The Used Bio

The largely Mormon town of Orem, Utah isn't actually known for having a thriving music scene. But Orem misfits the Used somehow made it anyway, even though they probably didn't win over many local fans at their occasional gigs in the town's few clubs (many were understandably turned off by their intense volume and lead singer Bert McCracken's now-infamous tendency to vomit onstage). And the Used had to overcome more than just hometown intolerance: They also battled with homelessness (they used to beg for money on the street in order to buy food) and substance abuse (recovering addict McCracken, who's been sober now for more than two years, says it's music that saved him). But once the Used signed a deal with Reprise Records and released their powerful self-titled debut album, the rest of America caught on fast.

And now even America's sweetheart, Kelly Osbourne, has fallen in love with the Used--or, more specifically, with 20-year-old McCracken (who, as a wild rock frontman with a drug-addled past and a penchant for revolting stage antics, has much in common with her own dear old dad). But before McCracken (who was actually raised Mormon) met Kelly--and before he had his bandmates Jeph Howard (bass), Branden Steineckert (drums), and Quinn Allman (guitar) played on her father's 2002 OzzFest tour--they got their start recording lo-fi demos in Steineckert's bedroom. After befriending Goldfinger singer John Feldmann at some local punk shows, they began sending him these demos, which impressed Feldmann so much that he flew the guys out to Los Angeles to record some higher-quality demos under his guidance. Tapes of these Feldmann recording sessions eventually landed in the hands of various A&R scouts, resulting in a major-label bidding war, with Reprise eventually winning out.

Now that the Used have a hit single with "The Taste Of Ink," and Kelly Osbourne and Bert McCracken are a hot item, you can expect to see a lot of the Used on MTV--in their own popular videos, and on second-season episodes of The Osbournes. Stay tuned.


This Biography was written by Lyndsey Parker @ Yahoo Launch