 20, 1977 (age )1992–presentMichael PfaffMay 17, 1980 (age )2007–present +Other band membersName (band/group)BornYears activeReferenceJosh Rand (Stone Sour)August 19, 1974 (age )1993, 2000–presentBrenton Dean (Holy White Hounds)2005–presentAmbrose Lupercal (Holy White Hounds)2005–presentJames Manson (Holy White Hounds)2005–presentSeth Luloff (Holy White Hounds)2015–2018Mike Butterworth (The Nadas)1995–presentJason Walsmith (The Nadas)1995–present
Solo artists
The majority of solo artists from Des Moines are jazz musicians. Early 20th-century traveling artists travelled to the plains, into cities like Kansas City, Chicago, and Des Moines. As jazz grew in the United States, so did the midwestern venues, including Des Moines, which helped grow its popularity in the region. Des Moines was a major stop for jazz musicians to perform in, and included a theatre from Balaban and Katz. Many famous jazz bands and musicians came to clubs throughout the city, including Charlie Parker and Thad Jones.
+NameBornGenre(s)ReferenceSamuel Siegel1875 (died January 14, 1948, aged 73)MandolinJohn RoxJuly 21, 1902 (died August 5, 1957, aged 55)ComposerDwight L. ArmstrongSeptember 15, 1904 (died November 17, 1984, aged 80)HymnalGeorge RobertsMarch 22, 1928 (died September 28, 2014, aged 86)JazzMax BennettMay 24, 1928 (died September 14, 2018, aged 90)JazzLanny MorganMarch 30, 1934 (age )JazzEllyn RuckerJuly 29, 1937 (died 2022, aged 84)JazzPatty LarkinJune 19, 1951 (age )Folk rockDick OattsApril 2, 1953 (age )JazzBruce BrubakerFebruary 1, 1959 (age )ClassicalBill StewartOctober 18, 1966 (age )JazzTionne WatkinsApril 26, 1970 (age )R&B, hip hop, pop, soulStuart DavisJanuary 11, 1971 (age )AlternativeFarrah FranklinMay 3, 1981 (age )R&BPerfume Genius (Michael Alden Hadreas)September 25, 1981 (age )Art pop, indie rock, baroque pop, indie pop, chamber pop, folk, modern classicalSarah DarlingOctober 4, 1982 (age )CountryYoung Fyre (Tramaine Winfrey)March 9, 1986 (age )Hip hop, R&B, pop, alternative hip hopMax JuryMay 12, 1992 (age )Alternative
References