CREED

Formed: 1995, Tallahassee, Florida

Members: Scott Stapp, vocalist (born Orlando, Florida 8 August 1973); Mark Tremonti, guitar (born Orlando, Florida 18 April 1974); Brian Marshall, bass (born Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 24 April 1973); Scott Phillips, drums (born Madison, Florida, 22 February 1973).

Genre: Rock

Best-selling album since 1990: Human Clay (1999)

Hit songs since 1990: "My Own Prison," "Torn," "With Arms Wide Open," "Sacrifice"

Creed rose swiftly as a major player in the post-grunge rock world on the strength of direct, sometimes Christian-tinged lyrics, and intense, soaring anthems. But the journey was not smooth. Critics disparaged them as imitative grungers whose overly serious, sometimes spiritual lyrics cast them as a Christian rock group. In time, it became clear that Creed were much more than the sum of their parts as their guitar-heavy rock came to dominate sales and radio charts.

Origins

Creed came together when two Florida high school friends, singer Scott Stapp and guitarist Mark Tremonti, teamed up with bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips in Tallahassee. A son of fundamentalist parents, Stapp grew up in a strict environment where rock music was scorned and punishment sometimes meant having to write Bible verses in longhand.

Over time Stapp rebelled, later experimenting with drugs while studying law at Florida State University. He eventually dropped out to pursue music, a decision that further estranged him from his stringent family. It was during these lean years that Stapp began to pen reflective songs about self-examination, sometimes drawing upon his experience of writing Biblical verses. When he teamed up with Tremonti, they set the lyrics against grunge power chords.

These early compositions made up the bulk of their debut CD, My Own Prison (1997), produced by John Kurzweg and released on their label, Blue Collar. It came to the attention of Wind-Up Records, an indie imprint distributed by Sony, where it was remixed and given a brawny sheen. This refurbishing resulted in four number one singles on Billboard 's mainstream rock radio charts: the title track, "Torn," "What's This Life For," and "One." Though slightly preachy, Stapp's lyrics captivated fans: "Only in America we kill the unborn / to make ends meet."

The combination of thunderous guitars, direct lyrics, and anthemic songs became Creed's sonic signature.

Taking Off

Creed's ascent began to accelerate, but cynics and other fence riders questioned the band's staying power. The post-grunge world was crowded with sound-alike big-riff guitar bands, and Creed seemed to have molded its sound after Pearl Jam's variation on grunge. It did not help that Stapp's rough vocals were often compared to those of Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. But Creed surprised everyone, including the naysayers, when their follow-up, Human Clay (1999), debuted at number one on the Billboard chart and quickly went multiplatinum, eventually selling more than 10 million copies in two years. "Higher," the first single, spent seventeen weeks at number one on rock radio. Other tracks became chart toppers, including "What If" and the catchy ballad "With Arms Wide Open," which later won a Grammy for Best Rock Song. The song has personal meaning for Stapp. It was written while he awaited the birth of his first son, Jagger. In June 1999 Stapp divorced Jagger's mother, Hillaree Burns, an aspiring model, after a sixteen-month marriage.

In public statements, Stapp said the reason "wasn't infidelity. We were just young and had a baby, and everything happened so fast." The divorce was amicable. "I think in her heart she would like a man who's home every day," he said. "I'm in a rock band and I'm gone a lot. I'll always love her. She gave me one of the greatest gifts in my life, my son." On "With Arms Wide Open," Stapp said he would never tire of singing the song: "It was written about my unborn child. And I have a constant reminder of why I wrote that song in Jagger. The feelings that inspired that song well up in me every time I sing it." One of the key lines is, "With arms wide open, under the sunlight / Welcome to this place I'll show you everything / With arms wide open."

More muscular and better paced that its predecessor, Human Clay featured more accessible, mainstream-leaning guitar rock. For better or for worse, Creed was sounding like the early 1980s power pop band Journey but with more rock muscle and a more passionate singer. Other tunes like "Wrong Way" recalled Led Zeppelin with its Middle Eastern rhythms.

Formula for Success

By the late 1990s, genres likes rap/rock, rock metal, and teen boy bands were making major inroads into the market. Creed was going against the grain, producing anthemic guitar-fueled rock complete with angst-filled introspective lyrics and increasingly ruling the charts. From outward appearances, Creed had all the cliches: guitar hooks, soaring choruses, leather pants, messanic poses. It was clear that the group's influences drew from such seminal groups as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and the Doors, as well as Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Stone Temple Pilots. A VH1 Behind the Music special in 2000 touted the band as Orlando's "spiritual band with the thunderous sound." But two elements made Creed distinctive. First, in contrast to the tones of anger and sodden negativity of other grunge bands, Creed seemed comfortable and happy. Second, Stapp's biblically inspired lyrics prompted speculation about Creed's agenda: Were they a Christian band trying to reach rock audiences? Stapp told the Sydney, Australia, Daily Telegraph that judgment was in the ears of the beholder: "Everyone has their own background and it affects the way you perceive things. When I make religious or spiritual references in my songs, they don't know the meaning behind what I'm trying to figure out for myself, so when they hear those words, a Christian person will base it on their belief systems," he said. "People of a non-Christian belief hear them in a completely different way. At this point we have no agenda, we're not a professing Christian band, we just write from our hearts about experiences we go through. We don't want to do anything to change how people hear a song because that's what makes a song theirs, makes it personal to them."

By the time Creed went back into the studio in early 2001, the pressure was on to beat the multiplatinum success of the previous CDs. Tremonti took over bass duties in the studio after bassist Brian Marshall left the band, replaced on the tour by Brett Hestla of Virgos Merlot. No official reason was ever given for Marshall's departure. Again, producer Kurzweg was brought in to help hammer out the songs that became Weathered in the fall of 2001. Ultimately, there were few surprises. The monster rock anthems were there in "My Sacrifice," and "One Last Breath." Zeppelin's mystical tones were evoked again on "Who's Got My Back Now." The album registered big sales, but not everyone was pleased. Creed demonstrated their proficiency at power rock ballads, but Weathered proved that the band could not expand their musical vocabulary. Their messages of hope defy hard rock's gloom and anger, but the band's polished and intense power pop was becoming predictable.

Creed has been an important contributor to rock's evolution. Their radio-friendly hard rock has fused post-grunge elements with spiritual undertones in lyrics that appeal to fans who want more from music than angry alienation.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

My Own Prison (Wind-Up, 1997); Human Clay (Sony, 1999); Weathered (Wind-Up, 2001).

ramiro burr

Creed. A concise statement of what is believed (Lat., credo, ‘I believe’).

Judaism

See ARTICLES OF FAITH.

Christianity

Creeds originated as confessions of faith by candidates for baptism. The Council of Nicaea (325) put in a credal form the profession of faith as a standard of orthodoxy, and the use of creeds for this purpose rapidly spread. The most important creeds, the Nicene Creed, Apostles' Creed, and Athanasian Creed, are also used liturgically.

Islam

The basic ‘creed’ is the shahāda, but this affirmation of allegiance (islām) is not a credal profession, with articles of faith. The nearest equivalent to that is the ʿaqīda, several of which appeared in the early history of Islam.

creed. A concise, formal, and authorized statement of important points of Christian doctrine. The classical examples are the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. Candidates for Baptism originally accepted short formulas of belief; these gradually became crystallized into creeds. After the Council of Nicaea (325) credal professions of faith came to be used as standards of orthodoxy. The practice of reciting the (Nicene) Creed at the Eucharist arose as a local custom in the E. in the 5th cent.; it was not adopted at Rome until 1014. See also RULE OF FAITH.

creed Summaries of Christian belief which are found in the NT at 1 Cor. 15: 13 ff. and 1 Tim. 3: 16, and perhaps also Phil. 2: 6–11; but creeds such as the so-called Apostles' Creed used at Rome did not come into existence until the 3rd cent. They were found necessary in order to exclude heretical views about Christ, and they were convenient expressions of belief to be learnt by candidates for baptism.

creed / krēd/ • n. a system of Christian or other religious belief; a faith. ∎  (often the Creed) a formal statement of Christian beliefs, esp. the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed. ∎  a set of beliefs or aims that guide someone's actions: liberalism was more than a political creed.

creed (Lat. credo, ‘I believe’) In Christian churches, personal yet formal statement of commitment to doctrinal belief. See also Apostles' Creed; Athanasian Creed; Nicene Creed

creed OE. crēda — L. crēdō I believe (with cogns. in Indo-Iranian and Celtic), the first word of the Apostles' and the Nicene Creeds in the Latin versions.

Creed Cornwall. Sancta Crida c.1250. ‘Church of St Cride’. From the patron saint of the church.

Creed

Rock band

For the Record…

Selected discography

Sources

Creed is a modern rock band of grassroots troubadours that performs highly inspirational music with a message, within the lines of a simple and unaffected genre called “new-era” rock. The band, led by vocalist Scott Stapp, features Mark Tremonti on guitar, Brian Marshall on bass, and Scott Phillips on drums. The four musicians are clean-cut and wholesome and qualify easily as “the boys next door.” Creed’s “formula” for success—if indeed they have one—is embodied in their independence from corporate ties. The band eschews conglomerate involvement, relying instead on writing and self-publishing their own songs and touring incessantly to popularize their music. They record and perform without gimmicks, and mind the business operations of their band, relying extensively on the Internet for communications as well as for advertising. Creed uses its website not only to promote songs, concerts, and albums, but for mutual correspondence between its fans and the band members.

Creed originated in Tallahassee in 1995 with a chance meeting between Stapp and Tremonti, two former schoolmates

For the Record…

Members include Brian Marshall (born April 24, 1973), bass; Scott Phillips (born February 22, 1973), drums; Scott Stapp (born August 8, 1973, in Orlando, FL; one son, Jagger), vocals; Mark Tremonti (born on April 18, 1974), guitar.

Released My Own Prison, 1997; Human Clay, 1999; produced and performed (with others) soundtrack for film Scream 3; performed at Woodstock ’99.

Awards: Rock Artist of the Year, Billboard magazine; songwriting award for “My Own Prison,” by Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti, BMI Pop Music Awards, 1999.

Addresses: Record company —Wind-up Records, 72 Madison Avenue, 8^th Floor, New York, NY 10016; e-mail:windup@wind-upnet.com.

from Orlando, Florida. Before long the two musicians recruited drummer Phillips and bassist Marshall from among the ample mélange of otherwise unskilled workers in north Florida. Between the four of them, before uniting to form their band, the future Creed members shucked oysters, fry cooked, and washed dishes to earn a living. Stapp himself was on the rebound from a series of injudicious career decisions and minor catastrophes. After performing poorly in school due to lack of interest, he abandoned his pre-law studies at Florida State University, job-hopped, and lived in his car for lack of income. It was, in fact, his lack of general prudence that inspired much of his music.

The members of the neophyte group invested their own money, a modest $6,000, into recording My Own Prison, an album that featured an assortment of songs, written by Stapp during the months after he abandoned his education and wandered aimlessly in search of a purpose. Most notably he wrote “My Own Prison,” which became the title track of the debut album, in contemplation of the difficulties he courted by his own choices in life. Despite the bitter undertone of the song, it brought him to an epiphany about self-determination, as he wrote “No time for mourning, Ain’t got no time, So I held my head up high….”Another song on the album, “What’s This Life For?” was a collaborative effort by Stapp and Tremonti, the result of their reflection on the suicides of two mutual friends. Songwriters Tremonti and Stapp published their own works through Tremonti/Stapp Music of BMI, while a secondary publisher, Wind-up’s Dwight Frye Music, assumed the administrative functions for the pair.

Creed released My Own Prison on August 26, 1997, on the Wind-up label, and the album had moved halfway up the Billboard 200 chart less in than three months. The title song became a hit single, and by November 22 reached number two on the rock-track chart of most-played hits. The album, which sold more than four million copies, went into successive releases, and other hits emerged—including “Tom,” “What’s This Life For?” and “One.” Each of the single releases from My Own Prison attained number one hit status on BillboardRock Radio.

The members of the band collectively invested a portion of the royalties from My Own Prison to acquire a parcel of land, away from urbana and city life, where they might relax and find inspiration for future creative endeavors. They retired to their newly acquired hideaway, and set to work on Human Clay, their second album. The tone of Human Clay, which was released on October 1, 1999, evoked an uplifting atmosphere, in direct contrast to Creed’s original, My Own Prison. Human Clay featured assorted ballads, soothing and melodic, yet interspersed with energetic and fast-paced compositions. Two months later, in early December, Human Clay achieved double platinum sales (over 2 million copies sold), and Anthony Bozza of Rolling Stone dubbed Creed the best-selling hard-rock band in America. Additionally, their albums ranked in the top 12 in 1999, according to radio play and sales statistics. Additionally, Creed’s international appeal extended to remote continents; the group sold 80,000 albums in New Zealand alone in 1999.

With two best-selling albums to their credit, the band expanded its horizons and contributed to the movie soundtracks of Faculty and Dead Man on Campus. The soundtrack for Scream 3, which Creed self-produced, includes original Creed compositions “What If” and “Is the End.” For that album, Creed solicited contributions from a number of their fellow recording artists and comrades from Wind-up Records, including Orgy and Static-X. A total of 17 “heavy rock” bands contributed to the album.

Between recording sessions, Creed tours extensively. The band attracts audiences composed primarily of teen-agers and young adults, 14 to 34 years old. In 2000, the band remained a young and evolving musical entity, at times unpolished because of its newness. Regardless, Creed persisted in projecting a positive image as was evidenced in July of 1999 when the band performed in Rome, New York, at Woodstock99, a reprise festival of the original festival by the same name. The 1999 concert, held in celebration of the 30-year anniversary of the original festival in 1969, differed drastically in mood from the original concert in the 1960s. When a catastrophic outbreak of violence instigated by concertgoers marred the end of the 1999 festival, Stapp responded to the chaotic outburst and vented his embarrassment during Creed’s performance.

The four Creed band members are extremely close in age, and all enjoy the music of Led Zeppelin. The senior member of the group, drummer Scott Phillips of Madison, Florida, was born in February of 1973. Phillips began playing the drums in his late teens. Guitarist Mark Tremonti was born in April of 1974 and is the youngest member of the group. He played guitar for approximately ten years before joining Creed. Bassist Brian Marshall was born on April 24, 1974, approximately one week before Tremonti. Marshall is a native of Fort Walton Beach in Florida. He started playing the bass in his midteens. Creed founder and vocalist, Scott Stapp, was born and raised in Orlando, Florida, the son of a Pentecostal minister. He was born on August 8, 1973, and is the second oldest member of the group. During adolescence his musical affinities veered toward U2, Elvis, Led Zeppelin, and the Doors, and according to critics, the circumstances of Stapp’s childhood are evidenced in many of his song lyrics. Stapp, who repeatedly disavowed such interpretation of his music, nonetheless intimated that his parents were not only devoutly religious, but rigid and strict, and highly antagonistic toward rock music and electric guitars. Stapp moved with his family to Tallahassee, Florida, in the mid-1990s. He wrote the song “With Arms Wide Open” in honor of the birth of his eldest child, a son named Jagger.

As Creed’s media presence continually evolves, their presence on the Internet is secure. “We’re on our Web site almost every day, especially when we’re on tour.

The Internet is such a cool medium. It’s definitely the future of how bands will know what their fans are thinking,” Stapp told Billboard in September of 1999. Creed’s plans for the new millenium included more touring and a live album, along with an acoustic album. Their schedule included appearances in Las Vegas in December of 1999, and contract negotiations to play in Edmonton, Canada in the year 2000.

Selected discography

My Own Prison, Wind-up Records, 1997.

Human Clay (includes “Higher”), Wind-up Records, 1999.

Scream 3 soundtrack (with other bands), 1999.

Sources

Periodicals

Billboard, November 22, 1997; December 20, 1997, p. 97; September 4, 1999, p. 18.

Campus Life, September-October 1998, p. 32.

Telegraph (Sydney, Australia), January 14, 2000.

Rolling Stone, September 16, 1999, p. 38; October 28, 1999; pp. 99-100; December 9, 1999, p. 34.

Online

“Info About the Band Creed,” available at http:/xrs.nct/unified/info.html (February 4, 2000).

“Lyrics and Meanings Behind Songs,” available at http:/xrs.nct/unified/lyrics-myownprison.html (February 4, 2000).

—Gloria Cooksey

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