No Doubt’s self-titled debut fell on deaf ears. It was 1992 and the music world was focused on Seattle, Washington and the grunge sound. It was not focused on a ska-band from Anaheim, California.
No Doubt began some six years prior in 1986 with John Spence, Eric Stefani and Eric's sister, Gwen Stefani. After watching a few of their local gigs, bassist Tony Kanal joined the group.
After rejecting her advances, the British-born Kanal finally started dating Stefani. Their relationship and subsequent break-up would be the basis for their breakthrough album, “Tragic Kingdom.”
John Spence committed suicide in 1987 just days before the band was to play in front of record executives. In the wake of the tragedy the band broke up but reformed shortly thereafter.
Guitarist Tom Dumont joined No Doubt after leaving a heavy metal band he was in with his sister. Drummer Adrian Young joined in 1989. In 1994, Eric Stefani left the group and became an animator for “The Simpsons.”
Due to the failure of their debut, their record label refused to support a tour and a follow-up album. Loaned to another record label, No Doubt’s second album was the self-produced “Beacon Street Collection.” Released in 1995, it was a raw assortment of songs recorded by the band at a home studio.
Later that year the band found mainstream success with “Tragic Kingdom.” The album featured the singles “Spiderwebs,” “Just a Girl,” and their signature song, “Don’t Speak.”
After five years of touring, recording various singles and Stefani testing the waters of a solo career, No Doubt reentered the studio and recorded two more albums.
The mature “Return of Saturn” was released in 2000 and featured the singles “Bathwater” and “Simple Kind of Life.”
In 2001, the band released the diverse and upbeat “Rock Steady.” It featured the hits “Hey Baby,” “Hella Good,” and “Underneath It All.”
In 2004, the four members of No Doubt decided to take a hiatus from the band. During the break, Stefani rocketed into stardom on the release of two albums, a world tour and a string of hits. Dumont released his own solo project called “Invincible Overlord” and Young played drums for Bow Wow Wow and Unwritten Law.
In 2008, through various websites, the band announced plans to reunite. No Doubt will launch a tour in 2009 and release their fifth studio album in 2010.