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| Norah Jones | |
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Jones performing at Bright Eyes in May, 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Geethali Norah Jones Shankar |
| Born | March 30, 1979 (age 30) Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Genres | Jazz, blues, pop, soul, folk, country |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, musician, actress |
| Instruments | Singing, piano/keyboards, guitar |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | Blue Note |
| Associated acts | Ray Charles, Wax Poetic, Peter Malick, Willie Nelson, Q-Tip (rapper) |
| Website | www.norahjones.com |
Norah Jones (born March 30, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, keyboardist, guitarist, and actress. She is the daughter of sitarist Ravi Shankar and the half-sister of Anoushka Shankar.[1] Her career began with her 2002 debut album Come Away with Me, an adult contemporary vocal jazz album with a soul/folk/country tinge, that received five Grammy Awards, including “Record of the Year” and “Best New Artist”. This was followed by her second album, Feels like Home, released in 2004. In 2007, she released her third album, Not Too Late. Jones released her fourth album, The Fall, on November 17, 2009. She has sold more than 16 million albums in the US[2] and over 36 million records worldwide; altogether, she has sold more albums than any other female jazz artist during the 2000s.[3]
Early life
Jones was born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar in Brooklyn, New York on March 30, 1979 to Bengali Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar and concert producer Sue Jones.[4][5] She spent her childhood with her mother, who moved to the Dallas suburb of Grapevine, Texas, when Jones was four. She attended Colleyville Middle School, followed by a short period at Grapevine High School before transferring to Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas. Her only formal vocal training was her stint in the choir at Colleyville and Booker T. Washington. While at Colleyville, she also participated in band and played the alto saxophone. At the age of sixteen, with the blessings of her parents, she officially changed her name to “Norah Jones.”
Jones always had an affinity for the music of Bill Evans and Billie Holiday, among other ‘oldies.’ She once said, “My mom had this eight-album Billie Holiday set, I picked out one disc that I liked and played that over and over again.” She considers Willie Nelson her mentor. She began singing in church choirs and took piano lessons as a child. She still attends church. She considers herself spiritual and appreciates the ritual of church but does not consider herself the religious type.[6] She attended Interlochen Center for the Arts during the summers. While at high school, she won the DownBeat Student Music Awards for Best Jazz Vocalist (twice, in 1996 and 1997) and Best Original Composition (1996).[7]
Jones went to the University of North Texas, where she majored in jazz piano. It was during this time she had a chance meeting with future collaborator Jesse Harris, who later catapulted her to fame. She was picking up a band that was playing at the university that also happened to be friends of Harris. The latter was making a stop on a cross-country road-trip with her friend, Richard Julian, to see the band play. Harris was soon sending her lead sheets of his songs. In 1999, after two years struggling in the program at the university, she left for New York City. Less than a year later she started a band with Harris.[8]
Musical career
2001–2004: Career music development
Norah Jones signed a deal with Blue Note Records, a EMI Group owned label.In January 1, 2004, prior to the release of her first album on Hollywood, she released a five-song EP, This Is My Time Advance EP to promote the album. Jones was a lounge singer before becoming a recording artist.[9] She played with artists and bands including Wax Poetic and the Peter Malick Group. She performed frequently with guitarist Charlie Hunter in 2001.
Jones’ debut album, Come Away with Me, was released in February 2002 and was instantly celebrated for its blending of mellow, acoustic pop with soul and jazz. It hit number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, with the single “Don’t Know Why” hitting number one on the Top 40 Adult Recurrents in 2003 and #30 in the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. It won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards. She made a cameo appearance in the 2002 movie Two Weeks Notice playing the piano and singing “The Nearness of You” at the fundraiser.
The album received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America on August 22, 2002, and went on to become a diamond album on February 15, 2005.[10]
2004–2006: Commercial success
Jones released her second album, Feels Like Home, on February 9, 2004. Rather than repeat the softer, jazz mood of Come Away with Me, her second album was influenced by country music. Within a week of its release, Feels Like Home had sold over a million copies, making it the highest-selling album in the history of Blue Note Records. Jones toured globally again, to promote the album with the Handsome Band, and the addition of backing singer Daru Oda. Time magazine included Jones on the Time 100, a list of the most influential people of 2004.[11] The album débuted at number one in at least 16 countries around the world.[12]
2006–2008: Affirmation of music career
Jones’ third album, Not Too Late, was released by Blue Note Records on January 30, 2007. The album is her first for which she wrote or co-wrote every song, and according to her, some of them are much darker than those on her previous albums.[13] Not Too Late was mostly recorded at Jones’s home studio and is the first album Jones recorded without producer Arif Mardin, who died in the summer of 2006. Jones described the sessions as “fun, relaxed and easy” and without a deadline; executives at Blue Note Records reportedly did not know they were recording an album. The song “My Dear Country” is political commentary; she wrote it before the United States Presidential election day in 2004.
Not Too Late reached the #1 position in twenty countries. It is the third best first week album sales of 2007 after Avril Lavigne’s third album The Best Damn Thing and Linkin Park’s third album Minutes to Midnight. The album became the 800th album to reach the top spot on the UK chart. It also reached #1 in the U.S. with 405,000 copies sold. According to a press release from EMI, Not Too Late is certified gold or platinum in twenty-one countries as of February 2007.[14] The album has sold 5 million copies worldwide.
2009-present: New image and new sounds
Jones announced in August 2009 that she will release a new album, The Fall, on November 17. According to Billboard.com, the album appears to be a departure from past offerings, as she will forgo her signature jazz sound and embark on more contemporary rock.[15] She will collaborate with Ryan Adams, Will Sheff of Okkervil River, the keyboardist James Poyser, and guitarists Marc Ribot and Smokey Hormel.[16][17]
In September 2009, during a radio interview, Jones announced the album’s title and performed “Man of the Hour,” one of the songs that appears on the new record.[citation needed]
On September 9, 2009, Jones performed live at the Apple “It’s Only Rock and Roll” iPod event in San Francisco, California, to promote her new album.
The first single from The Fall, “Chasing Pirates”, was released on October 13, 2009 through iTunes.
Personal life
Jones was in a long term relationship with her bass player Lee Alexander[18] from 2000 until they split during the Christmas Holiday season of 2007 [19]
Additional projects
Norah Jones playing at the Blaisdell Arena.
Jones appeared in the comedy track Dreamgirl in the debut album from The Lonely Island, Incredibad (featuring SNL performer Andy Samberg). The first half of the song pays homage to a certain fictional female, but the second half goes on tangent, paying yet another homage to Chex Mix. She also made a cameo in the 2002 movie Two Weeks Notice came just as her career was beginning to expand. The film shows her briefly at the piano, singing for a charity benefit. In the latter part of 2003, rumors emerged that veteran Indian filmmaker Dev Anand was planning to make the film Song of Life, inspired by Jones’s troubled relationship with her father, Ravi Shankar. Both Jones and Shankar were enraged by the rumors. Jones commented, “[Anand] has no idea of our story, and he’s not going to represent it in a truthful way, I’m sure. It’s sad because it’s personal stuff and nobody’s business but ours.”
Jones also appeared on the Ryan Adams & The Cardinals album, Jacksonville City Nights on the track, “Dear John”.
Jones additionally formed the Little Willies in 2003 alongside Richard Julian on vocals, Jim Campilongo on guitar, Lee Alexander on bass, and Dan Rieser on drums. The self titled album contains mostly covers material and is primarily influenced by classic country music artists.
In a change of direction predating The Fall, Jones (virtually anonymous in a blond wig) played guitar on the self titled El Madmo released on May 20 2007 as “Maddie”. http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-el-madmo-el-madmo/
Jones has also worked with Mike Patton providing vocals on the track “sucker” on the first and only album of collaboration band Peeping Tom. Jones appeared in the 2004 special Sesame Street Presents: The Street We Live On.[20]
In February 2006, Screen International reported that Jones would make her acting debut as the protagonist of a film directed by Wong Kar-wai. The film, My Blueberry Nights, was the opening film for the 2007 Cannes Film Festival as one of the 22 films in competition. She wrote a song for the movie. In January 2007, Jones recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios for Live from Abbey Road. The episode, on which John Mayer and Richard Ashcroft also appeared, was aired in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 in March 2007 and in the USA on the Sundance Channel in June 2007. She appeared twice on the PBS series Austin City Limits, on November 2, 2002 and October 6, 2007. The latter appearance was the season opener.
Jones appears in Herbie Hancocks’ River: The Joni Letters singing the first track titled “Court and Spark”.
In 2009, Jones made a cameo in the independent film, Wah Do Dem,[21] co-starring Sean Bones and written by Ben Chace and Sam Fleischner.
Jones was also a judge for the 5th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists’ careers.[22]
The Hank Williams project
Jones is one of the participants in the so-called Hank Williams Project being overseen by Bob Dylan, and reportedly including contributions from Willie Nelson, Jack White, Lucinda Williams, and Alan Jackson.[23][24][25] On March 31, 2008, Jones commemorated the 10th anniversary of The Living Room with a midnight performance at the intimate Manhattan music venue where the singer got her start. She played a new song titled “How Many Times Have You Broken My Heart” and explained that it originated from newly-found Hank Williams lyrics she was asked to put to music.[24] Jones also performed the song in late 2008 on Elvis Costello’s talk/music television series, Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…
Tours
Throughout 2002 and 2003 Jones appeared on stages, globally, for her first tour with the Handsome Band, travelling throughout Asia, America, Europe and Oceania. The tour was received with numerous sell-out concerts and positive critical acclaim. Jones began a United States concert tour to promote her third album, Not Too Late, on April 13, 2007, ending with a free concert in New York City on July 6, 2007. Pre-sales of tickets to the shows were available to her fan club members, and many sold out well before the performance date.[citation needed] She began her European tour on July 9, 2007 in Paris, and concluded with a concert in Reykjavík, Iceland on September 2, 2007.[26] While playing with the Handsome Band, Jones & co. are known to play several known hits from her albums, modified for stage performance with guitar solos and additional percussion. Additionally, shows may also feature several covers of country, jazz, blues, or folk songs, ranging from the ubiquitous to the obscure. Artists covered have included, among others, Willie Nelson, Gram Parsons, Johnny Cash, John Prine, Randy Newman, Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, and Tom Waits.
Jones worked with Reverb, a non-profit environmental organization, for her 2007 summer tour.[27] She also performed at Bryant Park on July 6 as part of Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series.[28]
- 2002/2004: Come Away with Me Tour
- 2004/2005: Norah Jones & The Handsome Band Tour
- 2007/2008: Not Too Late Tour
Special appearances
- Jones performed “Come Away with Me” and “Young Blood,” the latter from her new album, at the end of the Apple “It’s Only Rock and Roll” press conference in San Francisco, where the release of iTunes 9 and video camera-equipped iPods, among other items, was announced on September 9, 2009.
- She has also appeared on Sesame Street performing alongside Elmo to the song “I Don’t Know Why”.
- November 18, 2009, Jones played “Young Blood” from The Fall on the Colbert Report.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Two Weeks Notice | Herself | appearance |
| 2007 | My Blueberry Nights | Elizabeth | Protagonist |
| 2008 | Life. Support. Music. | Herself | appearance |
| 2009 | Wah Do Dem | Willow | cameo |
Discography
- Come Away with Me (2002)
- Feels like Home (2004)
- Not Too Late (2007)
- The Fall (2009)
Awards
See also
- Fry Street Fire- Norah Jones was an honorary Chairwoman of ‘Save Fry Street’
- List of best-selling music artists
- The Little Willies
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
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| John Mayer | |
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John Mayer performing at the Crossroads Guitar Festival on July 28, 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Clayton Mayer |
| Born | October 16, 1977 (age 32) Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop, rock, blues, soul[1] |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, musician, columnist |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals, keyboards, mandolin |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Aware, Columbia, Sony BMG |
| Associated acts | John Mayer Trio LoFi Masters |
| Website | www.johnmayer.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Fender Stratocaster | |
John Clayton Mayer (pronounced /ˈmeɪ.ər/ MAY-ər;[2] born October 16, 1977) is an American musician. Originally from Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music before moving to Atlanta, Georgia in 1997, where he refined his skills and gained a following. His first two studio albums, Room for Squares and Heavier Things, did well commercially, achieving multi-platinum status. In 2003, he won a Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Grammy Award for “Your Body Is a Wonderland”.
Mayer began his career performing mainly acoustic rock, but gradually began a transition towards the blues genre in 2005 by collaborating with renowned blues artists such as B. B. King, Buddy Guy, and Eric Clapton, and by forming the John Mayer Trio. The blues influence can be heard on his album Continuum, released in September 2006. At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards in 2007 Mayer won Best Pop Vocal Album for Continuum and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Waiting on the World to Change”. Mayer’s career pursuits have extended to stand-up comedy, design, and writing; he has written pieces for magazines, most notably for Esquire. He is also involved in philanthropic activities through his “Back to You” fund and his concern over global warming.
Early life
John Mayer was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut to Margaret, an English teacher, and Richard, a high school principal.[3] He grew up in nearby Fairfield, the second of three children.[4] There, he became friends with future tennis star James Blake.[5] Mayer attended the former Fairfield High School, although he was enrolled in the Center for Global Studies at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk for his junior year. (Then known as the Center for Japanese Studies Abroad, it is a magnet program for students wanting to learn Japanese.[6].) During an appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, he said that he had played the clarinet for a while in middle school, with minor success. After watching Michael J. Fox’s guitar performance as Marty McFly in Back to the Future, he became fascinated with the instrument.[7] Subsequently, when Mayer was 13, his father rented one for him.[8]
Soon after Mayer got his guitar, a neighbor gave him a Stevie Ray Vaughan cassette, which began Mayer’s intense love of the blues.[9]a[›] Despite the reservations of his parents, Mayer became consumed with playing the guitar,[10] and after two years of practice, he started playing at blues bars and other venues in the area, while in high school.[6][8] In addition to performing alone, he was in a band called Villanova Junction with Tim Procaccini, Joe Beleznay, and Rich Wolf.[11]
When Mayer was seventeen, he was stricken with a cardiac arrhythmia that sent him to the hospital for a weekend. Reflecting on the incident, Mayer said, “That was the moment the songwriter in me was born,” and he penned his first lyrics the night he got home.[12] Shortly thereafter, he began suffering from crippling panic attacks, and even now he keeps Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug, with him.[12][13] After graduation, he worked for fifteen months at a gas station until he saved up enough money to buy his first proper guitar—a 1996 Stevie Ray Vaughan signature Stratocaster.[14]
Career
Early career
John Mayer enrolled in the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, at age nineteen.[4] After two semesters, he chose to cut his studies short, and at the urging of his college friend and Atlanta, Georgia native, Clay Cook, the two moved to Atlanta.[15] Quickly making a name for their two-man band, LoFi Masters, they began their career in earnest there, frequenting the local coffee house and club circuit in venues like Eddie’s Attic.[8] Cook has said, however, that they began to experience musical differences due to Mayer’s desire to take the duo in more of a pop direction.[16] The two parted ways, and Mayer embarked on a solo career.[15]
With the help of local producer and engineer Glenn Matullo, Mayer recorded the independent EP Inside Wants Out. Cook is also cited as the co-writer of many of the songs from the EP, most notably, Mayer’s first commercial single release, “No Such Thing”.[16] The EP includes only eight songs, all with Mayer on lead vocals and guitars, with the exception of “Comfortable” in which Mayer only recorded the vocals. For the opening track, “Back To You”, a full band was enlisted, including the EP’s co-producer David “DeLa” LaBruyere on bass guitars.[17] Mayer and LaBruyere then began to tour throughout Georgia and the surrounding states.
Major label success
| “City Love” excerpt |
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| From the album Room for Squares. |
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Mayer’s reputation began to build, and a March 2000 appearance at South by Southwest[18] brought him to the attention of “launch” label, Aware Records.[19] After including him in the Aware Festival concerts and having his songs included on Aware compilations, in early 2001, Aware released Mayer’s internet-only album entitled, Room for Squares. During that time, Aware inked a deal with Columbia Records that gave Columbia first pick in signing Aware artists, and so in September of the same year, Columbia remixed and re-released Room for Squares.[20] As part of the major label “debut”, the album’s artwork was updated, and the track “3×5″ was added. The re-release also included reworked studio versions of the first four songs from his indie album, Inside Wants Out.[21]
By the end of 2002, Room for Squares had spawned several radio hits, including “No Such Thing,” “Your Body Is a Wonderland,” and ultimately, “Why Georgia.” In 2003, Mayer won a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Your Body Is a Wonderland.” In his acceptance speech he remarked, “This is very, very fast, and I promise to catch up.”[22] He also figuratively referred to himself as being sixteen, a remark that many mistook to mean that he was only sixteen years old at the time.[23]
In 2003, Mayer released a live CD and DVD of a concert in Birmingham, Alabama entitled, Any Given Thursday. The concert featured songs previously not recorded, such as “Man on the Side” (co-written with Cook) and “Something’s Missing”, which later appeared on Heavier Things. The concert also included “Covered In Rain”. According to the accompanying DVD documentary, this song is “part two” of the song “City Love”, which features the line “covered in rain”. Commercially, the album quickly peaked at number seventeen on the Billboard 200 chart. The CD/DVD received conservative, although consistent, praise, with critics torn between his pop-idol image, and (at the time) emerging guitar prowess. Erik Crawford (of Allmusic) asked “Is he the consummate guitar hero exemplified when he plays a cover of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s ‘Lenny’, or is he the teen idol that the pubescent girls shriek for after he plays ‘Your Body Is a Wonderland?’”[24][25]
Heavier Things, Mayer’s second album, was released in 2003 to generally favorable reviews. Rolling Stone, Allmusic and Blender all gave positive, although reserved, feedback. PopMatters said that it “doesn’t have as many drawbacks as one might assume”.[26] The album was commercially successful, and while it did not sell as well as Room for Squares, it peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. Mayer earned his first number one single with the song “Daughters” as well as a 2005 Grammy for Song of the Year, beating out fellow contenders Alicia Keys and Kanye West. He dedicated the award to his grandmother, Annie Hoffman, who died in May 2004. He also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, beating Elvis Costello, Prince, and Seal for the award. In his February 9 2009 interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Mayer said that he thought he shouldn’t have won the Grammy for Song of the year because he thought that Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You was the better song. Because of this, he removed the top half of the Grammy and gave it to Keys, and kept the bottom part for himself.[27] At the 37th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2006, Mayer was honored with the Hal David Starlight Award.[28]
Mayer again recorded live concerts across seven nights of his U.S. tour in 2004. These recordings were released to the iTunes music store under the title as/is, indicating that the errors were included along with the good moments. A few months later, a “best of” CD was compiled from the as/is nights. The album included a previously unreleased cover of Marvin Gaye’s song “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)”, featuring a solo from Mayer’s support act—jazz and blues turntablist, DJ Logic. All the album covers of the as/is releases feature drawings of anthropomorphic bunnies.[29]
January 2005, left to right: David Ryan Harris, John Mayer and Steve Jobs at Macworld 11, SF Moscone Center.
With increased exposure, Mayer’s talent came into demand in other areas. Steve Jobs invited Mayer to perform during the keynote address of Apple’s annual Macworld Conference & Expo, in January 2004, as Jobs introduced the software application GarageBand.[30] The gig led to Mayer becoming a fixture of the event. He rejoined Jobs on stage for a solo performance at Macworld 2007, following the announcement of the iPhone.[31] Mayer has also done endorsements, such as a Volkswagen commercial for the Beetle’s guitar outlet and for the BlackBerry Curve.[32]
Change in musical direction
Mayer began to collaborate extensively, often working with artists outside of his own genre. He appeared on Common’s song “Go!” and on Kanye West’s “Bittersweet Poetry”.b[›] Following these collaborations, Mayer received praise from rap heavyweights Jay-Z and Nelly.[33] When asked about his presence in the hip hop community, Mayer said, “It’s not music out there right now. That’s why, to me, hip-hop is where rock used to be.”[34]
| “Go!” excerpt |
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| From the album Be. In 2004, after the three saw the movie Ray together, Kanye West and Mayer joined Common back in the studio. Mayer came up with the song’s concept—fantasies—and his vocals were sampled for the track.[35] |
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It was around this time that Mayer began hinting a change in his musical interests, announcing that he was “closing up shop on acoustic sensitivity.”[34] In 2005, he began a string of collaborations with various blues artists, including Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, as well as jazz artist John Scofield. He also went on tour with legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, which included a show at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. These collaborations led to recordings with several of these artists, namely, Clapton (Back Home, Crossroads Guitar Festival), Guy (Bring ‘Em In), Scofield (That’s What I Say), and King (80). Although Mayer has maintained a reputation for being a sensitive singer-songwriter, he has also gained distinction as an accomplished guitarist, influenced by the likes of the above artists, as well as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Cray, and Freddie King.[36]
John Mayer Trio
| “Who Did You Think I Was?” |
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| From the album Try! The first single, “Who Did You Think I Was?,” lyrically underscores Mayer’s decision to move away from acoustic pop music and towards blues, with lines such as, “Got a brand new blues that I can’t explain.”[37] This sample features an extended electric guitar solo. |
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In the spring of 2005, Mayer formed the John Mayer Trio with bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Steve Jordan, both of whom he had met through previous studio sessions. The trio played a combination of blues and rock music. In October 2005, the Trio opened for The Rolling Stones during a sold-out club tour of their own,[38] and that November, released a live album called Try! The band took a break in mid-2006. In September 2006, Mayer announced plans for the Trio to begin work on a future studio album.[39]
Continuum era
Mayer’s third studio album, titled Continuum, was released on September 12, 2006, and was produced by Mayer and Steve Jordan. Mayer suggested the album was intended to combine his signature pop music with the feel, sound, groove, and sensibilities of the blues. In that vein, two of the tracks from his trio release Try!—the funky “Vultures” and the blues centerpiece “Gravity”—also were included on Continuum.[4] Mayer has said that “Gravity” is the most important song he’s ever written.[40][41]
The first single from Continuum was “Waiting on the World to Change,” which debuted on The Ron and Fez Show. The song was the third most downloaded song of the week on the iTunes Music Store following its release on July 11, 2006, and debuted at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. On August 23, 2006, Mayer debuted the entire album on the Los Angeles radio station Star 98.7, giving commentary on each track.[42] A subsequent version was released the next day on the Clear Channel Music website as a streaming sneak preview. On September 21, 2006, Mayer appeared on CSI, playing “Waiting on the World to Change” and “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room.” The song “Gravity” was featured on the television series House in the episode “Cane & Able” and Numb3rs. He recorded a session for the British program Live From Abbey Road at Abbey Road Studios on October 22, 2006.
On December 7, 2006, Mayer was nominated for five 2007 Grammys, including “Album of the Year.” The John Mayer Trio also received a nomination for their album, Try!. He won two: Best Pop Song with Vocal for “Waiting on the World to Change” and Best Pop Album for Continuum. Mayer remixed an acoustic version of his single “Waiting on the World to Change” with vocal additions from fellow musician Ben Harper. In preparation for recording Continuum, Mayer had booked the Village Recorder in Los Angeles to record five demo acoustic versions of his songs with veteran musician Robbie McIntosh. These recordings became The Village Sessions, an EP released on December 12, 2006. As usual, Mayer oversaw the artwork of the release.[43]
Mayer (center), with Frusciante (right) and Trucks (left), on the cover of Rolling Stone 1020
Mayer was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone (#1020) in February 2007, along with John Frusciante and Derek Trucks. He was named as one of the “New Guitar Gods,” and the cover nicknamed him “Slowhand, Jr.,” a reference to Eric Clapton.[36] Additionally, he was selected by the editors of Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2007 and was listed among artists and entertainers.[44]
On November 20, 2007, the re-issue of Continuum became available online and in stores. The release contains a bonus disc of six live songs from his 2007 tour: five from Continuum and a cover of the Ray Charles song “I Don’t Need No Doctor.”[45] His new single, “Say,” also became available through iTunes. On December 6, 2007, “Belief” was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. He accompanied Alicia Keys on guitar on her song “No One” at the ceremony.
In February 2008, Mayer hosted a three-day Caribbean cruise event that included performances with various musicians including David Ryan Harris, Brett Dennen, and Colbie Caillat, among others. The event was called “The Mayercraft Carrier” and was held aboard the cruise ship known as the Carnival Victory.[46] A follow up cruise titled “Mayercraft Carrier 2″ set sail from Long Beach, California on March 27-31, 2009 on the Carnival Splendor.
On July 1, 2008, Mayer released Where the Light Is a live concert film of Mayer’s performance at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on December 8, 2007. The film was directed by Danny Clinch. It features an acoustic set and a set with the John Mayer Trio, followed by a set with John’s band from the Continuum album. The DVD and Bluray bonus material includes footage of Mayer backstage and playing outside on Mulholland Drive.[47]
CBS confirmed on January 14, 2009 that Mayer is in negotiations with the station for a variety show. The details of the deal and the nature of the show are yet unknown.[48]
Mayer has recently collaborated with Australian soul artist Guy Sebastian on three songs on his upcoming album “Like it Like That”.[49] He also played guitar on the title track of Crosby Loggins’s debut LP, Time to Move, released on July 10, 2009.[50]
On 7 July 2009, Mayer performed an instrumental guitar version of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” at Jackson’s memorial service.[51]
Battle Studies
On August 24, 2009, Mayer posted on his official Twitter profile that his fourth studio album, Battle Studies, will be released November 17.[52] The album consists of 11 tracks running 45 minutes long.[53] The first single from the album, called “Who Says”, was released on September 24.
Other projects
Philanthropic activities
In 2002, Mayer began the “Back To You” Fund, a non-profit organization that focuses on fundraising in the areas of health care, education, the arts, and talent development. The foundation raises funds through the auction of exclusive John Mayer items, such as guitar picks, t-shirts, and signed CDs, made available on Mayer’s auction site. The auctions have been successful, with some tickets selling for more than seventeen times their face value.[54][55]
In an April 2007 blog entry, Mayer announced a new effort to help reverse global warming, dubbed “Another Kind of Green” (originally “Light Green”, but changed because of copyright concerns).[56] Mayer regards his proposal as a mid-ranged approach to being ecologically aware: neither fearful nor ambivalent about global warming.[57] In this vein, while generally maintaining his lifestyle, he is gradually designing and implementing “products that are cheap, easy alternatives to cut down on plastics,” and encouraging others to do the same through his blog.[57] He has also converted his tour bus to bio-diesel fuel.[57] Mayer is partnering with Incase to produce items such a reusable grocery tote and water bottles.[56] Mayer also participated at the East Rutherford, New Jersey location of the Live Earth project, a musical rally to support awareness for global warming held on July 7, 2007.[58] Beginning in the summer of 2007, the environmental advocacy group Reverb has set up informational booths and helped his crew conserve energy on his tour dates.[59]
Mayer has performed at a number of benefits and telethons for charity throughout his career. In response to the Virginia Tech massacre, Mayer (along with Dave Matthews Band, Phil Vassar, and NaS) performed a free concert at Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium on September 6, 2007.[60] On December 8, 2007, Mayer hosted the First Annual Charity Revue. He performed an acoustic set, a set with the John Mayer Trio followed by a performance with his tour band. The proceeds of this concert will be donated to Toys for Tots, Inner City Arts, and the Los Angeles Mission.[61] Both CDs and DVDs of the concert were released under the title “Where the Light Is” in July 2008. It has not been announced whether the DVD proceeds will go to charity or not.[62] Mayer also appeared on Songs for Tibet, a celebrity initiative to support Tibet and the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso.[63]
Design
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I’m actually into sneakers on a design level. I’ve got a big design thing going on in my life right now … I love designing stuff. I mean, my biggest dream, forget Grammys, I want to be able to design an Air Max.
—John Mayer (AP, 2006)[64]
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In a Rolling Stone interview, Mayer recalled that after former Columbia Records head, Don Ienner, panned Continuum, he briefly considered quitting music and studying design full time.[12] Mayer’s interest in design, however, had long manifested itself in a number of ways. In 2003, Martin Guitars gave Mayer his own signature model acoustic guitar called the OM-28 John Mayer.[65] The guitar was limited to a run of only 404, an Atlanta area code.[66] This model was followed by the release of two Fender signature Stratocaster electric guitars, beginning in 2005. A third Stratocaster, finished in charcoal frost metallic paint with a racing stripe, was also a limited-release, with only 100 guitars made. In January, 2006, Martin Guitars released the Martin OMJM John Mayer acoustic guitar. The guitar was intended to have many of the attributes of the Martin OM-28 John Mayer but with a more affordable price tag.[67] In August 2006, Fender started manufacturing SERIES II John Mayer Stratocasters. The new Olympic white with mint green pickguard and cream plastics replaced the shoreline gold model.[68] In January 2007, Two Rock collaborated with Mayer on custom-designed amps. Only 25 (all signed by Mayer himself) were made available to the public.[69][70] June 2007 saw the release of the “album art” guitar, with the Continuum motif repeated on the face of the instrument,[71] as well as a 500-run John Mayer signature Fender Stratocaster in Cypress-Mica. Included with the limited Cypress-Mica model was the INCSvsJM gig bag that Mayer collaborated on with Incase designs. Not surprisingly, Mayer is a passionate collector of guitars, and in 2006 his collection was estimated at more than 200.[12]
In addition to guitars, Mayer’s handiwork ranges from T-shirts, guitar totes and, most dear to his heart, sneakers. In August 2006, Mayer started JMltd, a minor clothing line of Mayer-themed merchandise that he has designed. The products are currently available online through his website store.
Writing
With the June 1, 2004, issue of Esquire, Mayer began a column called, “Music Lessons with John Mayer”. Each article featured a lesson and his (often humorous) take on various topics, both of personal and popular interest. In the August 2005 issue, he invited readers to create music for orphaned lyrics he had written.[72] The winner was Tim Fagan of L.A., as announced in the following January’s issue.[73]
Mayer has been active online, and has maintained four blogs: a MySpace page, a blog at his official site, another at Honeyee.com, as well as a photoblog at StunningNikon.com. Although they primarily deal with career-related matters, they also contain jokes, comedic videos, his convictions, and his personal activities; they occasionally overlap in content. He is noted for writing the blogs himself, and not through a publicist.[13][44] His official blog’s entry for 2008-01-23 contained a graphic that read, “Done & Dusted & Self Conscious & Back to Work.” followed by the quote “There is danger in theoretical speculation of battle, in prejudice, in false reasoning, in pride, in braggadocio. There is one safe resource, the return to nature..”;c[›] all the previous blog entries were deleted.[74] He subsequently changed that entry’s contents several times, and has since resumed blogging.
In the mid-2000s, stand-up comedy was a hobby of Mayer’s. He would make random appearances at the famed Comedy Cellar in New York. While he said that it helped him write better,[12] he said that increased media attention has had to make him be too careful about what he says; he also felt that he wasn’t funny.[75]
Television
In 2004, Mayer had a one-shot half-hour comedy special on VH1, entitled John Mayer Has a TV Show, with antics including wearing a bear suit and anonymously teasing concertgoers in the parking lot outside one of his concerts. He also made a cameo appearance on Chappelle’s Show and the final episode of Late Night with Conan O’Brien. He would also appear with the John Mayer Trio during the first week of O’Brien’s Tonight Show.
Mayer is currently shooting a television pilot for a CBS variety show; it may air as a special or as a regular series.[76]
Touring
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Official video Mayer performing an acoustic set from his DVD Where the Light Is | |
Despite being principally a solo musician, Mayer has toured with many groups, including Maroon 5,[77] Guster, Howie Day, Mat Kearney, Counting Crows,[78] Ben Folds, The Wallflowers, Teitur,[79] Brett Dennen and Sheryl Crow. Crow and Mayer, who had just previously appeared on the Cars Soundtrack together, co-headlined a tour that ran from August to October 2006.[80] In 2007, Mayer toured Europe, hoping to reach the popularity abroad that he enjoys in North America.[81] The initial North American Continuum tour leg wrapped on February 28, 2007, with a show at Madison Square Garden, a performance which the New York Post described as “career-defining.”[82]
In November 2009, Mayer began a five-month long tour to promote his newest album, Battle Studies. The members of the 2009-2010 band are:
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Previous members of Mayer’s live band include:
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Mayer has since toured with Colbie Caillat, Brett Dennen, OneRepublic and Paramore.
Mayer allows audio taping at most of his live performances, and he also allows for the non-commercial trading of those recordings. He does this to give fans the opportunity to recreate the live experience, and to encourage fan interaction.[83]
Personal life
Mayer has a number of tattoos. These include: “Home” and “Life” (from the song title) on the back of his left and right arms respectively, “77″ (his year of birth) on the left side of his chest, and a koi-like fish on his right shoulder. His entire left arm is covered in a sleeve tattoo that he acquired gradually, ending in April 2008; it includes: “SRV” (for his idol Stevie Ray Vaughan) on his shoulder, a decorated rectangle on his biceps, a dragon-like figure on his inner arm, and various other floral designs. In 2003, he got a tattoo of three squares on his right forearm, which, he has explained, he will fill in gradually.[84] As of 2009, two are filled.[85]
He is an avid collector of watches and owns timepieces worth tens of thousands of dollars.[86][87] Mayer also has an extensive collection of sneakers, estimated (in 2006[update]) at more than 200 pairs.[12][88]
Mayer dated Jennifer Love Hewitt briefly in 2002. In a comedy routine in May 2006, he joked that they never consummated their relationship; he later apologized to her for the raunchy routine.[89] Despite rumors to the contrary, Mayer did not date Heidi Klum in 2003.[84] Mayer dated Jessica Simpson for about nine months, beginning in the middle of 2006. Rumors started in August of that year with a People magazine article, but kicked into high gear when Mayer and Simpson spent New Year’s holiday together in New York City, both attending Christina Aguilera’s New Year’s Eve party.[90] When Ryan Seacrest asked Mayer on the red carpet of the 2007 Grammy Awards, about his relationship with Simpson, Mayer responded in Japanese. Despite some initially conflicting translations, he said, “Jessica is a lovely woman, and I’m glad to be with her.”[91]d[›] Simpson also accompanied Mayer for several dates of his 2007 Continuum tour, and the two went on a trip to Rome in March of that year.[92][93][94] However, the couple split in May 2007.[95] He began dating actress Minka Kelly in September 2007,[96] although the two broke up before the year’s end.[97] Mayer began dating actress Jennifer Aniston in April 2008,[98] but Mayer broke it off the following August.[99] They resumed dating in October 2008.[100] Mayer joined Aniston at the 81st Academy Awards in February 2009, where she was a presenter. “It’s my first Oscars,” the singer told blog PopSugar during an NYC interview. “And it’s my first being an Oscar boyfriend.”[101] The couple split for good three weeks later, in March 2009.[102]
Mayer’s parents divorced on May 27, 2009; the divorce was uncontested.[103]
Mayer splits his time between his home in the Los Angeles suburbs (with his roommate and sound engineer, Chad Franscoviak)[12] and his apartment in the New York City neighborhood of SoHo.
- Official
- Official website
- John Mayer at MySpace
- Official John Mayer Fan Club – Local-83.com
- John Mayer on Twitter
- John Mayer Auction site
- Official John Mayer Trio site
- Mayer’s blog at Honeyee.com
- Mayer’s photoblog at StunningNikon.com
- Blackberry Presents: John Mayer’s 2008 Summer Tour
- Written by Mayer
- Segment on Jimi Hendrix that Mayer wrote for Rolling Stone
- Segment on Brett Dennen, that Mayer wrote for Rolling Stone
- “Music Lessons with John Mayer”, database of Mayer’s Esquire column at Esquire.com
- General
- John Mayer at the Internet Movie Database
- Comprehensive John Mayer guitar tabs
- “Square pegged”, Mayer’s first feature article in 2001, from Creative Loafing
- Rolling Stone Q&A Podcast: John Mayer, from December 2005: (listen) (transcript)
- Iceberg Radio interview with John Mayer from September 2006: Listen: (32K) (64K)
- John Mayer Exclusive Performance and Behind the Scenes footage on AOL Sessions
- “John Mayer’s Soft-Sell ‘World’”, NPR Morning Edition interview from March 2007. (listen) (read)
- Nikon Podcast #3: “Exclusive Interview with John Mayer” (posted September 9, 2007) (listen)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Creed | |
|---|---|
Creed with current touring guitarist Eric Friedman (far right) in 2009.
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America |
| Genres | Post-grunge |
| Years active | 1994–2004 2009–present |
| Labels | Blue Collar Sony BMG Wind-up |
| Associated acts | Alter Bridge Dark New Day |
| Website | www.creed.com |
| Members | |
| Scott Stapp Mark Tremonti Scott Phillips Brian Marshall |
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Creed is an American rock band from Tallahassee, Florida that became popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The band disbanded in 2004 after three multi-platinum albums, selling 26 million records in the United States alone[1], and an estimated 35 million records worldwide[2][3][4]. On April 27, 2009, after months of speculation, Creed announced that they had reformed via their official website, which confirmed that plans to record a new album titled Full Circle were underway and was updated with dates for a 2009 reunion tour.[2] The band went on tour in support of the new album, which was released on October 27, 2009.
The Early Years (1995-1996)
Creed formed after Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti, friends at Florida State University and high school classmates at Orlando’s Lake Highland Preparatory School, decided to form a band, recruiting Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips to complete the quartet in late 1994. The band was originally called Naked Toddler, Marshall later suggested the name Creed afer the band he played in named Maddox Creed.
The four members had already written and collaborated three of the songs that would go on to become tracks on their chart-topping debut album My Own Prison. The songs were “One”, “Sister” and “What’s This Life For”.
Brian Marshall founding/current member of Creed, live in concert
My Own Prison (1996-1997)
Creed’s debut album, My Own Prison, was independently released in 1997 and only cost them $6,000 to produce[citation needed], and distributed to Florida radio stations. This drew the attention of several labels that agreed to see the band, only to pass. Rejected, Creed was playing a small gig when Diana Meltzer from Wind-Up Records heard the group. She had heard their independent album, and after hearing them live, signed the band to her label. After a remix to make it more radio friendly, My Own Prison was re-released by Wind-up Records across the country. The album was a surprise success, reaching the Top 40 on the Billboard Top 200, and spinning off several singles (“My Own Prison”, “Torn”, “What’s This Life For”, and “One”) that topped the rock radio charts. The band’s hit song “My Own Prison” was also featured as a live performance on the charity album Live in the X Lounge. The band covered Alice Cooper’s song “I’m Eighteen” for The Faculty soundtrack in 1998.
Human Clay and Marshall’s departure (1999-2000)
Their second album, Human Clay, was released in 1999 and debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart at number one, based on the strength of its first single, “Higher”, which spent several weeks on the top of the rock radio charts. It wasn’t until early 2000 that the single crossed over onto pop radio going to the Top Ten on the Billboard Pop Chart, and Creed became a household name. The follow-up single, “With Arms Wide Open,” also hit number one that fall.
Meanwhile, Brian Marshall quit the band, and Brett Hestla (Virgos Merlot, Dark New Day) took over on the Human Clay tour, and subsequent tours. Around that time, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit bad-mouthed Stapp at New York’s Krock 92.3 “Dysfunctional Family Picnic Concert” where they were both performing. In response to this, Scott Stapp invited Fred Durst to an open boxing match.[5]
[edit] Weathered (2001-2003)
Creed in 2002 with former touring bassist Brett Hestla (far left)
In the fall of 2001, “My Sacrifice”, the first single off Creed’s third album Weathered, was used in a series of promotional tribute videos made by World Wrestling Entertainment. The song peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on February 9, 2002, and #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for 9 consecutive weeks, starting in December 2001. In early 2002, “Bullets” was released as a single, along with a costly, special effects-laden video. The song and video were possibly Creed’s least successful since achieving mainstream success. However, Creed rebounded quickly, with one of the summer’s biggest hits, “One Last Breath”. Weathered was also Creed’s first and only album without bassist Brian Marshall. The bass on the album was performed by Tremonti.
Stapp was involved in a car accident in April 2002 and it had seemed that the tour they had planned was not going to happen. However, Stapp recovered in time to appear in the last few shows. “Don’t Stop Dancing” was a minor hit for Creed in late 2002/early 2003.
Break-up and subsequent activities (2004-2008)
On June 4, 2004, Creed officially announced their break-up. Stapp began recording his debut solo album, The Great Divide with Roadrunner Records recording artist Goneblind. The other band members (including former bassist Brian Marshall) formed a new band, Alter Bridge, with Myles Kennedy. Touring bassist Brett Hestla has since joined the band Dark New Day. On November 22, 2004 Creed released a greatest hits album.
In 2008, Mark Tremonti, along with Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy, appeared as guests on two separate tracks on Sevendust’s album Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow. The two also appeared on Fozzy’s album All That Remains, and Tremonti later released a guitar instructional DVD titled Mark Tremonti: The Sound & The Story in late 2008. In 2007, Alter Bridge released their second studio album, Blackbird, which included the hits “Rise Today” and “Watch Over You”.
In 2009, Creed’s song “Higher” from Human Clay was listed at #95 in VH1′s list of “100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs“.
As the years went by, before the reunion, the three band members involved in Alter Bridge stated that Creed was in their past, and would not reunite in the future. Scott Stapp believed that Creed could reform someday, but in his claims, he too felt that Creed was in the past.
Reunion, Full Circle, and live DVD (2009-present)
On November 3, 2008, Blabbermouth.net reported that a Creed reunion could materialize in 2009. According to Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, Alter Bridge vocalist Myles Kennedy was rumored to replace Robert Plant for a Led Zeppelin reunion tour in 2009.[citation needed] Blabbermouth states that “if Kennedy should take the job with the Zeppelin offshoot, the sources have indicated that there are already “significant dollars” on the table for a Creed reunion.”[6] On December 2, Rolling Stone reported that an announcement of a Creed reunion was “imminent”.[7] However, Kennedy himself denied the rumor that he would be fronting “Led Zeppelin or any offshoot of Led Zeppelin,” but also said that he did indeed jam with the instrumental members of the band. It was later stated by Jimmy Page’s manager that there will be no Led Zeppelin reunion and that Myles Kennedy will remain in Alter Bridge to record the band’s third album. Because of this, a Creed reunion appeared unlikely. However, on March 17, 2009 a teaser trailer for a possible tour was leaked, pulled, and then on April 2 re-published on the re-launched Creed website, Creed.com, which states “coming summer 2009″.
On April 27, Creed’s website announced the band’s reunion tour and plans for a new album. According to Tremonti, “We’re all very excited to reconnect with our fans and each other after six long years.”[2] He later added that being in Creed again was “the last thing [he] expected.” Phillips also stated: “Our career as Creed came to a very abrupt and unforeseen ending. After reflecting on some of the greatest personal and professional moments of our lives, we’ve come to realize that we are still very capable of continuing that career and our friendship on a grander scale than ever before.”[2] Bassist Brian Marshall also confirmed he would rejoin his former band, following his departure prior to the recording of Creed’s third album Weathered. Marshall says of the reunion: “This is a development we are all happy about. It has been a long time since the four of us have taken the stage together, and without hesitation or reservation this is something all of us are in to. The anticipation to get back out there is electrifying.”[2] Singer Scott Stapp concluded on the band’s official press release that “it’s amazing how life can change and bring you full circle. Time gave us all a chance to reflect, grow and gain a deeper appreciation of our friendships, artistic chemistry, passion for music, and sincere love for our fans! It’s rare in life to get a second chance to make a first impression and we embrace the opportunity. We all believe the best is yet to come.”[2]
In an interview for People.com, Stapp elaborated on the reunion, saying, “We never felt like we weren’t together. We’re not looking at this as a reunion. It’s more of a rebirth.”[8] According the article, it was Stapp who pushed for the reunion to take place who spoke to the other 3 members, saying that he told his former band members, “I love you and if I’ve ever caused you any pain in your life, forgive me,” and then went on to say that “they said the same things right back.”[8] Stapp also confirmed the band were “jamming” and “not trying to stay in a certain place or conform to where we left off. The music is fresh, edgy, raw, passionate, honest, and it rocks.”[8] Stapp discussed how he and guitarist Tremonti reconnected, thanks to the Champs Sports Bowl, according to Rolling Stone. According to Stapp, “[they] exchanged family pictures and within 20 minutes, [they] were jamming on acoustic guitars and talking about new songs.”[9] All four original members then sat down in a meeting, their first since 2000. “At that meeting, we were collectively saying, ‘Hey, man, I’m sorry if I hurt you or my choices did anything to cause you any pain. I have nothing but love and forgiveness for you and I hope you can forgive me.’ It’s all part of the process of reflection and not looking back at the six months out of 10 years that were trying,” says Stapp.[9] They recorded the album, to be titled Full Circle in Nashville during June and July 2009.[9] Stapp elaborated on the title, which is also the name of a track to appear on the upcoming album: “It really defines and articulates, melody-wise and lyrically, what’s happened with us. We’ve come full circle and it’s a great place to be.[9] Stapp has confirmed that the reformation of Creed will put work on his second solo album on indefinite hiatus.[9]
Meanwhile, Mark Tremonti, Scott Phillips, Brian Marshall, and Alter Bridge’s publicist, Mark Tremonti’s brother Michael, all stress that Creed’s reunion will not affect Alter Bridge in any way and that they will go back into the studio after the Creed tour to record their upcoming third album. Tremonti also stated that, in spite of this, both bands will co-exist, so it is expected that Tremonti, Phillips, and Marshall will “switch off” between the two bands while Scott Stapp and Myles Kennedy work on solo material while the other band is touring and recording. A blog was posted on Alter Bridge’s MySpace page stating that Alter Bridge by no means has plans of breaking up as a band.[10]
During June 2009, Stapp, Tremonti, Marshall, and Phillips performed together for the first time in 10 years on AOL Sessions, showing the band playing “Higher,” “With Arms Wide Open,” “My Own Prison,” and “My Sacrifice”.[11] In addition, the band performed live on Fox & Friends on June 26, 2009.
The new album entitled Full Circle came out on October 27, 2009.
The first single from Full Circle, “Overcome”, was posted on the band’s official website on August 19, the same day the radio premiere started along with its release as a digital download on August 25. The second single, “Rain”, hit radio on September 23 and became available on October 6 as another digital download.
The Creed 2009 Reunion Tour kicked off on August 6, 2009 and concluded on October 20, one week before the release of the album. However, on October 24, it was confirmed by Scott Phillips that Creed was to go on a World Tour in March 2010, starting with another US tour, followed by Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South America, and Europe. This will be a tour in support of the new album. It was also confirmed that Creed has more albums to come after Full Circle.[12]
Reception and musical style
Creed was one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the late 90s and early 2000s, having sold an estimated 35 million records worldwide.[2][3][4] Their first three studio albums, My Own Prison, Human Clay, and Weathered, have all gone multi-platinum in the United States, selling 6 million, 11 million, and 6 million copies respectively.[13][14] The band won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song for the song “With Arms Wide Open” in 2001. For many years, Creed collaborated with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) by allowing many of their songs to be played for promotions. In addition, many of the band’s songs have been featured in film and television soundtracks.
Despite enormous commercial success, Creed was poorly received by professional critics such as Robert Christgau,[15] Rolling Stone magazine,[16] and Allmusic.[17] The band is often criticized for being too derivative of the band Pearl Jam.[18][19] Rolling Stone stated, “Creed resembled a ham-handed version of early Pearl Jam”,[20] while SPIN magazine stated that “Creed was an unremarkable, plodding muscle-bound reworking of Pearl Jam, with all of that older band’s warmth and psychological intensity replaced by chest-beating bravado and blandly messianic lyrics”.[21] Apparently fed up with these comparisons, bassist Brian Marshall angrily attacked Eddie Vedder, claiming Scott Stapp is a better songwriter, and criticized Pearl Jam’s recent albums for “having songs without hooks”.[22]. Stapp later distanced the band from Marshall’s comments, and stated, “Yes, we get tired of the PJ question, but there is no excuse for the arrogance and stupidity [of Marshall]. I ask you all not to judge Creed as a band, because the statements made were not the band’s feelings, they were Brian’s. I’m sorry if Brian offended anyone, and he has already apologized for his comments”.[23] Marshall was fired from Creed soon after the controversy, however Stapp has stated his firing was unrelated to the incident.[24] Other sources state that Marshall left the band on his own free will due to personal issues with Stapp.[citation needed]
In an interview with PopMatters, Jerry Cantrell, guitarist for the band Alice in Chains, described being on tour with Creed as “stale”. Cantrell stated, “I was on tour with them for fuckin’ ever and I still hadn’t even met em’. When you spend two months together, you generally find some time to fuckin’ say hello or whatever. It was really kinda weird in that respect. I’d never been on a tour that was that fuckin’ stale on a personal level.” Interviewer Michael Christopher derided Creed’s neglect of Cantrell throughout the tour, stating that “the arena rockers owe a major part of their existence to the influence of Alice in Chains.”[25]
Due to the influence of Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam, Creed’s music is generally considered to be post-grunge. Ann Powers of Rolling Stone magazine notes guitarist Mark Tremonti’s delicate, minimal technique is influenced by Jerry Cantrell’s style.[16] Allison Stewart describes singer Scott Stapp as having Eddie Vedder-like mannerisms such as “the great, emotive growl, and the hair-tossing solemnity”. Stewart also notes Creed’s music has “Zeppelin-style riffage married to melodic Top 40 hooks”.[26] In addition to Eddie Vedder, Scott Stapp’s vocals have also been influenced by the late Jim Morrison of The Doors.[27] Andrew Leahey and Steve Huey of Allmusic describe Creeds music as hard rock, alternative pop/rock, and post-grunge.[3]
Creed is sometimes labeled a Christian rock band due to the fact that their first three albums focus on questions of faith, Christianity, and eternity. The band was never signed to a contemporary Christian music label, nor did it perform in Christian music venues or get any widespread regular play on Christian radio. However, the band’s namesake creed itself denotes a popular Christian theological concept, of absolute individual belief, usually monotheistic. Also, themes within their musical titles such as “Higher”, “My Sacrifice”, “What’s This Life For”, “My Own Prison”, “With Arms Wide Open”, and “One Last Breath” contain allusion to Christian theology, though it hasn’t been confirmed that the songs were meant to be Christian songs. The band, however, rejects this label.
Creed was sued in 2003 by four concert goers who claimed Scott Stapp “was so intoxicated and/or medicated that he was unable to sing the lyrics of a single Creed song” at a December 29, 2002 concert in Chicago. The lawsuit was later dismissed.
Scott Stapp contemplated committing suicide sometime in 2003 after drinking a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey. According to Rolling Stone he was convinced that anyone involved with Creed wanted him dead so he would become a “Kurt Cobain martyr-type” and increase record sales. “I had crazy thoughts going through my head,” he said.[28]
In a 2004 Guitar World reader’s poll, Creed was voted second worst band of the year. [29]
Band members
Current members
- Scott Stapp – lead vocals, occasional guitar (1995–2004, 2009–present)
- Mark Tremonti – guitars, backing vocals, bass on Weathered (1995–2004, 2009–present)
- Scott Phillips – drums, percussion, keyboards (1995–2004, 2009–present)
- Brian Marshall – bass (1995–2000, 2009–present)
Touring members
- Eric Friedman – rhythm guitar (2009–present)
- Brett Hestla – bass & backing vocals (2000–2004)
- Brian Brasher – rhythm guitar (1995)
Session members
- John Kurzweg – keyboards on My Own Prison (1997 — multiple tracks)
- Aimee Stapp – backing vocals on Weathered (2001 — track “Don’t Stop Dancing”)
- Robby Krieger – guitars on Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors (2000 — track “Riders on the Storm”)
- Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards on Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors (2000 — track “Riders on the Storm”)
Discography
- My Own Prison (1997)
- Human Clay (1999)
- Weathered (2001)
- Greatest Hits (2004)
- Full Circle (2009)
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