No Doubt: Biography

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Formed:

Jan 1, 1987

Genre:

Rock Music

Decades Active:

1990's|2000's

Artistic Quality

Medium

Cultural Impact

Medium

Popularity

Medium

Ratings Guide

With the return of the punks in the mid'90s came a resurgence of their slightly more commercial rivals, new wave bands. No Doubt found a niche as a new wave/ska band, on the strength of vocalist Gwen Stefani's persona alternately an embrace of littlegirllost innocence and riot grrl feminism exemplified on the band's breakout single, "Just a Girl."

Formed in early 1987 as a ska band inspired by Madness, the lineup of No Doubt initially comprised John Spence, Gwen Stefani and her brother Eric. While playing the partyband circuit around Anaheim, the trio picked up bassist Tony Kanal, born in India but raised in Great Britain and the U.S. Hardened by the suicide of Spence in December 1987, No Doubt nevertheless continued; Gwen became the lone vocalist and the group added guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young.

No Doubt's live act began to attract regional interest, and Interscope Records signed them in 1991. The band's debut a year later, an odd fusion of '80s pop and ska, sank without a trace in the wake of the grunge movement. As a result, Interscope refused to support No Doubt's tour or further recordings. The band responded by recording on their own during 199394; the result was the selfreleased The Beacon Street Collection, much rawer and more punkinspired than the debut. Eric Stefani left just after its release, later working as an animator for The Simpsons.

By late 1994, Interscope allowed recordings to resume, and Tragic Kingdom was released in October 1995. The album served as a document of the breakup of Gwen Stefani and Kanal, whose relationship had lasted seven years. Thanks to constant touring and the appearance of "Just a Girl" and "Spiderwebs" on MTV's Buzz Bin, the album hit the Top Ten in 1996. Stefani, who has made no secret of her pop ambitions, became a centerpiece of attention as an alternative to the crop of tough girls prevalent on the charts. By the end of the year, Tragic Kingdom hit number one on the album charts, almost a year after its first release; the record's third single, the ballad "Don't Speak," was the band's biggest hit to date. No Doubt's muchanticipated followup, The Return of Saturn, was released in the spring of 2000 and "Simple Kind of Life" and "ExGirlfriend" were both critically successful at the mainstream and college levels. A year later, Stefani also hooked up with rap chanteuse, Eve for the single "Let Me Blow Your Mind" (it went on to earn a Grammy for "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" in 2002), however Stefani also joined her band for the release of fifth album. The skarevival and new wave sounds of Rock Steady was issued hot on the heels of debut single "Hey Baby" in December 2001.

- John Bush, All Music Guide