From The Story of No Doubt By Kalen Rogers. Published by Omnibus Press, 1997.
The Band is Formed
The band was kickstarted in 1987 by Eric Stefani, his sister Gwen, and their Orange County High School Buddy John Spence. The trio shared a fondness for British ska bands and the romping rythms of two-tone. One day Eric came home from school with an import copy of the Madness single "Baggy Trousers," and things were never quite the same- he may as well as have tossed a bomb onto the floor of the Stefani living room. From that moment on, Gwen "worshipped" the band known by most young Americans solely for the cheerful "Our House" single. The brother and sister team's first public musical debut was at a school talent show where they performed the song "On My Radio" by yet another U.K ska outfit, the Selector. John Spence Joins In
John Spence was determined to be in a rock band, and was caught up in the wave of his friends Eric and Gwen's enthusiasm for ska, recognizing it as an easily emulated style of music for the novice. It was Spence whose catch phrase was "no doubt," and so he, perhaps unintentionally, christened the band and was the front man, although Gwen shared his duties as vocalist. As she years later told MTV VJ Kennedy for SPIN magazine, "John didn't really sing, he yelled and screamed and did backflips, and I was like his little sidekick." Nonetheless, his contagious stage bravado tought the rather reluctant Gwen a thing or two. The band's early gigs were at local parties; the two singers were backed by Eric on keyboard and a revolving roster of other amateur musicians. As Gwen reminisced to SPIN in their November 1996 issue, "We sucked, but for some reason there was automatically the built-in following." Tony Kanal Joins
The threesome soon became a foursome with the adition of Tony Kanal, a junior to Gwen's status as a senior at the high school who played bass in the school jazz band. Born in India, Tony was raised in England until being transplanted to Southern California just before entering his teen years, and it may be his U.K. roots- the closest any of the band had come to the homeland of their beloved Madness-tipped the scales in his favor. Then again, he may have been the best bass player who wanted the job. After a few months, not only was he there to stay, he had become the band's manager as well. Tragedy Strikes
It was then, right as the band was starting to gel and gain momentum, that a tragic event took place. In December of 1987, John Spence committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. "When your friend dies like that and it's so traumatic," Gwen told Axcess magazine in April/May 1996. "I think it taught us all a big lesson in how much one person can influence so many different people." Gwen Takes Over
No Doubt did not disband, but carried on, enlisting the services of another vocalist, Alan Meade, whose breif tenure with the group ended before it had really begun when he left to become a husband and a father. By this time Gwen had earned her stripes and gained enough confidence to take the reins as the one and only lead singer of the band. A peeping Tom
It was 1988, and No Doubt practiced in a rehursal complex in Anaheim where little soundproofed rooms with windows in the doors could be rented by the hour. Among the many local bands that also used the space was a heavy metal group called Rising, and its guitarist Tom Dumont did a peeping Tom routine through the window of No Doubt's room now and then. After several years in the competitive Orange County hard rock crowd, Dumont was becoming disillusioned. "It was such as unhealthy scene. People weren't there for the music, they were there to wear tigh spandex and get chicks." Dumont just had to get out, and quit Rising, only to discover a notice on the rehursal complex bulletin board: No Doubt Looking for Guitarist. Adrian: from mosh pit to stage
In 1989 Adrian Young, a regular member of the group's mosh pits for some time, actually joined his favorite band, allegedly playing drums for the very first time when he auditioned. Incredibly enough, the novice drummer has remained with the band ever since and is now known for his precision-pop style of playing.
