Creed (band)

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This article is about the American Post-Grunge band. For other uses, see Creed (disambiguation).
Creed
Touring bassist Brett Hestla, Scott Phillips, Scott Stapp, and Mark Tremonti (l-r)
Background information
Origin Tallahassee, Florida, United States
Genre(s) Hard rock
Post-grunge
Years active 1994–2004
Label(s) Blue Collar Records
Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Wind-up Records
Associated acts Naked Toddler
Mattox Creed
Alter Bridge
Dark New Day
Website www.creed.com
Former members
Scott Stapp
Mark Tremonti
Scott Phillips
Brian Marshall

Creed was a rock band from Tallahassee, Florida that became popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The band won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song for the song "With Arms Wide Open" in 2001. The band broke up in 2004 after three multiplatinum albums.

Contents

[edit] History

Creed originally came together and formed a band in 1993 under the name Naked Toddler when Scott Stapp and guitarists Mark Tremonti and Brian Brasher, college friends at Florida State University, got together and started collaborating and writing songs. They soon added bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. Brian Marshall came up with the band name "Creed", taken from the name of his former band, Mattox Creed.[1]

Once the band was complete as a five-piece in late 1993, (Scott Stapp, Mark Tremonti, Brian Brasher, Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips) the band was soon dominating the Tallahassee local music scene and was one of the only local bands playing all original music in a town where club owners wanted local bands to play cover songs and music that people know. The five members had already written and collaborated three of the songs that would go on to become chart topping singles on their debut album My Own Prison. The songs were "One", "Sister" and "What's This Life For".

They then found work at a live music bar, where they impressed promoters Jeff Hanson and Andy Levine enough to let them play at one of their bigger venues known as Floyd's Music Store on the Tennessee Street Strip in Tallahassee. Hanson and Levine liked the band so much that he convinced producer John Kurzweg to record the band.

[edit] My Own Prison

Their debut album My Own Prison was independently released in 1997 and only cost them $6,000 to produce, and distributed to Florida radio stations. This drew the attention of several labels that agreed to see the band, only to pass. Rejected, Creed was playing a small gig when Diana Meltzer from Wind-Up Records heard the group. She had heard their independent album, and after hearing them live, signed the band to her label. After a remix to make it more radio friendly, My Own Prison was re-released by Wind-up Records across the country. The album was a surprise success, reaching the Top 40 on the Billboard Top 200, and spinning off several singles ("My Own Prison," "Torn," "What's This Life For," and "One") that topped the rock radio charts. The band's hit song "My Own Prison" was also featured as a live performance on the charity album Live in the X Lounge.

[edit] Human Clay

Their second album, Human Clay, was released in 1999 and debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart at number one, based on the strength of its first single, "Higher", which spent several weeks on the top of the rock radio charts. It wasn't until early 2000 that the single crossed over onto pop radio going to the Top Ten on the Billboard Pop Chart, and Creed became a household name. Its follow-up, "With Arms Wide Open," also hit number one that fall.

Meanwhile, Brian Marshall quit the band, and Brett Hestla (Virgos Merlot, Dark New Day) took over on the Human Clay tour, and subsequent tours. Around that time, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit bad-mouthed Stapp at New York's Krock 92.3 "Dysfunctional Family Picnic Concert" where they were both performing. In response to this, Scott Stapp invited Fred Durst to an open boxing match which Durst declined.[2]

[edit] Weathered

In the fall of 2001, "My Sacrifice", the first single off Creed's last album Weathered, was used in a series of promotional tribute videos made by World Wrestling Entertainment. They also had "Young Grow Old," a B-side to the 1999 release Human Clay, featured as the official theme song for World Wrestling Entertainment WWE's Backlash pay-per-view event in April 2002. In early 2002, "Bullets" was released as a single, along with a costly, special effects-laden video. The song and video were possibly Creed's least successful since achieving mainstream success. However, Creed rebounded quickly, with one of the summer's biggest hits, "One Last Breath".

Stapp was involved in a car accident in April 2002 and it had seemed that the tour that they had planned was not going to happen. However, Stapp recovered in time to appear in the last few shows. "Don't Stop Dancing" was a minor hit for Creed in late 2002/early 2003.

[edit] Breakup and subsequent activities

In June 2004, Creed officially announced their break-up. Stapp began recording his debut solo album, The Great Divide with Roadrunner Records recording artist Goneblind. The other band members (including former bassist Brian Marshall) formed a new band, Alter Bridge, with Myles Kennedy. Touring bassist Brett Hestla has since joined the band Dark New Day. On November 22, 2004 they released a greatest hits album.

Since Creed's disbanding, many fans have been waiting for a reunion. The three members currently involved in Alter Bridge have stated that Creed is solely in their past, and will not reunite any time in the future. Tremonti even went as far to say that he would only agree to a Creed reunion if it was for "world peace." Originally, Stapp was optimistic about Creed reuniting someday, yet his recent claims reflect that he too feels that Creed is in the past.

In 2008, Mark Tremonti, along with Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy appeared as guests on two separate tracks on Sevendust's album Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow.

[edit] Controversies

 This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007)

Despite the band's continual dismissals of the label, Creed is sometimes labeled a Christian rock band due to the fact that all three albums focus on questions of faith, Christianity, and eternity. The band was never signed to a Contemporary Christian music label, nor did it perform in Christian Music venues or get any widespread regular play on Christian Radio. However, the word creed itself denotes a popular Christian theological concept, of absolute individual belief, usually monotheistic. Also, themes within their musical titles such as "Human Clay", "My Sacrifice", "My Own Prison", and "With Arms Wide Open" contain allusion to Christian theology, however it hasn't been confirmed that the songs were meant to be Christian songs.

Creed was sued in 2003 by four concert goers who claimed Scott Stapp "was so intoxicated and/or medicated that he was unable to sing the lyrics of a single Creed song" at a December 29, 2002 concert in Chicago. The lawsuit was later dismissed and the concert goers who filed the suit were mocked in a Daily Show segment conducted by Rob Corddry.

[edit] Collaboration with World Wrestling Entertainment

For many years, Creed collaborated with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) by allowing many of their songs to be played for promotions (such as a song being the soundtrack for a pay per view). In 2001, when WWE began airing videos highlighting many different wrestlers' careers as well as video highlights of the rigors of the road for wrestlers, a Creed song was almost always the background music; "My Sacrifice" (Kuzich's Favorite Song) being the most-used song. Even following the breakup of Creed, Scott Stapp and Alter Bridge have both contributed music to WWE.

[edit] Band members

[edit] Touring members

  • Brett Hestla - bass guitar (Touring member after the departure of Brian Marshall)

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Album information
My Own Prison
Album information
Human Clay
Album information
Weathered
Album information
Greatest Hits

[edit] Singles

Year Title Chart positions[3] Album
US Hot 100 US Modern Rock US Mainstream Rock UK Singles Chart
1997 "My Own Prison" - #7 #2 - My Own Prison
1997 "What's This Life For" - #10 #1 (6 Weeks) - My Own Prison
1998 "Torn" - - #3 - My Own Prison
1999 "One" #70 #2 #2 - My Own Prison
1999 "Higher" #7 #1 (3 Weeks) #1 (17 Weeks) #47 Human Clay
2000 "With Arms Wide Open" #1 (1 Week) #2 #1 (4 Weeks) #13 Human Clay
2000 "What If" - #15 #3 - Human Clay
2000 "Are You Ready?" - #37 #4 - Human Clay
2001 "Riders On The Storm" - - #28 -
2001 "Higher" (re-issue) - - - #64 Human Clay
2001 "My Sacrifice" #4 #2 #1 (9 Weeks) #18 Weathered
2002 "Bullets" - #27 #11 - Weathered
2002 "Hide" - - - - Weathered
2002 "One Last Breath" #6 #17 #5 - Weathered
2002 "One Last Breath" / "Bullets" - - - #47 Weathered
2002 "Don't Stop Dancing" - - - - Weathered
2002 "Weathered" - #30 #7 - Weathered

[edit] Milestones

[edit] Album sales

  • All three studio albums released went multi-platinum.
  • My Own Prison went 6× platinum in the US.
  • Human Clay went 11× platinum in the US.
  • Weathered went 6× platinum in the US.
  • The Greatest Hits went platinum in the US.
  • My Own Prison, Human Clay, and Weathered are on the list of the top 100 selling albums of all time in the US. [1]
  • Creed has sold 30 million albums in the US, making them one of the top selling artists ever in the US.

[edit] In media

[edit] Records and accomplishments

  • The song "Higher" topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts for 18 weeks, a record.
  • Their album Weathered debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts and stayed there for eight weeks, a record which they share with The Beatles.
  • The video for "With Arms Wide Open" is declared the 92nd greatest video ever by VH1.
  • The song "With Arms Wide Open" is declared the 4th greatest power balled ever by VH1.

[edit] Awards

  • Billboard 'Rock Artist of the Year' (1998)
  • Billboard 'Rock Artist of the Year' (1999)
  • Billboard 'Rock Artist of the Year' (2000)
  • Mawn Bawnd of All Time - Infinity A.D.
  • Grammy for Best Rock Song "With Arms Wide Open" (2001)
  • Radio Music Award for 'Rock Song of the Year' - "With Arms Wide Open" (2000)
  • Radio Music Award for 'Rock Group of the Year' (2000)
  • VH1 award – 'Welcome To The Big Time' (Best Newcomer) (2000)
  • VH1 award – '2 for 2' (2 hit albums in a row) (2000)
  • VH1 award – 'Group of the Year' (2000)
  • VH1 award – 'Song of the Year' – "Higher" (2000)
  • American Music award – 'Favorite Pop Album' (Human Clay) (2001)
  • American Music award – 'Favorite Alternative Artist' (2001)
  • American Music award – 'Favorite Alternative Artist' (2003)
  • American Music award – 'Favorite Pop/Rock band/Duo/Group' (2003)
  • People’s Choice award for 'Favorite Group' (2003)
  • Billboard Catalog 'Artist of the Year' (2001)
  • Billboard Catalog 'Album of the Year' (2001)
  • Billboard 'Rock Track of the Year'- "One" (1999)
  • Billboard 'Duo/Group of the Year' (2002)
  • Catalog 'Artist of the Year' (2002)
  • Catalog 'Album of the Year' (2002)
  • VH1 Award – 'Album of the Year' (2002)
  • NARM Awards – 'Best Selling Rock Records' – Human Clay album (2001)
  • NARM awards – 'Best Selling Chart-making Recordings – Human Clay (2001)

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Creed's name.". Retrieved on 2008-03-15. 
  2. ^ Rosen, Craig. "Creed's Stapp To Limp Bizkit's Durst: Get In The Ring", 2000-07-14. Retrieved on 2007-01-10. 
  3. ^ Billboard's Artist Chart History

[edit] External links

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Creed
Scott Stapp · Mark Tremonti · Scott Phillips
Brian Marshall · Brett Hestla · Brian Brasher
Studio albums
Compilations
Singles
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