Members :
- Chad Kroeger - Vocals, Guitar
- Ryan Peake - Guitar, Vocals
- Mike Kroeger - Bass
- Daniel Adair - Drums
Quote From Nickelback's Chad Kroeger:
"There's always going to be room in the world for good melodies."
Formed:
1995 - Hanna, Alberta, Canada
Early Days:
Nickelback began in 1995 as a cover band in the small town of Hanna, Alberta, Canada. It wasn't long before vocalist and songwriter Chad Kroeger had higher ambitions and went to Vancouver with borrowed money to record original songs. He convinced his brother, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Ryan Vikedal to move to Vancouver. There, in 1996, they recorded the EP Hesher and the full-length album Curb and began marketing them independently.
Success On Canadian Rock Circuit:
Dissatisfied with the failure of their management to move the band beyond regional success, Nickelback began managing themselves in 1998. The band invested $30,000 on a second album, and, in early 2000, The State was released, once again independently. With the assistance of Canadian requirements for playing a specific amount of home-grown content on the radio, Nickelback began to rise among the ranks of Canadian rock bands.
Mainstream Rock Success:
Canadian success was enough to get noticed among U.S. bands, and Nickelback's post-grunge sound was considered commercially viable. The band embarked on a grueling schedule of touring, and, by the end of the year, they were opening for the likes of Creed and 3 Doors Down. American rock label Roadrunner Records picked up The State for U.S. distribution, and the singles "Breathe" and "Leader Of Men" broke into the top 10 on U.S. rock radio.
"How You Remind Me":
Nickelback decided to tighten up their songwriting on their next album Silver Side Up with more direct songs about personal and domestic issues. They enlisted help from Pearl Jam producer Rick Parashar and Metallica engineer Randy Staub to sharpen their rock sound. The album had the fortune of being released on September 11, 2001. Consequently, the first single "How You Remind Me" became associated, for many fans, with remembrance of the victims of the tragedies of that day.
Trivia Fact About Nickelback:
The band's name derives from the nickel in change that bassist Mike Kroeger frequently had to give back to customers when he worked at a Starbucks coffee shop.
Top Rank Rock Band:
"How You Remind Me" reached #1 on the pop singles chart and pulled the album Silver Side Up to #2. The song was such a huge hit it was certified as the most played song on the radio in the U.S. for the year 2002. The followup album The Long Road appeared in 2003 and reached #6 on the album chart. It's lead single "Someday" landed in the top 10 of the singles chart as well.
As a post-grunge rock band with pop success, Nickelback were frequently criticized as selling out to the mainstream. The single "Someday" was criticized as being a crass rewrite of the hit "How You Remind Me." Despite the critics, The Long Road sold 5 million copies and the band embarked on another highly successful tour.
In early 2005 Nickelback announced that drummer Ryan Vikedal had left the band. In subsequent interviews Vikedal claimed he was pushed out of the band for not being the right "type of drummer" the band needed. 3 Doors Down drummer Daniel Adair was asked to replace Vikedal for the band's new album. The album, All the Right Reasons, was released October 4, 2005. It was preceded by the hit single "Photograph" which reached the top 5 of the pop singles chart. By late August, 2006, All the Right Reasons had spent nearly a year in the upper reaches of the album chart generating 3 major pop hit singles.
