20 August 2010, 4:37 pm
"NO DOUBT BAND BIO: # The Very Beginning # Anaheim, California. Little Gwen, whose tastes run along the lines of The Sound of Music, agrees to sing lead vocals on older brother Eric Stefani's first song, "Stick It In The Hole," about a pencil sharpener. Born and raised in England, relocated to Southern California at age 11, saxophonist Tony Kanal joins his high-school jazz band in 10th grade as the bass player. Ninth grader Adrian Young attempts to drum to "Bend Over" by O.C. band Doggy Style at a school talent contest; his parents bought him a kit when he was 18. A wee lad with a prized KISS record living in Irvine (California), Tom Dumont dreamed of being a rock star. As a teen, hopeful Tom started practicing guitar. # Setting the Foundation # December 1986 Back-flipping singer John Spence forms Orange County-based 2 Tone ska group No Doubt-named after his favorite expression-with keyboardist Eric, who forces Gwen to sing backing vocals. Gwen cites Madness, Kermit the Frog, Julie Andrews and Fishbone's Angelo Moore as her heroes. # March 12, 1987 After several raucous party performances, No Doubt play their first "official" gig at Fender's Ballroom in Long Beach, California; the band was second on a bill of 14 with The Untouchables headlining. Tony, a high-school junior, was one of several hundred people watching. Shortly thereafter, he tries out. Band accepts him even though he's never been in a band, has long hair and is wearing Mexican sandals. By the summer, Tony, an organized perfectionist, becomes the band's unofficial manager. # December 21, 1987 Tragically, John Spence committed suicide at an Anaheim park. A few days later, No Doubt plays a big industry gig at the Roxy in Hollywood. Devastated over John's suicide, they call it quits. Days later they reform knowing that's what John would want. # Still Forming # Spring 1988 College music student and heavy-metal guitarist Tom leaves his sister's band, Rising, because the metal scene in O.C. sucks; after peering in the window while No Doubt rehearsed, Tom pulls his long hair into a ponytail and joins the Ska-heavy No Doubt, adding a heavier edge. # 1987-1988 Part of the then-underground-ska-scene, No Doubt built a huge following of loyal "rude boys" and "rude girls" after numerous gigs opening for The Untouchables and Fishbone, as well as their own all-ages shows. A three-song and a five-song demo are sold at shows. # Summer 1989 Drummer, huge No Doubt fan and fibber, Adrian joins No Doubt after calling a number from the back of a demo tape; he tells No Doubt he has years of experience; he only has one. His love of 70's rock and Ska made the choice obvious. No Doubt plays their first out-of-state show in Arizona to about a hundred people." # 1989-1990 Band quickly evolves into a solid five-piece unit, expanding their sound to include the styles of each member. With shows opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ziggy Marley and Mano Negra, their fan base broadens to the college crowd. Pizza mailing list parties become the modus operandi as the list, which was started in 1987, grows from a few hundred names to a couple thousand. (In 1993, when the list reaches approximately 7,000 names, Tony decides to have just pizza parties.) # Underground Band Strikes It Big...Sort Of # August 1991 No Doubt signs a "big" recording contract with Interscope Records; they continue driving around O.C. in their old cars and work day jobs (Gwen and Tony are sales people at the same department store, Adrian waits tables at a steak house, and Tom runs a small music equipment rental business). Interscope head honcho Jimmy Iovine predicts Gwen will be a star in five years. The band really wants to be played on Los Angeles radio station KROQ. # Oct # October - December 1991 Between working and going to school (Tom's a music major, Gwen's an art major, Tony and Adrian are psychology majors.), the group drives to a Los Angeles studio to record their 14-song debut album, which features early-crafted songs (1987) as well as recently penned material; they spend less than $13,000. # March 1992 Self-titled No Doubt released. Only 30,000 sold; grunge is in; they don't get played on KROQ. Adrian remembers the program director saying, "It would take an act of God for this band to get on the radio." Enough said. In support of No Doubt, the band embarks on its first two-week, 13-show, Western-state headlining tour in two vans (five members, a three-piece horn section, a roadie, tour manager/soundman and equipment). # Summer 1992 Band makes video for "Trapped in the Box" for a mere $5,000; MTV never played it. No Doubt once again makes a two-week Western run. # Fall 1992 Hitting the "big time," the band undertakes a two-and-a-half month national tour-still in vans. Although predominately headlining small clubs, they opened shows for Public Enemy, Pato Banton and The Special Beat. # From Tragic Comes Magic # March 1993 No Doubt begins the first sessions for what would be called Tragic Kingdom. The album was recorded in 11 different studios over two and a half years. Tony refers to it as a "battleground"-and there were casualties. # 1994 Eric departs before the completion of Tragic Kingdom to continue as an animator on The Simpsons. After a seven-year relationship, Tony and Gwen split; the singer has plenty to sing about and "Don't Speak" evolves from a love song into a broken heart number. # Early 1995 No Doubt self-releases the 10-song Beacon Street Collection comprised of B-Sides from Tragic Kingdom. It is named after the house on the street in Anaheim where several members lived and the garage studio where most of the tracks were recorded. Available only at shows and local record stores, they sell out of the first thousand CDs. # August - September 1995 Laying the groundwork for Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt plays the main stage on the first Warped Tour. # October 1995 Tragic Kingdom, a mixture of ska, new wave, pop, punk and rock, is released. Of the lyrics, Gwen says: "We went through some really bad times in the past couple years. Our way of dealing with that is humor and I think that's really apparent in the record." Album doesn't make the charts and KROQ, slow to catch on, doesn't pay attention. No Doubt plays Virgin Megastore in Costa Mesa, California. At the request of her mother, Gwen tries not to swear during "Just A Girl," but she does and her mom won't speak to # her for a week. # Winter 1995 KROQ pays attention; band smiles. New wave-ish "Just A Girl," about being a girl, gets massive requests. Band swears it's not their friends calling. In support of Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt tours a week with 311, then several weeks on their own, followed by Holiday radio shows. # A Girl is Queen, No Doubt is Fly # January 1996 Several months after it's release, Tragic Kingdom debuts on Billboard's Top 200 at No. 175, and the single "Just A Girl" reaches No. 10. Tom, the music's author, told Guitar World: "That single surprised the hell out of me. I always thought the song was cool, but I never expected it to fly like it has." Video, which features band and Gwen in separate rooms, is all over MTV; media focuses on Gwen's midriff and bindi. No Doubt makes late night debut performing "Just A Girl" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. # March 28, 1996 David Letterman is seen tapping his foot while No Doubt performs "Just A Girl" on The Late Show. # May 1996 On the road opening for Bush, Gwen breaks her foot while performing; the show must go on-this time with plenty of Band-Aids. # June 1996 The catchy "Spiderwebs," with music by Tony and Gwen-penned lyrics NOT about their relationship, reaches No. 5 in Billboard. Band begins their first European tour, followed by dates in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Japan. # July 1996 Tragic Kingdom goes Platinum. Gwen changes her hairstyle; media focuses on her belly, bindi and 'do. # August 1996 Tragic Kingdom certified Double-Platinum. Although No Doubt had been headlining in clubs for seven years, they embark on their first sold-out, theater-size headlining tour. Fashion magazines and teens mirror Gwen's style; Gwennabees are hatched. # September 5, 1996 Mutual admiration established, No Doubt returns to Letterman to perform "Spiderwebs." # Sometime 1996 A leading news magazine reports that "that No Doubt girl" is paving the way for a new style; she changes her hair again. The band gets cropped out of photos. No Doubt stipulates they are A BAND, not just a girl. Gwen becomes the reigning queen of pop. # October 1996 November issue of SPIN hits the stands with No Doubt cover story-only they forget No Doubt is a BAND. Gwen's pretty face and belly button get top billing while the boys are relegated to the Table of Contents page. SPIN says: "No Doubt is the Last American New Wave Group." November 1996 After performing nearly every night for a year, Gwen's vocal chords are strained; the band cancels its second European tour; the dates are made up in early 1997. Quintessential power ballad "Don't Speak," about Tony and Gwen's break up, reaches No. 2 on the Modern Rock chart and No. 1 on Hot 100 airplay chart in Billboard. The cathartic video depicts three forgotten guys pitted against the adored singer; it was therapeutic. "Has it got to the point where we mean nothing? If Gwen doesn't speak, we mean nothing?" Tom queries a Rolling Stone writer. # December 7, 1996 No Doubt perform "Don't Speak" and "Excuse Me Mr." on Saturday Night Live. The following week Tragic Kingdom reaches No. 1 in Billboard-14 months after its release, selling 229,000 copies the first week at the top spot, more than 500,000 Christmas week, and six million total. The album will spend nine weeks at No. 1, and 36 weeks in the Top 10. # Decade of No Doubt # Winter 1997 No Doubt begins its third headlining tour, this time at enormadome venues. It was either stripped-down clubs or Spinal Tap, jests Tom. They went with the classic comedy and the Cirque de Soliel sets. Tragic Kingdom reaches No. 1 on Billboard's International Album Eurochart, and was a Top 5 album in the U.K., Canada, Germany, Australia, Norway, Spain, Portugal, New Zealand, Denmark and Finland. # January 1997 No Doubt attends American Music Awards after being nominated for Favorite New Artist Pop/Rock. Band is super excited even if they don't win. "Not bad, Best New Artist and we've been around for 10 years," marvels Gwen. # February 1997 No Doubt attends Grammy Awards after being nominated for Best Rock Album and Best New Artist. Band is super excited even if they don't win. They perform "Spiderwebs" live. All-time touring highlight, No Doubt plays a sold-out, 3,000-capacity show in Israel-including members of the opposing religious groups. On their day off, they tour Jerusalem and swim in the Dead Sea. # March 1997 No Doubt celebrates Tenth Anniversary!!! # April 11, 1997 No Doubt perform the reggae-tinged "Sunday Morning" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; although the lyrics are once again about their break up, it's Tony's favorite No Doubt song. # May 1997 Rolling Stone finally puts No Doubt on the cover-the ENTIRE band in white surgical garb. The writer announces "everything (Gwen) says is true" and that their pop music is "rousing and potent." At a show in Northern California, which ironically included a rendition of "The Imperial March" from Star Wars, George Lucas and his daughter go backstage to meet the band. Lucas invites the band to see the Phantom Menace set in London. # July 1997 Tony meets his all-time music hero Prince after the Purple One checked out No Doubt's Minneapolis show. Later that night, the band jams at Paisley Park. # Summer 1997 Rarely seeing a Sunday morning at home, No Doubt continues to see the world from a stage. Tragic Kingdom, still in the Top 50 at 80-plus weeks on the charts, sells seven million in the U.S. and 11 million worldwide. No Doubt, their first record, has now sold around 250,000 copies. # September 4, 1997 They finally win. "Don't Speak" gives No Doubt the opportunity to speak as they enthusiastically accept the Best Group Video statue at the MTV Video Music Awards. Fall 1997 Tragic Kingdom has now sold in the neighborhood of eight million in the U.S. and 13 million worldwide. The end of the "big" tour for Tragic Kingdom. No Doubt hit some choice spots in Europe, and play for the first time in India, Singapore and South America. While in London, the band watches the filming of a Phantom Menace light saber scene starring Ewan McGregor's character and Darth Maul. In Singapore, the band abides by the country's laws for public performance: no spitting, swearing, gyrating, and naked torsos. A good time is still had. The band all agrees that playing in India was the most awesome experience on stage. For Tony, who flew his parents home to India for a rare visit, the experience held a special meaning as his extended family sat in the front row. # October 1997 Interscope re-releases the 10-song Beacon Street Collection as part of the back catalog. (100,000 copies were initially sold by the band in 1995.) # November 1997 No Doubt releases Live In The Tragic Kingdom, a 92-minute, live-performance video shot at The Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, the arena owned by the Magic Kingdom (Disneyland). Plenty of rock poses, good cheer and sweat. # December 1997 More good tidings, No Doubt's version of the Vandals joyful carol "Oi To The World appears on the album A Very Special Christmas III; album proceeds benefit the Special Olympics. The accompanying "Oi To The World" video was shot with a digital video camera by Sophie Muller while the band was on tour in India. # A Rest to Develop It # Early 1998 No Doubt takes some much needed time off. Separately, they step across the Orange County border and settle into new addresses within the L.A. County line. They also stop eating fast food-except Tony. Renting out a Hollywood Hills home, the band begins writing songs for the follow up to the big success-and finding their direction; as Gwen said: "We didn't know what kind of music we were going to write because we out grew our old style." Gwen, in love again, has plenty to sing about. # March 7, 1998 They win again-this time at the California Music Awards (formerly the BAMMIES). Gwen gets a statue for Outstanding Female Vocalist Statewide, and the band walks off with Outstanding Group Statewide. # March 1998 Adrian plays drums for the Vandals on a quick European tour. The band continues writing songs for their forthcoming CD. # April 1998 For the Stormy Weather '98 concert at L.A.'s Wiltern Theater, a benefit for Don Henley's Walden Woods Foundation, Gwen sings two torch songs: "I Can Dream, Can't I," made popular by the Andrew Sisters, and Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue." # August 1998 Gwen's a waitress-just for a day. She appears in an apron in a Rufus Wainwright video shot at her house. A week later, Gwen (without the apron) hosts a birthday bash for Tony and Adrian at her house. Many musician friends dance to loud rock music into the early morning. Wait there's more...?! At least tell if you agree with the facts. Also what to you thiink about it?... Read More »
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