Nickelback

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NICKELBACK

Formed: 1996, Hanna, Alberta

Members: Chad Kroeger, vocals, guitar (born Hanna, Alberta, 15 November 1974); Mike Kroeger, bass (born Brooks, Alberta, 25 June 1972); Ryan Peake, guitar (born Calgary, Alberta, 1 March 1973); Ryan Vikedal, drums (born Brooks, Alberta, 9 May 1975). Former member: Brandon Kroeger, drums (born Hanna, Alberta).

Genre: Rock

Best-selling album since 1990: Silver Side Up (2001)

Hit songs since 1990: "How You Remind Me," "Too Bad," "Never Again"

Though one of many successful commercial hard rock bands of the late 1990s, Nickelback outdid its competitors by scoring a number one single with the bitter "How You Remind Me."

Nickelback began its career as a cover band in native Hanna, Alberta, located northeast of Calgary. Tiring of playing other acts' songs, singer/guitar player Chad Kroeger wrote a batch of his own songs, borrowed four thousand dollars, and moved to Vancouver to record them in a studio. Kroeger's band mates—brother Mike (bass), Ryan Peake (guitar), and cousin Brandon Kroeger (drums)—joined him in Vancouver in 1996. The band independently released the full-length album Curb and embarked on a tour across Canada.

In 2000, after replacing the departing Brandon Kroeger with new drummer Ryan Vikedal, Nickelback released The State. The band benefited from new Canadian radio content requirements that emphasized home-grown talent, and the single "Leader of Men" became a hit. "Leader of Men" hints at Nickelback's ultimately successful commercial formula, with chorus-laden guitars and the Kroeger brothers' dark, vocal harmonies. Nickelback subsequently scored high-profile opening slots for acts such as 3 Doors Down, Fuel, and Creed. Roadrunner Records, a subsidiary of Island Records, snapped up the band and re-released The State ; the album ultimately sold 500,000 copies.

The band's much-anticipated third album and first true major label album, Silver Side Up, appeared in 2001. It was an immediate hit, selling nearly 200,000 copies in its first week alone. The lead single "How You Remind Me" was a sensation. Set to ferocious guitars, "How You Remind Me" finds Kroeger growling kiss-off lines to a former lover ("It's not like you to say sorry / I was waiting on a different story / This time I'm mistaken / For handing you a heart worth breaking") around the song's central lyrical hook: "This is how you remind me." With "How You Remind Me," Nickelback topped both the U.S. and Canadian singles charts simultaneously—the first act to do so since the Guess Who, with its classic anthem "American Woman" in 1970.

The follow-up single "Too Bad," inspired by Kroeger's own childhood, became an MTV staple and penetrated mainstream radio, despite its angry, hard-rocking tone, which features the rapid-fire chorus: "It's too bad / It's too late / There's no time to rewind / Let's walk / Let's talk." On the strength of its hit singles, Silver Side Up ultimately sold 6 million copies worldwide. Nickelback was celebrated in its native Canada, earning Best Group, Best Rock LP, and Best Single ("How You Remind Me") honors at Canada's Juno Awards in 2002. The band also received Grammy Award nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.

The success of Silver Side Up led to various high-profile collaborations for Nickelback. Chad Kroeger—along with Saliva front man Josey Scott, Theory of a Dead Man guitarist Tyler Connolly, and Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron—recorded "Hero" for the Spider-Man soundtrack in 2002; Chad Kroeger also appeared as a guest vocalist on Santana's album Shaman (2002).