Gibson Les Paul Black Beauty 1969 ex Deryck Whibley (Sum 41)

Deryck Whibley

In the heart of the 2000s, several bands emerged as leaders of a movement embraced by youth worldwide: the revival of punk and the rise of pop-punk. Among them, Sum 41 stood at the forefront alongside Green Day and Blink-182. As the charismatic captain of a band dominating international airwaves, Canadian musician Deryck Whibley led the group to the top, even managing to guide Sum 41 through more challenging years to restore their status as icons of their genre.

One thing is certain: the ever-likable Sum 41 have never chased technical prowess for its own sake. True to their punk spirit, their recipe has always been fast-changing four-chord progressions and big, catchy choruses. By sticking to that formula, they established themselves as genre-defining artists with hits such as “In Too Deep,” “Still Waiting,” and “Fat Lip.”

The Canadian band released album after album filled with punk anthems that borrow just the right amount from metal and pop, delivering an unending stream of energetic, memorable tracks. An tireless frontman, Deryck Whibley embraced his role all the way to the band’s farewell tour and final concert in January 2025. He was the inspired songwriter behind Sum 41’s biggest hits (and some of contemporary punk’s defining songs), the captain who steered a drifting ship back on course in the mid-2010s, and the one who restored the band’s status as an absolute reference by the time they took their final bow in Toronto in January 2025. He is also a skilled music producer, advising and shaping sound from his home studio, where he has gathered guitars always chosen with great care. Punk doesn’t exclude playing high-quality guitars… without smashing them!