No Doubt | |
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 No Doubt and its session/touring musicians onToday in 2009. From left to right:Tom Dumont, Stephen Bradley,Adrian Young,Gwen Stefani,Tony Kanal andGabrial McNair. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Anaheim, California, U.S. |
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| Spinoffs | Dreamcar |
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| Website | nodoubt |
No Doubt is an Americanrock band formed inAnaheim, California in 1986. For most of its career, the band has consisted of vocalist and founding memberGwen Stefani, guitaristTom Dumont, bassistTony Kanal and drummerAdrian Young. KeyboardistEric Stefani, Gwen's brother, was also a member when the band started to release albums in 1992. Since the mid-1990s, trombonistGabrial McNair and trumpeter Stephen Bradley have performed with the band as session and touring musicians.
The band's1992 eponymous debut album failed to make an impact. Itsska punk–inspired follow-up,The Beacon Street Collection, sold over 100,000 copies in 1995, more than triple the sales of its predecessor. Their third album,Tragic Kingdom, was released later the same year and benefited from the 1990s resurgence ofthird-wave ska, going on to achievediamond certification. "Don't Speak", the third single from the album, set a record when it spent 16 weeks at the number one spot on theBillboardHot 100 Airplay chart, while "Just a Girl", co-written by Stefani, was described as "the most popular cut on the CD".[1]
The band's next album,Return of Saturn (2000), did not match the success of their previous album, despite its Top 40 hit single "Simple Kind of Life". However, the album received critical praise and was nominated forBest Rock Album at the43rd Grammy Awards. The following year, the band returned with the albumRock Steady (2001), which incorporatedreggae anddancehall music. The album was primarily recorded inJamaica and featured collaborations with Jamaican artistsBounty Killer,Sly and Robbie andLady Saw. The album produced twoGrammy-winning singles, "Hey Baby" and "Underneath It All"; "Hella Good" was also nominated for a Grammy award.
After a 2004 tour, the band members pursued solo projects, with Stefani releasing two successful solo albumsLove. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004) andThe 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, titledPush and Shove (2012), and released its lead single "Settle Down". The band has sold over 33 million records worldwide.
The band announced it will reunite in 2026 for a twelve-show residency in Las Vegas.[2]
In 1986,Eric Stefani and John Spence met at aDairy 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 sisterGwen 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.[1]
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.[3] Paul Caseley (trombone) also joined the band in 1987. Eric Carpenter (saxophone) joined the horn section soon after.[4] 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'sBehind the Music.
In December 1987, Spence died bysuicide, several days before the band was to play a gig atThe Roxy Theatre forrecord industry employees.[3] No Doubt disbanded but decided to regroup after several weeks[3] with Alan Meade taking over vocals.[5] When Meade left the band, Gwen replaced him as lead singer,[5] and No Doubt continued to develop a live following in California.[3] In early 1988,Tom Dumont left Rising, aheavy metal band of which he was a member with his sister,[6][7] stating that local metal bands "were intodrinking, wearingSpandex" but that he wanted to focus on music.[8] He joined No Doubt and replaced Jerry McMahon as the band's guitarist.Adrian Young replaced Chris Webb as their drummer the following year.[3] During this time period, No Doubt played gigs at local colleges, Fender's Grand Ballroom,The Whisky, The Roxy, many shows withThe Untouchables,Fishbone, and a show with theRed Hot Chili Peppers atCal State Long Beach. Caseley left No Doubt in July 1989 for the US Navy Band.[citation needed]
Impressed by the presence ofstage 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 createdInterscope Records in 1990.[3] No Doubt'sself-titled debut album was 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.[5] The band embarked on a national tour in support of the album, though Interscope refused to support the tour.[9] The band failed to bring the audiences that it had attracted in southern California, and often found thatNo Doubt was not even available in the cities where they were playing.[3] Eric Stefani began to withdraw from the group, vacillating between being in and out of the band,[10] while Gonzalez left the band in 1992.
The band began work on its next album the next year, but Interscope rejected much of its material, and the band was paired with producerMatthew 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 thecartoonTV seriesThe Simpsons.[3] Kanal then ended his seven-year relationship with Gwen, saying that he needed "space".[11] Unsure of what to do with the band, Interscope sublicensed the project toTrauma Records in 1993.[12] No Doubt releasedThe Beacon Street Collection, consisting of outtakes from its previous recording sessions, in 1995 on its own label, Beacon Street Records. Mixing 1980spunk rock and some grunge influences into the band's sound, the album contains a rawer sound thanNo Doubt,[13] and it sold more than three times as many copies as its predecessor.[6] Later that year, Trauma Records releasedTragic Kingdom, much of which dealt with the relationship between Tony Kanal and Gwen Stefani.[14]
The release of 1995'sTragic 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.[15] In 1996, the second single, "Spiderwebs", was successful, and "Don't Speak", aballad written by Gwen and Eric Stefani about Gwen and Kanal's break-up,[16] was released as the third single and broke the previous record when it topped theBillboard Hot 100 Airplay for sixteen non-consecutive weeks. No Doubt was nominated for twoGrammy Awards forBest New Artist andBest Rock Album at the1997 Grammy Awards. By the end of the year, half of the songs onTragic Kingdom had been released as singles, and the album was certified eight times platinum. Later, they were nominated for two more Grammys forSong of the Year andBest Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, both for "Don't Speak".[13] TheRecording Industry Association of America certified the album diamond in February 1999,[17] and with worldwide sales of sixteen million.[18] Through the success ofTragic 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.[6]
The album's release fueled a dispute between Trauma and Interscope Records over No Doubt's recording contract. Trauma sued forUS$100 million forbreach of contract,fraud, andextortion and sought to have itsjoint venture agreement ended, claiming that Interscope had reneged on its contract after the band had become more successful than expected.[12] 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."[19] The case wassettled out of court with a $3 million payment.[20]
The band finished its tour in December 1997 and had several releases during the two-year writing process to make its follow-up toTragic Kingdom.[3]Live in the Tragic Kingdom, a live long-form video of the band's performance at theArrowhead Pond of Anaheim, was released andThe Beacon Street Collection was re-released while the band was on tour that year. The band recorded "I Throw My Toys Around" withElvis Costello forThe Rugrats Movie, and it contributed toThe Clash's tribute albumBurning London: The Clash Tribute. Stefani began to make recordings without the band, contributing vocals to tracks forThe Brian Setzer Orchestra,Prince,Fishbone, and Familyhood Nextperience, and her boyfriendGavin Rossdale's bandBush. After some time in-between albums, No Doubt included its song "New" on thesoundtrack to the movieGo in 1999. "New", inspired by Gwen's budding relationship with Rossdale, was one of the first songs written after the release ofTragic Kingdom.
In 2000, the band releasedReturn of Saturn, its follow-up toTragic Kingdom. The album featured a darker tone and was more lyrically advanced than No Doubt's previous work.[21] 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.[15]Return of Saturn was critically acclaimed, but was not as commercially successful as their previous album, and the lead single, "Ex-Girlfriend", failed to chart on theBillboard Hot 100 in the United States. Also released as singles from the album were the tracks "Simple Kind of Life" and "Bathwater". Lukewarm sales drastically shortened the tour that followed, appearing only in festival settings in L.A., Cincinnati, Nashville, Jacksonville and Miami. On August 10, No Doubt went onVH1 Storytellers and performed a few of their songs, and were joined by friendAlain Johannes (ofEleven) and former member Eric Stefani.[6]
AfterReturn of Saturn, the band returned to recording in January 2001. During this time, it contributed a cover version ofDonna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby" for theZoolander soundtrack and recorded a song withKelis for her albumWanderland. Stefani made high-profile appearances onMoby's "South Side" andEve's "Let Me Blow Ya Mind". These appearances lent No Doubt credibility and an opportunity to explore new genres.[22] Highly influenced byJamaicandancehall music and recorded primarily in Jamaica, the band's 2001 studio album,Rock Steady, produced two hitGrammy-winning singles, "Hey Baby", which featuredBounty Killer, and "Underneath It All", which featured "the first lady of dancehall",Lady Saw. Both singles managed to reach the top five on the Billboard Hot 100. The album also released "Hella Good" and "Running" as singles. In addition, pop-star Prince co-wrote, produced, and performed on "Waiting Room" fromRock Steady. Stefani had previously provided vocals for a song on Prince'sRave Un2 the Joy Fantastic album, "So Far, So Pleased". In November 2002, No Doubt made an appearance in theDawson's Creek episode "Spiderwebs".[23]
On November 22, 2002, No Doubt received the Key to the City of Anaheim, given by the Mayor of Anaheim, Tom Daly, inDisneyland during the band's appearance on (KROQ-FM) where they performed five songs.[24] In January 2003, No Doubt performed in theSuper Bowl XXXVII halftime show.
The albumThe Singles 1992–2003, a compilation of the band's commercially released singles, was released on November 25, 2003. It included acover of the song "It's My Life", which had originally been a hit forsynthpop groupTalk Talk in 1984, and earned No Doubt a Grammy nomination for Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal.[25] Additionally, a special 2-CD 2-DVDbox set titledBoom Box was made available, which included the CDsThe Singles 1992–2003 andEverything in Time and the DVDsThe Videos 1992–2003 andLive in the Tragic Kingdom. Separately,Rock Steady Live, a DVD of the band performing in Long Beach from their Rock Steady tour was released in 2003 as well. The next year, the band was featured in are-recording of theToots and the Maytals classic song "Monkey Man" for theGrammy Award winningTrue Love. The band also toured withBlink-182 in mid-2004, before embarking on a hiatus.
Lead singer Gwen Stefani began work on her 1980s-inspirednew wave anddance-pop side project in 2003, which eventually evolved into the full-fledged solo albumLove. Angel. Music. Baby., released on November 23, 2004. The album reached multi-platinum status in several countries, including a quintuple platinum certification in Canada[26] and triple platinum in the US.[27]
No Doubt was featured on the albumTrue Love byToots and the Maytals, which won theGrammy Award in 2004 for Best Reggae Album, and showcased many notable musicians includingWillie Nelson,Eric Clapton,Jeff Beck,Trey Anastasio,Ben Harper,Bonnie Raitt,Manu Chao,The Roots,Ryan Adams,Keith Richards,Toots Hibbert,Paul Douglas, Jackie Jackson,Ken Boothe, andThe Skatalites.[28]
Stefani launched her first solo arena tour in October 2005, which coincided with the news of herpregnancy (her son, Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, was born on May 26, 2006). She released her second solo dance-pop album,The Sweet Escape in December 2006. Tony Kanal helped with the production of the album as well.
In early 2005, Tom Dumont released his own solo music project,Invincible Overlord, with friend and collaborator Ted Matson, and backed upMatt Costa on his 2005 tour.[29]Adrian Young, the band's drummer, did the drums forBow Wow Wow's 2004 tour and many of the tracks onUnwritten Law's 2005 releaseHere's to the Mourning,[30] as well as featuring on several shows in 2006 forTheStart.[31] Young also played onRock Star: Supernova runner-upDilana'sInside Out album.[32][33]
In 2008,Tony Kanal collaborated with pop rock artistPink on the albumFunhouse. Kanal co-produced "Sober", co-wrote "Funhouse" and also sang back-up vocals on "Crystal Ball".[citation needed]
With Stefani promoting her second solo album, No Doubt began initial work on a new album without her[34] and planned to complete it after Stefani'stour was finished.[35] However, songwriting was slow as Gwen Stefani was, at the time, pregnant with her second child.[36][37] The album was produced by Mark "Spike" Stent, who helped produce and mixRock Steady.
No Doubt announced on their official website that they wouldtour in the summer of 2009 withParamore,The Sounds,Janelle Monáe,Bedouin Soundclash,Katy Perry,Panic! at the Disco, andMatt Costa, all while finishing their upcoming album, which was set for release in 2010.[38] As a special promotion for the tour, the band was giving away their entire music catalog free as a digital download with purchase of top-tier seating.[39]
The band released another compilation album on November 2 calledIcon, in preparation for their upcoming comeback album.Icon featured the same track listing as their previous compilation albumThe Singles 1992–2003 albeit with new artwork and a low price point.[40]
On June 11, 2012, the band announced on their official website that the new album would be out on September 25, preceded by the first single on July 16. The album was titledPush and Shove and the first single was a song called "Settle Down". The music video for "Settle Down" was directed bySophie Muller (who has previously directed numerous music videos for No Doubt).[41][42] "Settle Down" peaked at No. 34 on theBillboard Hot 100 with the album peaking at No. 3. On November 3, 2012, the band pulled its music video "Looking Hot" from the Internet after receiving complaints that it was insensitive towards Native Americans.[43]
As of February 1, 2013, the band stated via Twitter that they had "Finished a week of songwriting", implying that they have more new tracks written.[44] As of February 26, 2013, the band officially confirmed through their website that they had indeed begun working on new music as well as plans for an upcoming tour.[45][46]
In October 2013, Tom Dumont revealed viaTwitter that the band was once again on hiatus, but hinted that they would regroup in 2014.[47][48] No Doubt did reform for sporadic live performances during 2014 and 2015, among others at Global Citizen Earth Day Concert,Rock in Rio USA,Riot Fest, and KAABOO inDel Mar, California, but did not announce a headline tour or release any new music.[49][50][51][52] Around the release of her solo single "Baby Don't Lie", Gwen Stefani announced that No Doubt were working on a new album.[53] However, during an interview with theOrange County Register in April 2015, Tony Kanal stated that the band was not working on any new material.[54]
In a June 2016 interview withRolling Stone, Stefani expressed uncertainty over the future of No Doubt. "I don't know what's going to happen with No Doubt. When Tony [Kanal] and I are connected creatively, it's magic. But I think we've grown apart as far as what kind of music we want to make. I was really drained and burned out when we recorded [2012'sPush and Shove]. And I had a lot of guilt: 'I have to do it.' That's not the right setting to make music. There's some really great writing on that record. But the production felt really conflicted. It was sad how we all waited that long to put something out and it didn't get heard."[55]
In an interview with WSJ Magazine in December 2022, when asked about a reunion, Stefani said "What are the odds of anything? I was just onThe Drew Barrymore Show. She was one of my favorite celebrities when I was a little girl, and now I was just on the show with her. Anything can happen. We haven't really talked about doing anything, but it feels like everyone is, right? All the '90s people — Blink-182 did an eight-month tour that sold out in like five minutes."[56] However, whenNic Harcourt interviewed Adrian Young for AKG'sStories Behind the Sessions (published in May 2023) and asked him if the world would see any more No Doubt music, Young replied: "I don't think so. I think [Push and Shove] will remain our last album. And unfortunately, I don't see us touring anymore either. I could be wrong, you never know, things could change. I would love to have that feeling again, connect with the fans, and it's quite a shame we're not playing live."[57]
On January 16, 2024, the band teased a reunion show.[58][59][60] On February 2, a source close to the band revealed toUs Weekly that "the whole group has some ideas for new material and are open to a tour directly after [their] performance."[61] They played a reunion show in April 2024, performing atCoachella, the first time they played together since 2015.[62] On January 30, 2025, No Doubt performedanother reunion show initially planned as a Gwen Stefani solo concert to support the aid and fundraising in response to theJanuary 2025 Southern California wildfires.[63][64][65]
On October 9, 2025, it was reported byTMZ that No Doubt would be headlining a Las Vegas residency, playing six dates atthe Sphere in May 2026, making Stefani the first female to headline the arena.[66]
No Doubt's musical style has been characterized asska punk,[60][67][68][69]ska,[67][70][71][72]pop rock,[67][73]new wave,[71][72]alternative rock,[68][70]pop-punk,[59][70]reggae,[74]reggae fusion,[71] andpunk rock.[75] Some other genres the band has been described as includesynth-pop,[76]electropop,[76]dancehall,[76]third-wave ska,[77]post-grunge,[77]funk,[78] anddisco.[78] Influences on the band's sound includeThe Police,Madness,The Specials,The Clash,Prince, andBlondie.
The band's debut album blended the ska punk, alternative rock and new wave genres. However, the band utilized a punk rock sound in their second albumThe Beacon Street Collection[79] and their third albumTragic Kingdom, although the latter incorporated pop-punk and alternative rock influences. They later shed their punk rock roots for the following albumReturn of Saturn, utilizing influences from new wave music and pop rock.[80]
The band completely altered their sound in their next albumRock Steady, incorporatingJamaican music influences fromreggae fusion,rocksteady anddance-rock.[81] However the band's comeback albumPush and Shove blendedpop rock,new wave music anddancehall;[82] the English electronic bandsNew Order andOrchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) were cited as key influences on the album.[83]
In 2009, No Doubt made an appearance on the television seriesGossip Girl, playing a fictional band called "Snowed Out" in the episode "Valley Girls".[84] They performed a cover version of theAdam and the Ants song "Stand and Deliver".[85]
No Doubt played at theBridge School Benefit organized byNeil Young on October 24 and 25, 2009, at theShoreline Amphitheatre inMountain View, California.[86]
On December 5, 2010, No Doubt performed a tribute toPaul McCartney at TheKennedy Center Honors, playing a medley of Beatles hits including "Hello, Goodbye", "All My Loving", and "Penny Lane". The band performed for President Barack Obama, Sir Paul McCartney, and Oprah Winfrey.[87]
The band also appeared as guests on theFox animated television seriesKing of the Hill, in the season 5 episode "Kidney Boy and Hamster Girl: A Love Story",[88] and in an episode of the sketch comedy programPortlandia.[89] They can also be seen in a scene of theSimpsons episode "Homerpalooza". At the time Eric Stefani was one of the show's animators, and inserted his sister and her bandmates behind Homer in the scene where the crowd riots against him.[90]
On November 4, 2009, theLos Angeles Times reported that No Doubt had filed a lawsuit over its portrayal in the music video gameBand Hero. The lawsuit alleged that the game had "transformed No Doubt band members into a virtual karaoke circus act", singing dozens of songs the group neither wrote, popularized, nor approved for use in the game. The case was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and citedActivision, the game's distributor, as having exceeded contractual likenesses of the members of No Doubt.[91]
On February 15, 2011, theCalifornia Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District affirmed the trial court's denial of Activision's special motion to strike No Doubt's lawsuit as astrategic lawsuit against public participation, after aninterlocutory appeal by Activision.[92] Theappellate court explained that the dispute arose from No Doubt's discovery, two weeks beforeBand Hero went on sale, that its band members could be manipulated in the game to perform songs they would never perform in real life. The court then explained: "The band also learned that female lead singer Gwen Stefani's avatar could be made to sing in a male voice, and the male band members' avatars could be manipulated to sing songs in female voices. The individual band member avatars could be made to perform solo, without their band members, as well as with members of other groups." The court then ruled that Activision'sFirst Amendment defense was meritless, No Doubt had a reasonable probability of prevailing on the merits, and that No Doubt was entitled to recover costs and attorney's fees incurred in opposing Activision's appeal.[citation needed]
In 2012, the issue was settled out of court, two weeks before scheduled trial date.[93]
Current members
Current session/touring musicians
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Former session/touring musicians[97]
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Eric Stefani and Gwen Stefani, alongside John Spence and Jerry McMahon, alongside Chris Leal, Chris Webb, Gabriel Gonzalez, Alan Meade, and Tony Meade constituted the initial No Doubt lineup. Tony Kamal also joined them soon after their first few performances.
Before joining No Doubt as Spence's co-lead vocalist, [Gwen] Stefani took the plunge into the world of ska performance by singing the Select classic "On My Radio" at a school talent show, lyric sheet in hand. Eric [Stefani] put together a lineup that included guitarist Jerry McMahon, drummer Chris Webb, bassist Chris Leal (soon replaced by Kirk Hofstetter), trombonist Paul Caseley, and brothers Alan and Tony Meade on trumpet and saxophone, respectively.
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