Thomas Matthew "Tom" DeLonge, Jr. (born December 13, 1975), is an American musician, singer, songwriter, author, and entrepreneur. He is currently the guitarist and lead vocalist of the rock band
Angels & Airwaves and was the guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the American rock band
Blink-182 from 1992 to 2015. DeLonge grew up in the suburbs of
Poway, California, where he embraced
skateboarding at an early age. DeLonge received his first guitar shortly thereafter and began writing original
punk rock songs. He formed Blink-182 with bassist
Mark Hoppus and drummer
Scott Raynor during his high school years. The band created a following in the mid-1990s through independent releases and relentless touring, particularly in their home country and in Australia. They signed to
MCA Records in 1996 and their second album,
Dude Ranch (1997), featured the hit single "
Dammit".