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Nickelback Biography
If anyone thought mainstream
rock went out of style, apparently they failed to hear Nickelback, the
Canadian quartet that took the world by storm in 2002 with the omnipresent
anthem, "How You Remind Me."
Although it may have seemed that Nickelback was an overnight success,
nothing could be further from the truth. The band, fronted by
singer/guitarist Chad Kroeger and his bass-playing brother, Mike, started
in the mid-'90s as a cover band in the small town of Hanna, Alberta. By
1996, the band relocated to Vancouver and Kroeger had begun writing his
own songs. Once in the big city, the band—which also includes drummer
Ryan Vikedal and guitarist Ryan Peake—hit the recording studio with a
vengeance. In that year alone Nickelback churned out the Hesher EP and its
debut long-player, Curb.
Following years of road work,
the band re-emerged in 2000 with The State, which garnered airplay in
their native Canada, partially due to Canadian content laws that require
broadcasters to play a certain amount of homegrown recordings. With the
band's star rising due to frequent touring and airplay seeping into the
U.S., The State was picked up for release in America, where it proved to
be a modest success.
The stage was set for Nickelback's big breakthrough and the band did not
fail deliver when Silver Side Up was released in the fall of 2001. The
album featured "How You Remind Me," which first hit rock
stations, topping both the Modern and Mainstream charts before crossing
over to Top 40, and ending up at the summit of the Hot 100. When all was
said and done, "How You Remind Me" was the most played song of
2002 across all radio formats, according to Billboard's Airplay Monitor.
Fueled by the airplay, Silver Side Up went on to sell more than 9 million
copies worldwide.
Perhaps to prove his talent wasn't limited to Nickelback, Chad Kroeger cut
a duet with Saliva singer Josey Scott for the Spider-Man soundtrack. The
track, called "Hero," became another monster hit. He also turned
up on Santana's Shaman--although he prevented the guitarist's label from
releasing the track as a single—and produced Theory Of A Deadman, a
Vancouver-based outfit that signed to his 604 Records imprint.
By the fall of 2003, however, Chad Kroeger was back in the Nickelback fold
with the release of Long Road.
Nickelback Links
Nickelback
Official Website |
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