Maynard was born to a Baptist family and grew up with an older
sister in Ravenna, Ohio. Maynard attended
Brown Jr High and then Ravenna High school through the 10th grade
until he moved to Michigan. There he attended Mason County Central
High School in Scottville, MI. By the time he entered the army, in
1982, he had lived in Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, New York,
Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas.
Maynard was a member
of the United States Military Academy ("West
Point") prep school class of 1984. He was member of the cross country
and wrestling teams, the glee club, and the "Knight Crier." References to the Honor Code "I will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do"; and to the term 'tool' probably
came from this experience.
Maynard quit the military to study art, which eventually led to a job
in LA applying spatial design concepts (called "Feng Shui") to
remodeling pet stores. While Maynard was in Michigan, he attened
the Kendall College of Art & Design, which is one of the best in that
area. His artwork is rumored to be very abstract. Maynard was friends
with Gillian Anderson while he was at Kendall.
Before Tool, in the 80's, Maynard was in Children of the Anachronistic
Dynasty (C.A.D.) that released an independent cassette called
'Fingernails'. He was also in another band called TexAns.
Maynard met Danny Carey in LA when they were neighbors. Danny
let Maynard and Adam use his practice space, and ended up playing
with them a few times.
Maynard's father is a retired high school teacher from Mason County
Central Highschool in Scottville, Michigan. They get along fine and
Maynard visits home every year. Maynard is rumored to reside near
Sedona, Arizona.
Maynard was involved in a second project called 'A Perfect
Circle,' though he was still very much a part of Tool.
Birth Name : James Herbert Keenan
Birthday : April 17, 1964
Quick Facts :
Maynard was a Kiss maniac when he was 12.
His first concert was Rick Springfield.
He was voted 'most artistic' by his high school senior class.
Maynard has a son named Devo who was born August 5, 1995.
He practices Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, occasionally under Rickson Gracie.
Has paintings by Ramiro Rodriquez.