Nickelback: History of the Rock Band
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VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton
Formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta, Nickelback's rock sound caught the attention of a record label a few years after they released their debut and supported it with live dates. But it was the 2001 album "Silver Side Up" that brought them their first real taste of success, thanks to the track "How You Remind Me". The band's popularity continued in North America and around the world with their next few albums, turning them into one of Canada's most successful musical exports. In this video, http://www.WatchMojo.com takes a look at the history of Nickelback.
Formation
Rock band Nickelback formed in Hanna, Alberta in 1995. The group originally consisted of vocalist and guitarist Chad Kroeger, bassist Mike Kroeger, guitarist Ryan Peake and drummer Brandon Kroeger, and in 1996 they relocated to Vancouver to record their first EP.
Debut
That same year, they self-released their debut full-length album Curb, and this effort featured their first single “Fly.” The band promoted this grunge record with live dates, and eventually took on Ryan Vikedal on drums after Brandon Kroeger left.
Label Signing and Breakthrough Single
Nickelback eventually caught the attention of Roadrunner Records. In 2000, the label re-released their album The State, which the band had previously issued independently. The alternative rock effort contained their international breakthrough single “Leader of Men.” Nickelback then supported the disc with numerous live shows.
“How You Remind Me”
Their next album Silver Side Up dropped in 2001 and was their most successful to that point. Thanks to its energetic rock, the disc topped the charts in the band’s home country and reached the second position on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. The record spawned their first number one American single as well: “How You Remind Me”.
Chad Kroeger and “Spider-Man”
As Nickelback’s popularity continued to grow, they released their first DVD “Live at Home” in 2002. That same year, frontman Kroeger recorded the theme song for the “Spider-Man” movie. This single, entitled “Hero,” became a top three hit.
“Someday”
Nickelback released The Long Road in 2003. This more-polished sounding effort peaked at number six on the Billboard charts and was a commercial success. Despite criticism that the album’s first single “Someday” bore sonic similarities to “How You Remind Me”, the song became a top ten hit.
Best-Selling Album
Two years later, All the Right Reasons came out. This hard rock album was their first without drummer Vikedal and had Daniel Adair as his replacement. It was an extremely popular effort that topped both the Canadian and American charts and spawned three top ten singles. Even though All the Right Reasons received mixed to negative reviews, it became Nickelback’s best-selling album to that point.
“Dark Horse”
The group spent the majority of the next year touring. They released Dark Horse in 2008. It hit number one in Canada and number two in the U.S. Despite mixed to negative reviews, the disc produced the top twenty singles “If Today Was Your Last Day” and “Gotta Be Somebody”. It also earned a Grammy nomination for the song “Burn it to the Ground”.
Olympics and “Here and Now”
During the subsequent tour, Nickelback performed during the closing ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. 2011 then saw the release of Here and Now. The hard rock album included the single “When We Stand Together”.
Success
Nickelback is one of the most commercially successful bands to come out of Canada and one of the best-selling music acts of the new millennium. Despite the criticism they have had to endure about their music’s lyrical content and supposed formulaic style, Nickelback has amassed countless fans and has sold millions of records around the world.
