John Spence (musician)

No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, they were supported by trombonist and keyboardist Gabrial McNair and trumpeter and keyboardist Stephen Bradley in live performances.

Though their 1992 eponymous debut album failed to make an impact, its ska punk–inspired follow-up '' The Beacon Street Collection'' sold over 100,000 copies in 1995, over triple that of its predecessor. The band's diamond-certified album '' Tragic Kingdom'' (1995) benefited from the resurgence of third-wave ska in the 1990s, and " Don't Speak", the third single from the album, which set a record when it spent 16 weeks at the number one spot on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Airplay chart. " Just a Girl", co-written by Stefani, was described as "the most popular cut on the CD".

The group's next album, '' Return of Saturn'' (2000), despite its Top 40 hit single " Simple Kind of Life", did not match the success of their previous album, but received critical praise and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 43rd Grammy Awards. Fifteen months later, the band reappeared with the album '' Rock Steady'' (2001), which incorporated reggae and dancehall music into their work. The album was primarily recorded in Jamaica and featured collaborations with Jamaican artists Bounty Killer, Sly and Robbie, and Lady Saw. The album produced two Grammy-winning singles, " Hey Baby" and " Underneath It All". "Hella Good" was also nominated for a Grammy award. On November 22, 2002, No Doubt received the Key to the City of Anaheim, given by the Mayor of Anaheim, Tom Daly, in Disneyland during the band's appearance on (KROQ-FM) where they performed five songs. After a 2004 tour the band embarked on solo projects, with Stefani releasing two successful solo albums ''Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004) and ''The Sweet Escape'' (2006), while Tom Dumont released his own solo music project, Invincible Overlord. In 2008, the band resumed working slowly on their sixth and latest effort, titled '' Push and Shove'' (2012), and released their single " Settle Down". They have sold over 33 million records worldwide.

History

Formation, early years and line-up changes (1986–1989)

In 1986, Eric Stefani and John Spence met at a Dairy Queen and talked about getting a group together to play music. Stefani acquired a keyboard and gathered some players together to practice; these included himself (keyboards), his sister Gwen Stefani (backing vocals), John Spence (lead vocals), Jerry McMahon (guitar), Chris Leal (bass), Chris Webb (drums), Gabriel Gonzalez (trumpet), Alan Meade (trumpet), and Tony Meade (saxophone). They practiced in Eric's parents' garage.

Tony Kanal went to one of the band's early shows, and soon joined the band as its bassist. After initially rejecting her advances, he began dating Gwen, but they kept their relationship secret for a year, feeling that it was an unspoken rule that no one in the band date her."No Doubt". '' Behind the Music''. VH1. April 9, 2000. Paul Caseley (trombone) also joined the band in 1987. Eric Carpenter (saxophone) joined the horn section soon after. The group performed at an Orange High School backyard graduation party on June 6, 1987, with two other California ska bands. At the party, No Doubt's set included "Total Hate", "Too Much Pressure", "Danger", "Paulina", "Gangsters", and the song "No Doubt". Video clips from the party appeared on VH1's '' Behind the Music''.

In December 1987, Spence died by suicide, several days before the band was to play a gig at The Roxy Theatre for record industry employees. No Doubt disbanded but decided to regroup after several weeks with Alan Meade taking over vocals. When Meade left the band, Gwen replaced him as lead singer, and No Doubt continued to develop a live following in California. In early 1988, Tom Dumont left Rising, a heavy metal band of which he was a member with his sister, stating that local metal bands "were into drinking, wearing Spandex" but that he wanted to focus on music. He joined No Doubt and replaced Jerry McMahon as the band's guitarist. Adrian Young replaced Chris Webb as their drummer the following year. During this time period, No Doubt played gigs at local colleges, Fender's Grand Ballroom, The Whisky, The Roxy, many shows with The Untouchables, Fishbone, and a show with the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Cal State Long Beach. Caseley left No Doubt in July 1989 for the US Navy Band.

Self-titled debut album (1990–1992)

Impressed by the presence of stage diving fans at No Doubt's concerts and Gwen's on-stage presence, Tony Ferguson signed the band to a multi-album deal with the newly created Interscope Records in 1990. No Doubt's self-titled debut album was finally released in 1992, but it featured no radio singles, although a video was made for "Trapped in a Box". Owing to the music world's direct focus on grunge, No Doubt's album was not supported by the record label, and was considered a commercial failure for selling only 30,000 copies. The band embarked on a national tour in support of the album, though Interscope refused to support the tour. The band failed to bring the audiences that it had attracted in southern California, and often found that ''No Doubt'' was not even available in the cities where it was playing. Eric Stefani began to withdraw from the group, vacillating between being in and out of the band.

Reorganization and career breakthrough (1993–1997)

The band began work on its next album the next year, but Interscope rejected much of its material, and the band was paired with producer Matthew Wilder. Eric did not like to relinquish creative control to someone outside the band and eventually stopped recording and rehearsing. He left No Doubt in 1994 to resume an animation career with the cartoon TV series '' The Simpsons''. Kanal then ended his seven-year relationship with Gwen, saying that he needed "space". Unsure of what to do with the band, Interscope sublicensed the project to Trauma Records in 1993. No Doubt released '' The Beacon Street Collection'', consisting of outtakes from its previous recording sessions, in 1995 on its own label, Beacon Street Records. Mixing 1980s punk rock and some grunge influences into the band's sound, the album contains a rawer sound than ''No Doubt'', and it sold more than three times as many copies as its predecessor. Later that year, Trauma Records released '' Tragic Kingdom'', much of which dealt with the relationship between Tony Kanal and Gwen Stefani.

The release of 1995's '' Tragic Kingdom'' and the single " Just a Girl" allowed the group to achieve mainstream commercial success. No Doubt began touring in support of the album late that year, and it grew into a 27-month international tour. In 1996, the second single, " Spiderwebs", was successful, and " Don't Speak", a ballad written by Gwen and Eric Stefani about Gwen and Kanal's break-up, was released as the third single and broke the previous record when it topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Airplay for sixteen non-consecutive weeks. No Doubt was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Rock Album at the 1997 Grammy Awards. By the end of the year, half of the songs on ''Tragic Kingdom'' had been released as singles, and the album was certified eight times platinum. Later, they were nominated for two more Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, both for "Don't Speak". The Recording Industry Association of America certified the album diamond in February 1999, and with worldwide sales of sixteen million. Through the success of ''Tragic Kingdom'', the band's self-titled debut album began again to sell copies, and reached total sales of over a quarter of a million copies.

The album's release fueled a dispute between Trauma and Interscope Records over No Doubt's recording contract. Trauma sued for US$100 million for breach of contract, fraud, and extortion and sought to have its joint venture agreement ended, claiming that Interscope had reneged on its contract after the band had become more successful than expected. No Doubt had previously stated that it had switched to Trauma Records and that the transition was "really great...because now we have the attention and the focus of a small indie label." The case was settled out of court with a $3 million payment.

Continued touring and new albums (1998–2003)

The band finished its tour in December 1997 and had several releases during the two-year writing process to make its follow-up to ''Tragic Kingdom''. '' Live in the Tragic Kingdom'', a live long-form video of the band's performance at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, was released and ''The Beacon Street Collection'' was re-released while the band was on tour that year. The band recorded "I Throw My Toys Around" with Elvis Costello for '' The Rugrats Movie'', and it contributed to The Clash's tribute album '' Burning London: The Clash Tribute''. Stefani began to make recordings without the band, contributing vocals to tracks for The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Prince, Fishbone, and Familyhood Nextperience, and her boyfriend Gavin Rossdale's band Bush. After some time in-between albums, No Doubt included its song "New" on the soundtrack to the movie '' Go'' in 1999. "New", inspired by Gwen's budding relationship with Rossdale, was one of the first songs written after the release of ''Tragic Kingdom''.
In 2000, the band released '' Return of Saturn'', its follow-up to ''Tragic Kingdom''. The album featured a darker tone and was more lyrically advanced than No Doubt's previous work. The main lyrical focus of the new record had shifted from Gwen Stefani's relationship with bassist Tony Kanal to her new relationship with Gavin Rossdale. ''Return of Saturn'' was critically acclaimed, but was not as commercially successful as their previous album, and the lead single, "Ex-Girlfriend