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Creed


Creed are probably the best band to come out during the last 6 years. Although they released only 3 albums they clearly left a mark on the hard rock map. Here's their bio:

Creed was formed in 1995 in Tallahassee, FL, by vocalist Scott Stapp and guitarist Mark Tremonti, who had been friends in high school but initially went their separate ways. Stapp had been studying law at Florida State University, but eventually dropped out to pursue music, a decision that led to conflict with his anti-rock & roll parents (his father was a Pentecostal minister). Stapp and Tremonti began writing songs together, many of which obliquely addressed themes of Christian spirituality, and added a rhythm section consisting of bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. As an alternative to the band's original name (Naked Toddler), Marshall suggested the name Creed, having played in another band dubbed Mattox Creed. Creed soon went on to form their own label, Blue Collar, and entered the studio with producer John Kurzweg in 1997 to record their first album, My Own Prison. Initially self-released in a limited run, My Own Prison was picked up by Wind-Up Records — a fledgling imprint with distribution through Sony — and remixed to give it a heavier, more radio-friendly punch. And it worked. Given major-label exposure, My Own Prison spun off no less than four number one singles — "My Own Prison," "Torn," "What's This Life For," and "One" — on Billboard's mainstream rock radio charts over the next year, making Creed the first band to accomplish the feat with their debut album. My Own Prison sold like hotcakes, moving over five-million copies over the next couple of years despite little MTV exposure or media coverage.


Creed had a great deal of competition in the post-grunge sweepstakes at the time, and it remained to be seen whether they had any staying power, or were simply fortunate one-album wonders (like some of their peers turned out to be). When they issued their follow-up, Human Clay, in the fall of 1999, My Own Prison was still on the charts and selling respectably well. Human Clay turned out to be a blockbuster, not only entering the charts at number one (much to many observers' surprise), but selling a whopping ten-million copies over the next two years. The first single, "Higher," spent a record-breaking 17 weeks at number one on rock radio, and when their next two singles, "What If" and "With Arms Wide Open," topped the chart as well, it gave the band seven consecutive rock-radio number ones — another record. "With Arms Wide Open" also gave Creed their first number one pop hit, and later won a Grammy for Best Rock Song.


During the summer of 2000, Creed bassist Brian Marshall made headlines for criticizing Pearl Jam's recent songwriting style during a radio interview; he later apologized, and Stapp distanced the rest of the band from Marshall's comments on Creed's website. A couple of months later, just before the official start of the band's American tour, it was announced that Marshall was no longer a member of Creed. He was replaced for the tour by Brett Hestla. The same summer, Stapp was goaded into a brief media feud with Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, who launched into a profane tirade against Stapp at a summer rock-radio festival both bands were playing. Although Stapp later blasted Durst's business tactics (as senior VP at Interscope), saying they stemmed from a "mobster mentality," things didn't take long to settle down. The band worked on their new album over much of 2001; although Hestla remained in the touring lineup, Tremonti chose to handle the bass parts on the record, keeping things down to just the longtime core. Weathered was released in November 2001, and not only entered the charts at number one, but tied a record (among number one debuts) by remaining there for eight straight weeks; during that two-month time, it sold a staggering five-million copies. The first single "My Sacrifice" was a Top Five pop hit, also spending nine weeks on top of the rock-radio charts. Follow-up "Bullets," one of the band's heaviest songs yet, wasn't as successful, but "One Last Breath" climbed the charts quickly behind it. In April 2002, Stapp was involved in a car accident and suffered a concussion and vertebrae damage. Creed initially canceled the rest of their supporting tour, but fortunately, Stapp recovered quickly enough to allow the band to reschedule most of the shows for summer.


Here's some of their work:


My Own PrisonCreed's amazing debut album was not recieved well by music critics at first, but rock fans disagreed. This album became a platinum hit shortly after the title track ("My Own Prison") was issued as a single. Other singles that went on to become hits are: "Torn", "What's This Life For", "One". Release date: 1997
Human ClayCreed's second album is probably the best album that came out in rescent years. If people were stunned by the quality of their debut album then Human Clay totally blew them away. This album includes one of the best songs I ever had the pleasure of listening to, a masterpiece called "Higher". This album went on to sell an amazing 13 million copies. Other great songs on this album: "Are You Ready?", "What If", "With Arms Wide Open". Release date: 1999
WeatheredAlthough this album was not nearly as good as it's predecessors, it was still by far better than other rock albums that came out near the time of it's release (sold 5 million copies in it's first couple of months alone). Song highlights: "Bullets", "One Last Breath", "My Sacrifice". release date: 2001




Scott Stap




Mark Tremonti




Scott Phillips




Brian Marshall


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