No doubt about it; the success of Anaheim, Calif.'s
No Doubt is one of the more unique success stories of the '90s. Ska music has long been a mainstay of the fertile Orange County
punk scene...and No Doubt has been playing what they consider to be a pure form of the genre for nearly a decade in the OC
clubs.
The group released an eponymous Interscope debut
LP in 1992, but it sold little. Shortly thereafter, No Doubt's lead singer/lyricist Gwen Stefani's older brother left the
band to pursue a career in film and TV, and the band carried on without him--laboring in the studio (at their own expense)
for the next several years, working on what would eventually become Tragic Kingdom, released through the Interscope-distributed Trauma Records label.
The irony is that neither Trauma nor Interscope
were especially keen on releasing Kingdom, but now that it's gone platinum several times over, both labels are currently
involved in nasty litigation trying to claim No Doubt as their own. "Just A Girl," the debut single, became an FM and MTV
staple immediately--and No Doubt were suddenly a bigger sensation than all the early ska bands that influenced them (Madness, the Specials) put together.
The ballad "Don't Speak," the third single from
Tragic Kingdom, became the group's biggest hit to date and strongly suggested that No Doubt and Stefani had a future
beyond their ska roots. That was confirmed with the release of 2000's Return Of Saturn, which included the hyper "Ex-Girlfriend" and the melodic "Simple Kind Of Life."
With Stefani's star rising, she soon turned
into a much in-demand guest star with turns on Eve's "Let Me Blow Your Mind" and Moby's "South Side." The former won a Grammy Award
in 2001 for best rap/sung collaboration, and the videos for both tunesagain featuring Stefani--picked up honors at the 2001
MTV Video Music Awards.
Striking while Stefani was hot, No Doubt returned
in late 2001 with Rock Steady, its best and most diverse effort to date. Aided by a string of top-notch producers (Nellee Hooper, Sly & Robbie, Ric Ocasek, Prince, Steely & Clevie and Mark "Spike" Stent),
the group made the ultimate party album featuring reggae, dancehall, hip-hop, dance, and new wave influences. Hit singles
included the energetic dancehall-flavored "Hey Baby," featuring Bounty Killer; the infectious reggae of "Underneath It All,"
with a guest shot from Lady Saw; and the rocking-party stomper "Hella Good."
Stefani's wedding to Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale cemented her place as
rock royalty. After the honeymoon she began working on her much-anticipated solo album. Meanwhile, No Doubt summed up its
career to date with The Singles 1992-2003, which featured all the band's biggest hits and a new cover of "It's My Life,"
originally a hit for the U.K. band Talk Talk in 1984.
This Biography was written by Bill Holdship
