Trent Reznor founded the '90s rock group Nine Inch Nails; with Chris Vrenna at the drums, Reznor did all of the writing, performing and producing himself. Other musicians were brought in only on tour or if a desperate need arose.

Born May 17, 1965, in Mercer, Pennsylvania, Trent Reznor began his musical career at five years old studying piano, later teaching himself tuba and saxophone. His parents divorced in 1970, and he was raised by his maternal grandparents. After studying computer engineering at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, he moved to Cleveland in 1987, performing with several different bands. While with the band Problems, he achieved minor fame when their song "True Love Ways" was played by Joan Jett in the Michael J. Fox film Light of Day. He left that band in 1988 to form his own band, Nine Inch Nails. He wanted to explore more than just rock & roll and included techno and dance music in the group's repertoire. Reznor became a one-man band, writing, producing and performing all the group's songs. They earned a reputation in 1990 with their second album, Pretty Hate Machine. The album stayed on the Billboard charts for more than two years with the hit "Head Like a Hole." (Their first album, Industrial Nation, was never released.)