Biographic - Sunday January 30, 2011 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Gwendolyn Renee Stefani was born in October 3, 1969, in Anaheim, California. She played Piccolo in her high school marching band, was a member of the swim team and worked part-time at the local Dairy Queen. When her brother, Eric, inspired by the group Madness, formed a ska band, he insisted that Gwen join as co-singer. The early days of No Doubt were marked by some drastic changes in personnel, including the deah of singer John Spence, following which college student Gwen came the band's focal point. Gwen Stefani and No Doubt emerged from Southern California's sunny orange county to scale the heights of the pop world- but had to weather some dark and stormy days along the way. Thriving in the face of adversity, No Doubt battled through to pop glory... and Gwen eventually emerged as a superstar. By the early 1990s, No Doubt was a five-piece signed to Interscope Records, but struggling to make headway in music biz dominated by grunge. In 1994, during the recording of the "Tragic Kingdom" album, Eric Stefani quit the band to focus on his career as an animator on the TV show "The Simpsons." Released in 1995, "Tragic Kingdom" was slow to make an impact- until the "Just A Girl" single became an MTV and radio sensation. Suddenly, the band was a hot property and a nationwide army of "Gwenabees" was imitating her navel-baring style and platinum locks. By early 1997, thanks to hits such as "Spiderwebs" and "Don't Speak" No Doubt had conquered the world's Pop Charts and "Tragic Kingdom" had gone multiplatinum. In 1996, on tour with the group Bush, Gwen fell for the band's Gavin Rossdale. The couple married six years later and now have two children together. Following such hits as the grammy-winning "Hey Baby" and "Underneath It All" the band went on hiatus. Gwen made her movie debut in "The Aviator" and launched her solo career with 2004's "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." She topped the U.S. singles chart in 2005 with "Hollaback Girl" Her second album "The Sweet Escape" was released in 2006. No Doub returned to the studio in 2010, releasing the "Icon" complication album in anticipation of their long-awaited return.

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