Editing Chester Bennington (section)

===Linkin Park===
[[File:Chester Bennington, Linkin Park @ Sonisphere.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Bennington performing with Linkin Park at the 2009 [[Sonisphere Festival]]]]

Bennington had been frustrated and nearly quit his musical career altogether until [[Jeff Blue]], the vice president of [[artists and repertoire|A&R]] at Zomba Music in Los Angeles, offered him an audition with the future members of [[Linkin Park]] (then known as Xero).<ref name="stone1" /> He quit his day job at a digital services firm<ref name="kerrang-2008" /> and traveled to California for the audition, in which he successfully won a place in the band. He left his own birthday party early to record his audition.<ref>{{cite news |last=Morton |first=Luke |url=https://www.kerrang.com/chester-bennington-left-his-own-birthday-party-to-record-linkin-parks-lost-track-pictureboard |title=Chester Bennington Left His Own Birthday Party To Record Linkin Park's Lost Track, Pictureboard |work=Kerrang! |date=October 9, 2020 |access-date=December 31, 2021 |archive-date=December 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231145750/https://www.kerrang.com/chester-bennington-left-his-own-birthday-party-to-record-linkin-parks-lost-track-pictureboard |url-status=live }}</ref> Bennington and [[Mike Shinoda]], the band's other vocalist, made significant progress together but failed to find a record deal and faced numerous rejections.<ref name="stone1" /> Blue, who had since become vice president of A&R at [[Warner Records]],<ref name="stone1" /> intervened again to help the band sign with the label.

On October 24, 2000, Linkin Park released their debut album, ''[[Hybrid Theory]]'', through Warner Records. Bennington and Shinoda wrote the lyrics to ''Hybrid Theory'' based on some early material.<ref name="rolling stone 2002">Fricke, David. [http://www.lptimes.com/bio/bio_band.html "Rap Metal Rulers"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051224225657/http://www.lptimes.com/bio/bio_band.html |date=December 24, 2005 }}, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' No. 891, March 14, 2002</ref> Shinoda characterized the lyrics as interpretations of universal feelings, emotions, and experiences, and as "everyday emotions you talk about and think about".<ref name="bbc session">[[BBC Radio 1]], Evening Session Interview with [[Steve Lamacq]], June 13, 2001</ref><ref name="text bbc session">{{cite web|url=http://lptimes.com/article/BBC_061301.html|title=BBC Session Interview|access-date=September 19, 2007|publisher=LP Times|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123122820/http://lptimes.com/article/BBC_061301.html|archive-date=January 23, 2008}}</ref> Bennington later described the songwriting experience to ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine in early 2002, "It's easy to fall into that thing&nbsp;– 'poor, poor me', that's where songs like '[[Crawling (song)|Crawling]]' come from: I can't take myself. But that song is about taking responsibility for your actions. I don't say 'you' at any point. It's about how I'm the reason that I feel this way. There's something inside me that pulls me down."<ref name="rolling stone 2002" />

Bennington was Linkin Park's primary lead vocalist, but he occasionally shared the role with Shinoda. ''[[AllMusic|All Music Guide]]'' described Bennington's vocals as "higher-pitched" and "emotional", in contrast to Shinoda's hip-hop-style delivery.<ref name="mtv1" /> Both members also worked together to write lyrics for the band's songs.<ref name="nyrock-int">{{cite news|first = Talia|last = Soghomonian|title = interview with Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park|date = May 2003|url = http://www.nyrock.com/interviews/2003/linkin_int.asp|work = NY Rock|access-date = September 30, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081004203828/http://www.nyrock.com/interviews/2003/linkin_int.asp|archive-date = October 4, 2008|df = mdy-all}}</ref>

''[[Hybrid Theory]]'' (2000) was certified [[RIAA certification#List of certifications|diamond]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]] in 2005.<ref>Recording Industry Association of America, [https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=tblDiamond RIAA Record Sales] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725044833/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=tblDiamond |date=July 25, 2013 }}. Retrieved June 13, 2007</ref> The band's second album, ''[[Meteora (album)|Meteora]]'' (2003), reached number one on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] album chart,<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504180241/http://www.soundspike.com/news/main/article/788/album_chart_linkin_parks_meteora_shoots_to_the_top.html |archive-date=May 4, 2009 |url=http://www.soundspike.com/news/main/article/788/album_chart_linkin_parks_meteora_shoots_to_the_top.html |website=Soundspike: Album Chart |title=Linkin Park's 'Meteora' shoots to the top |last=Zahlaway |first=Jon |date=April 2, 2003 |access-date=June 14, 2013}}</ref> as did its third album, ''[[Minutes to Midnight (Linkin Park album)|Minutes to Midnight]]'' (2007).<ref>Billboard.com, [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=linkin park|chart=Billboard 200}} M2M holds the top slot for the current week]. Retrieved May 28, 2007</ref><ref name="billm">Billboard.com, [https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1051972/linkin-park-scores-years-best-debut-with-midnight Linkin Park Scores Year's Best Debut With 'Midnight'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706120624/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1051972/linkin-park-scores-years-best-debut-with-midnight |date=July 6, 2017 }}. Retrieved May 28, 2007</ref> Linkin Park has sold more than 70 million albums and 30 million singles worldwide.<ref name="Independent sales">{{cite web|first=Phil|last=Shaw|title=Chester Bennington: Lead singer of Linkin Park remembered|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/chester-bennington-linkin-park-lead-singer-fans-death-suicide-childhood-chris-cornell-nu-metal-a7858551.html|work=[[The Independent]]|date=July 25, 2017|access-date=August 8, 2017|archive-date=July 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731193149/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/chester-bennington-linkin-park-lead-singer-fans-death-suicide-childhood-chris-cornell-nu-metal-a7858551.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2003, [[MTV2]] named Linkin Park the sixth-greatest band of the music video era and the third-best of the new millennium.<ref name="Negri">{{cite news |first=Andrea |last=Negri |title=22 greatest bands? Something 2 argue about |work=Houston Chronicle |date=October 10, 2003}}</ref> ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' ranked Linkin Park No.&nbsp;19 on the Best Artists of the Decade chart.<ref name="Artists Of The Decade">Billboard Artists Of The Decade, [https://www.billboard.com/#/charts-decade-end/artists-of-the-decade?year=2009&begin=11&order=position] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710030942/http://www.billboard.com/#/charts-decade-end/artists-of-the-decade?year=2009&begin=11&order=position|date=July 10, 2012}}. Retrieved August 15, 2011.</ref> In 2012, the band was voted as the greatest artist of the 2000s in a Bracket Madness poll on [[VH1]].<ref name="vh1.com">{{cite web|title=BRACKET MADNESS: Linkin Park Is The Greatest Artist Of The 00s |url=http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/tag/bracket-madness/page/2/ |date=September 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130205155510/http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/tag/bracket-madness/page/2/ |archive-date=February 5, 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 28, 2017 }}</ref>