Creed emerged from a good-sized pack of post-grunge contenders to become one
of the biggest-selling rock bands in America during the late '90s. At a time
when many other Seattle
disciples were lapsing into inactivity or experimenting with less commercially
established sounds,
Creed carried the torch of straightforward, grungy hard rock without
apology, and they were amply rewarded, selling millions upon millions of albums
in just a few years' time. That success didn't translate into critical acclaim;
most reviewers slammed their music as derivative and formulaic, and their
outlook as relentlessly, stiflingly serious (which got at the very qualities
that made the band so popular). Based on their frequently spiritual lyrics, some
observers lumped them in with a new breed of alternative-styled Christian bands
that had begun crossing over to the mainstream; however,
Creed tried to distance themselves from being pigeonholed as an exclusively
religious band out to convert their listeners. Neither critical derision nor a
potential secular backlash could derail the band, however, and they went into
the new millennium as a seemingly unstoppable commercial juggernaut.
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 its 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 (also of
Virgos Merlot), and later formed a new band called Grand Luxx with his old
Mattox Creed bandmates. 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 its 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. After months of speculation, Wind-Up officially announced the
breakup of
Creed in June 2004. Over nearly a decade, the band sold over 30 million
albums worldwide and became one of the biggest touring draws of the 1990s.
Founding members
Mark Tremonti, Scott Phillips, and Brian Marshall went on to form
Alter Bridge with ex-Mayfield
Four frontman Myles Kennedy. Plans for a
Scott Stapp solo record, which had included a collection of songs inspired
by
Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ, eventually came to fruition with the
release of The Great Divide in November 2005, a back-to-basics rock record. ~
Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book
Creed for your next corporate or private event.
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