Johnny 3 Tears
{{short description|American musician (born June 24, 1981)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| background = person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Johnny 3 Tears
| honorific_suffix =
| image = Hollywood Undead - Sziget 2015.08.15 (4).JPG
| image_upright =
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| caption = Ragan at the 2015 Sziget Festival in Hungary
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| birth_name = George Ragan
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|6|24}}
| birth_place =
| origin = Los Angeles, California
| death_date =
| death_place =
| genre = Rap rock, nu metal, alternative metal
| occupation = Musician
| instrument = Vocals, bass guitar
| discography = Hollywood Undead discography
| years_active = 2005–present
| label =
| current_member_of = Hollywood Undead
| past_member_of =
| spouse =
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| website =
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}}
George Ragan (born on June 24, 1981), better known by his stage name Johnny 3 Tears (acronymized as J3T), is an American musician who sings and plays bass guitar for the band Hollywood Undead.
Early life
Ragan grew up in a rough neighborhood of Los Angeles that was heavily affected by street gun violence, drugs, graffiti, and gangs (particularly the 18th Street gang).{{cite magazine |last=Law|first= Sam|date=April 12, 2020 |title= Gangs, Guns And Graffiti: Hollywood Undead Are One Of Rap-Rock's True Survivors |url= https://www.kerrang.com/gangs-guns-and-graffiti-hollywood-undead-are-one-of-rap-rocks-true-survivors |magazine= Kerrang!|location= |publisher= Wasted Talent Ltd|access-date=December 14, 2023}} In preschool and kindergarten, he was close friends with some of his future Hollywood Undead bandmates, including Charlie Scene (birth name Jordon Terrell).{{cite news |last=Levy |first=Piet |date=July 12, 2011 |title= Video: Hollywood Undead Interview|url=https://archive.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/125413358.html |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |location= |access-date=December 15, 2023}} Ragan's parents regularly gave him books for Christmas to aid his education.{{cite magazine |last= Childers|first= Chad|date=December 23, 2012 |title= Hollywood Undead's Johnny 3 Tears prefer games over books for Christmas|url= https://loudwire.com/hollywood-undead-johnny-3-tears-games-over-books-christmas/ |magazine=Loudwire |location= |publisher= Townsquare Media|access-date=December 14, 2023}} At the age of 17, Ragan graduated from high school while at juvenile hall for firearm possession.
Career
=With Hollywood Undead=
{{expand section|date=December 2023}}
File:Hollywood Undead Rock am Ring 2015 (20).JPG in Germany with his mask on]]
Ragan co-founded Hollywood Undead in 2005; the band started out by posting their music to MySpace, and their popularity on the platform landed them a deal with MySpace Records after Tom Anderson took notice and invited the band out to dinner.{{cite book |last=Tedder |first=Michael |author-link= |date= August 15, 2023|title= Top Eight: How MySpace Changed Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wuxkEAAAQBAJ |location= |publisher=Chicago Review Press |page= |isbn=9781641606615}} In 2008, Ragan assisted in writing the band's breakthrough single "Undead", which reflects an expression of the band's frustrations after getting into the corporate side of the music industry.{{cite magazine |last= Law|first=Sam |date=January 24, 2020 |title= How We Wrote Undead, By Hollywood Undead's Johnny 3 Tears |url= https://www.kerrang.com/how-we-wrote-undead-by-hollywood-undeads-johnny-3-tears?next |magazine=Kerrang! |location= |publisher=Wasted Talent Ltd |access-date=December 14, 2023}} The song "Pour Me" (from the 2011 album American Tragedy), in which Ragan does all the rapping, contains introspective lyrics that chronicle his battle with alcohol.{{cite news |last= Levy|first= Piet|date= July 10, 2011|title=Hollywood Undead resurrects rap-rock |url=https://archive.jsonline.com/entertainment/musicandnightlife/125276893.html |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |location= |access-date=December 16, 2023}} In 2012, Ragan helped write the song "We Are" as a means to inspire youth and teen fans;{{cite magazine |last=Childers |first=Chad |date=December 21, 2012 |title= Hollywood Undead's Johnny 3 Tears: New single 'We Are' inspired by America's youth|url=https://loudwire.com/hollywood-undead-johnny-3-tears-we-are-inspired-by-americas-youth/ |magazine=Loudwire |location= |publisher=Townsquare Media |access-date=December 14, 2023}} he started by writing the chorus for the song.{{cite magazine |last= Childers|first= Chad|date= January 15, 2013|title=Hollywood Undead's Johnny 3 Tears talks new album, working with Slipknot's Clown, and more |url= https://loudwire.com/hollywood-undead-johnny-3-tears-new-album-working-with-slipknot-clown-more/ |magazine= Loudwire|location= |publisher= Townsquare Media|access-date=December 14, 2023}}
=Solo career=
On May 14, 2021, Ragan released a solo album titled The Abyss under the moniker "George Ragan the Dead Son".{{cite magazine |last=Childers |first=Chad |date=March 19, 2021 |title= Hollywood Undead's Johnny 3 Tears issues solo single, announces new moniker + album |url= https://loudwire.com/hollywood-undead-johnny-3-tears-solo-single-heaven-can-wait-george-ragan-dead-son-abyss-album/ |magazine=Loudwire |location= |publisher=Townsquare Media |access-date=December 15, 2023}}{{cite magazine |last= Williams|first= Gracie|date=May 6, 2021 |title= Hollywood Undead's George Ragan Unmasks New Era with Upcoming Debut Album 'The Abyss' |url= https://americansongwriter.com/hollywood-undeads-george-ragan-unmasks-new-era-with-upcoming-debut-album-the-abyss/ |magazine=American Songwriter |location= |publisher= Savage Media Holdings|access-date=December 15, 2023}} On March 27, 2024, he featured on the song "Vendetta" by TX2.{{Cite web |last=Motionless |first=Mary |date=March 29, 2024 |title=TX2 revient avec un nouveau duo avec Johnny 3 Tears (Hollywood Undead) |url=https://chairyoursound.com/tx2-revient-avec-un-nouveau-duo-avec-johnny-3-tears-hollywood-undead/ |access-date=March 29, 2024 |website=ChairYourSound |language=fr-FR}}
Musical influences
Ragan has cited his ten most influential albums as Sea Change by Beck (2002), Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by Wu-Tang Clan (1993), Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails (1989), Relationship of Command by At the Drive-In (2000), Generation Rx by Good Charlotte (2018), For Those That Wish to Exist by Architects (2021), Now Or Never by Giggs (2020), Ghøstkid by Ghøstkid (2020), Who Do You Trust? by Papa Roach (2019), and …If You Don't Save Yourself by Zero 9:36 (2021).{{cite magazine |last=Cooper|first=Ali |date=April 26, 2023 |title= Hollywood Undead's Johnny 3 Tears: 10 albums that changed my life|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/johnny-3-tears-10-records-that-changed-my-life |magazine=Metal Hammer |location= |publisher=Future plc |access-date=December 15, 2023}}{{cite magazine |last=Cooper |first=Ali |date=April 8, 2021 |title= We got Hollywood Undead's Johnny 3 Tears to make us the mixtape of his life |url= https://www.loudersound.com/features/hollywood-undead-johnny-3-tears-mixtape-playlist |magazine= Metal Hammer|location= |publisher= Future plc|access-date=December 16, 2023}}
Other ventures
Since 2010, Ragan and Hollywood Undead bandmate J-Dog (birth name Jorel Decker) have run a cannabis business together called "Dove and Grenade".{{cite magazine |last=Chesler |first= Josh|date= September 15, 2022|title= Odd Jobs: Hollywood Undead's Always Been Cannabis Entrepreneurs — But Now They Do It Legally |url= https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/odd-jobs-hollywood-undead-always-150006075.html |magazine=Spin |location= |publisher= Yahoo! Entertainment|access-date=December 14, 2023}} They began by growing in a few garages in the North Hollywood and Sylmar neighborhoods of Los Angeles. After the 2018 legalization of cannabis in Oklahoma for medical usage, Ragan and Decker moved their company's operations eastward to Lindsay, Oklahoma in 2019.{{cite news |last=Bloom |first= Steve|date= July 7, 2022|title=Hollywood Undead Co-Founder Moves Cannabis Brand to Oklahoma |url= https://www.celebstoner.com/news/celebstoner-news/2022/07/07/hollywood-undead-jorel-decker-ramshead-cannabis-oklahoma/#:~:text=Decker%20founded%20Ramshead%20Cannabis%20with,are%20more%20than%202%2C000%20dispensaries.|work=CelebStoner |location= |access-date=December 15, 2023}}{{cite magazine |last=Weedn |first=Simon |date=April 13, 2020 |title=Talking Music and Marijuana With Hollywood Undead |url= https://hightimes.com/culture/music/talking-music-marijuana-hollywood-undead/amp/|magazine=High Times |location= |publisher= |access-date=December 15, 2023}}
Personal life
In an interview with Cryptic Rock, Ragan stated that he regularly meditates, and that he enjoys exploring the culture of places that he visits on tour.{{cite magazine |last= |first= |date= February 5, 2020|title= Interview — Johnny 3 Tears of Hollywood Undead|url= https://crypticrock.com/interview-johnny-3-tears-of-hollywood-undead/ |magazine= Cryptic Rock|location= |publisher= |access-date=December 16, 2023}} Around early 2020, Ragan moved from his native Los Angeles to Nashville for a "change of pace".{{cite magazine |last= Kroll|first= Katy|date=February 14, 2020 |title= Hollywood Undead Is Ready to Build A 'New Empire' With Latest Record|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/hollywood-undead-new-empire-interview-8550849/amp/ |magazine=Billboard |location= |publisher= |access-date=December 15, 2023}}