About
Nickelback, a post-grunge band from Alberta, are the first Canadian band since the Guess Who (in the '70s) to have a No. 1 hit single in both Canada and the U.S. Since the mid-'90s, the group -- singer/guitarist Chad Kroeger, bassist Mike Kroeger, guitarist Ryan Peake and drummer Brandon Kroeger (eventually replaced by Daniel Adair) -- has evolved from near-Pearl Jam tribute band to its signature polished, hard-rock sound. Nickelback's popularity first gathered steam with the single "Leader of Men" off their second self-released album, 1998's The State. The song was in heavy rotation on Canadian radio, and soon American label Roadrunner signed them (and reissued The State). They then toured with Creed, and in 2001, Silver Side Up yielded subsequent hits, such as "Someday." In 2005, Nickelback returned with All the Right Reasons, a departure from their previous harder sound that pushed them into contemporary heavy-rock territory and made them one of the biggest bands in alt-rock of the 2000s. Meteoritic hits "Photograph" and "Savin' Me" assured the album's dominance at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts, and it went more than seven times platinum.
- Eric Shea
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