The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones (guitars, harmonica), Ian Stewart (piano), Mick Jagger (vocals, harmonica) and Keith Richards (guitars). Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up. The Rolling Stones raised the international regard for the primitive blues typified by Chess Records' artists such as Muddy Waters, who wrote the song Rollin' Stone after which the band is named.[1] R&B and blues cover songs dominated the Rolling Stones' early material, but their repertoire has always included rock and roll. According to critic and musicologist Robert Palmer, the Rolling Stones have endured and stayed relevant by remaining "rooted in traditional verities, in rhythm-and-blues and soul music", while "more ephemeral pop fashions have come and gone".[2]

Jones initially led the band, but after teaming as songwriters, Jagger and Richards assumed leadership. By 1969 Jones' diminishing contributions to the band and his inability to tour the United States for legal and health reasons led to him leaving the band. Three weeks after his departure, Jones drowned. His immediate replacement Mick Taylor stayed with the band until 1974, and was replaced by Ronnie Wood. Wyman retired from the band in 1993, and his replacement Darryl Jones is not a full member. Stewart was taken from the official line-up in 1963 to continue as the band's road manager and occasional keyboardist until his death in 1985. Since 1982, Chuck Leavell has been the band's primary keyboardist.

First popular in Europe, the Rolling Stones quickly became successful in North America during the British Invasion of the mid 1960s. Having released 22 studio albums in the United Kingdom (24 in the United States), nine concert albums (ten in the US) and numerous compilations; their worldwide sales are estimated at more than 200 million albums.[3] Sticky Fingers (1971) began a string of eight consecutive studio albums reaching number one in the United States. Their most recent album of entirely new material, A Bigger Bang, was released in 2005. In 1989 the Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2004 they ranked number 4 in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[4] In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked the Rolling Stones at number ten on "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists", and as the second most successful group in the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Charlie Watts
Background information
Also known as	The Stones
Origin	London, England, UK
Genres	Rock, rock and roll, blues rock, rhythm and blues, blues
Years active	1962–present
Labels	Decca, London, Rolling Stones, Virgin, ABKCO, Interscope, Polydor
Associated acts	John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Faces, The Jeff Beck Group, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, Super Heavy
Website	www.rollingstones.com
Members
Mick Jagger Keith Richards Charlie Watts Ronnie Wood
Past members
Brian Jones Ian Stewart Dick Taylor Tony Chapman Bill Wyman Mick Taylor

Early history :

In the early 1950s Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were boyhood friends and classmates at Wentworth Primary School in Dartford, Kent until their families moved apart.[6] In 1960 when Richards, on his way to class at Sidcup Art College, and Jagger, on his way to class at London School of Economics, met at Dartford train station, the Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records Jagger carried revealed a mutual interest leading to the re-establishment of their friendship and the formation of a band with Dick Taylor (later of Pretty Things).[7][8] Richards, Taylor and Jagger found Brian Jones as he sat in playing slide guitar with Alexis Korner's seminal London R&B band, Blues Incorporated. Blues Incorporated contained two other future members of the Rolling Stones: Ian Stewart and Charlie Watts.[9] Stewart found a practice space and joined with Jones to start a R&B band playing Chicago Blues. Besides Stewart, Jones and Jagger, the first rehearsal of the as-yet-unnamed band also included Richards attending at Jagger's behest. Other participants were guitarist Geoff Bradford and vocalist Brian Knight, who objected to the rock 'n roll material Jagger and Richards played and wanted no part of forming a band with them.[10] In June 1962 the line-up was: Jagger, Richards, Stewart, Jones, Taylor, and drummer Tony Chapman. According to Richards, Jones christened the band during a phone call to Jazz News. When asked for a band name Jones saw a Muddy Waters LP lying on the floor of which one of the tracks was "Rollin' Stone".[11][12][13]
[edit] 1962–1964

On 12 July 1962 the band played their first gig at the Marquee Club billed as "The Rollin' Stones".[14] The line-up was Jagger, Richards and Jones, along with Stewart on piano, Taylor on bass and Chapman on drums. Jones and Stewart wanted to play Chicago blues, but were agreeable to the Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley numbers of Jagger and Richards.[15] Bassist Bill Wyman joined in December 1962 and drummer Charlie Watts the following January 1963 to form the band's long-standing rhythm section.[7][16]

The Rolling Stones' acting manager Giorgio Gomelsky got the band a Sunday afternoon residency at The Crawdaddy Club, which Gomelsky tied to an international renaissance of the blues, and, along with the ascension of the Beatles, a formative musical event for "Swinging London."[17]

After observing the Rolling Stones and their fashionable Crawdaddy audience, former Beatles publicist, Andrew Loog Oldham, signed the band to a management deal.[18] Because Oldham was nineteen—younger than any of the band, and was too young to hold an agent's license, he joined with show biz veteran Eric Easton after Oldham's mother signed for her son.[19][20][21] Gomelsky—who lacked a written agreement with the band—was not consulted.[22]

The recording contract the Oldham and Easton negotiated with Decca Records contained unusually favourable terms due to Decca's regret at passing on the Beatles. The Rolling Stones got three times the typical royalty rate of a new acts, artistic control over recordings, and ownership of the recording masters.[23][24]

The Decca deal also let Oldham use non-Decca recording studios, with Regent Sound Studios, a mono facility decorated by egg boxes on the ceiling for sound treatment, becoming preferred by him.[25][26][27] At Regent, Oldham said, "The sound leaked, instrument to instrument, the right way" creating a "wall of noise" well-suited to the band.[28] Regent's economical rates resulted in the band recording for extended intervals instead three hours slots prevalent at the time. At Regent all tracks were recorded for the first Rolling Stones album.[29][30] With minimal recording experience, Oldham had made himself the band's producer.[24]

Oldham presented the Rolling Stones' use of independent studios to make his artists seem superior to the Beatles, who used EMI's studios, and, Oldham said, as a result appeared as "mere mortals ... sweating in the studio for the man".[31] Oldham initially dressed the band in identical suits, but the band returned to wearing their own clothes for public appearances.[32] Oldham ended up promoting the Rolling Stones as the nasty opposites of the Beatles by having the band pose unsmiling on the cover of the first UK album, and by planting provocative headlines in the press such as "Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone"?[33] According to Wyman: "Our reputation and image as the Bad Boys came later, completely accidentally. Andrew never did engineer it. He simply exploited it exhaustively". Oldham changed the spelling of the band from "The Rollin' Stones" to "The Rolling Stones" and changed the spelling of Richards last name to Richard because it "looked more pop".[34][35] Stewart did not fit Oldham's mould, according to Wyman, of "pretty, thin, long-haired boys, and was removed from the line-up in May 1963 to become manager and occasional pianist for the band until his death in 1985.[36][37][38]

A cover of Chuck Berry's "Come On" was the Rolling Stones' first single, released on 7 June 1963. The Rolling Stones refused to play it at live gigs,[39] and Decca bought only one ad to promote the single. With Oldham's direction fan-club members bought copies at record shops polled by the charts,[40] helping "Come On" rise to No.21 on the UK singles charts.[41] Having a charting single gave the band entree to play outside London, starting with a booking at the Outlook Club in Middlesbrough on 13 July, sharing the billing with The Hollies.[42] Later in the year Oldham and Easton arranged the band's first big UK concert tour as a supporting act for American stars including Bo Diddley, Little Richard and The Everly Brothers. This Autumn 1963 tour became a "training ground" for the young band's stagecraft.[24][43][44]

During this tour the Rolling Stones recorded their second single, a Lennon/McCartney-penned number entitled "I Wanna Be Your Man"; it reached No.12 in the UK charts. Their third single, Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away", was released in February 1964 and reached #3.

Oldham saw little future for an act that lost significant song writing royalties by playing songs of "middle-aged blacks", limited the appeal to teenage audiences. At Oldham's urging, Jagger and Richards co-wrote songs, the first batch of which he described as "soppy and imitative."[45] Because songwriting developed slowly, songs on the band's first album The Rolling Stones, (issued in the US as England's Newest Hit Makers) were primarily covers, with only one Jagger/Richards original – "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)" – and two numbers credited to Nanker Phelge, the pen name for songs written by the entire group.[46]

The Rolling Stones' first US tour, in June 1964, was, in Bill Wyman's words, "a disaster". When we arrived, we didn't have a hit record [there] or anything going for us."[47] When the band appeared on Dean Martin's TV variety show The Hollywood Palace, Martin mocked both their hair and their performance.[48] During the tour they recorded for two days at Chess Studios in Chicago, meeting many of their most important influences, including Muddy Waters.[49][50] These sessions included what would become the Rolling Stones' first number 1 hit in the UK: their cover of Bobby and Shirley Womack's "It's All Over Now".[51]

"The Stones" followed James Brown in the filmed theatrical release of The TAMI Show, which showcased American acts with British Invasion artists. According to Jagger in 2003, "We weren't actually following James Brown because there were hours in between the filming of each section. Nevertheless, he was still very annoyed about it..."[52] On 25 October the band also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. Regarding the pandemonium the Rolling Stones caused, Sullivan banned the band from his show,[53] though he later did book them repeatedly.[9] Their second LP – the US-only 12 X 5 – was released during this tour;[54] like their first album, it contained mainly cover tunes, augmented by Jagger/Richards and Nanker Phelge tracks.

The Rolling Stones' fifth UK single – a cover of Willie Dixon's "Little Red Rooster" backed by "Off the Hook" credited to Nanker Phelge – was released in November 1964 and became their second No.1 hit in the UK – an unprecedented achievement for a blues number. The band's US distributors (London Records) declined to release "Little Red Rooster" as a single there. In December 1964 London Records released the band's first single with Jagger/Richards originals on both sides: "Heart of Stone" backed with "What a Shame"; "Heart of Stone" went to number 19 in the US

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones (guitars, harmonica), Ian Stewart (piano), Mick Jagger (vocals, harmonica) and Keith Richards (guitars). Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up. The Rolling Stones raised the international regard for the primitive blues typified by Chess Records' artists such as Muddy Waters, who wrote the song Rollin' Stone after which the band is named.[1] R&B and blues cover songs dominated the Rolling Stones' early material, but their repertoire has always included rock and roll. According to critic and musicologist Robert Palmer, the Rolling Stones have endured and stayed relevant by remaining "rooted in traditional verities, in rhythm-and-blues and soul music", while "more ephemeral pop fashions have come and gone".[2]

Jones initially led the band, but after teaming as songwriters, Jagger and Richards assumed leadership. By 1969 Jones' diminishing contributions to the band and his inability to tour the United States for legal and health reasons led to him leaving the band. Three weeks after his departure, Jones drowned. His immediate replacement Mick Taylor stayed with the band until 1974, and was replaced by Ronnie Wood. Wyman retired from the band in 1993, and his replacement Darryl Jones is not a full member. Stewart was taken from the official line-up in 1963 to continue as the band's road manager and occasional keyboardist until his death in 1985. Since 1982, Chuck Leavell has been the band's primary keyboardist.

First popular in Europe, the Rolling Stones quickly became successful in North America during the British Invasion of the mid 1960s. Having released 22 studio albums in the United Kingdom (24 in the United States), nine concert albums (ten in the US) and numerous compilations; their worldwide sales are estimated at more than 200 million albums.[3] Sticky Fingers (1971) began a string of eight consecutive studio albums reaching number one in the United States. Their most recent album of entirely new material, A Bigger Bang, was released in 2005. In 1989 the Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2004 they ranked number 4 in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[4] In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked the Rolling Stones at number ten on "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists", and as the second most successful group in the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Charlie Watts
Background information
Also known as	The Stones
Origin	London, England, UK
Genres	Rock, rock and roll, blues rock, rhythm and blues, blues
Years active	1962–present
Labels	Decca, London, Rolling Stones, Virgin, ABKCO, Interscope, Polydor
Associated acts	John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Faces, The Jeff Beck Group, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, Super Heavy
Website	www.rollingstones.com
Members
Mick Jagger Keith Richards Charlie Watts Ronnie Wood
Past members
Brian Jones Ian Stewart Dick Taylor Tony Chapman Bill Wyman Mick Taylor

Early history :

In the early 1950s Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were boyhood friends and classmates at Wentworth Primary School in Dartford, Kent until their families moved apart.[6] In 1960 when Richards, on his way to class at Sidcup Art College, and Jagger, on his way to class at London School of Economics, met at Dartford train station, the Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records Jagger carried revealed a mutual interest leading to the re-establishment of their friendship and the formation of a band with Dick Taylor (later of Pretty Things).[7][8] Richards, Taylor and Jagger found Brian Jones as he sat in playing slide guitar with Alexis Korner's seminal London R&B band, Blues Incorporated. Blues Incorporated contained two other future members of the Rolling Stones: Ian Stewart and Charlie Watts.[9] Stewart found a practice space and joined with Jones to start a R&B band playing Chicago Blues. Besides Stewart, Jones and Jagger, the first rehearsal of the as-yet-unnamed band also included Richards attending at Jagger's behest. Other participants were guitarist Geoff Bradford and vocalist Brian Knight, who objected to the rock 'n roll material Jagger and Richards played and wanted no part of forming a band with them.[10] In June 1962 the line-up was: Jagger, Richards, Stewart, Jones, Taylor, and drummer Tony Chapman. According to Richards, Jones christened the band during a phone call to Jazz News. When asked for a band name Jones saw a Muddy Waters LP lying on the floor of which one of the tracks was "Rollin' Stone".[11][12][13]
[edit] 1962–1964

On 12 July 1962 the band played their first gig at the Marquee Club billed as "The Rollin' Stones".[14] The line-up was Jagger, Richards and Jones, along with Stewart on piano, Taylor on bass and Chapman on drums. Jones and Stewart wanted to play Chicago blues, but were agreeable to the Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley numbers of Jagger and Richards.[15] Bassist Bill Wyman joined in December 1962 and drummer Charlie Watts the following January 1963 to form the band's long-standing rhythm section.[7][16]

The Rolling Stones' acting manager Giorgio Gomelsky got the band a Sunday afternoon residency at The Crawdaddy Club, which Gomelsky tied to an international renaissance of the blues, and, along with the ascension of the Beatles, a formative musical event for "Swinging London."[17]

After observing the Rolling Stones and their fashionable Crawdaddy audience, former Beatles publicist, Andrew Loog Oldham, signed the band to a management deal.[18] Because Oldham was nineteen—younger than any of the band, and was too young to hold an agent's license, he joined with show biz veteran Eric Easton after Oldham's mother signed for her son.[19][20][21] Gomelsky—who lacked a written agreement with the band—was not consulted.[22]

The recording contract the Oldham and Easton negotiated with Decca Records contained unusually favourable terms due to Decca's regret at passing on the Beatles. The Rolling Stones got three times the typical royalty rate of a new acts, artistic control over recordings, and ownership of the recording masters.[23][24]

The Decca deal also let Oldham use non-Decca recording studios, with Regent Sound Studios, a mono facility decorated by egg boxes on the ceiling for sound treatment, becoming preferred by him.[25][26][27] At Regent, Oldham said, "The sound leaked, instrument to instrument, the right way" creating a "wall of noise" well-suited to the band.[28] Regent's economical rates resulted in the band recording for extended intervals instead three hours slots prevalent at the time. At Regent all tracks were recorded for the first Rolling Stones album.[29][30] With minimal recording experience, Oldham had made himself the band's producer.[24]

Oldham presented the Rolling Stones' use of independent studios to make his artists seem superior to the Beatles, who used EMI's studios, and, Oldham said, as a result appeared as "mere mortals ... sweating in the studio for the man".[31] Oldham initially dressed the band in identical suits, but the band returned to wearing their own clothes for public appearances.[32] Oldham ended up promoting the Rolling Stones as the nasty opposites of the Beatles by having the band pose unsmiling on the cover of the first UK album, and by planting provocative headlines in the press such as "Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone"?[33] According to Wyman: "Our reputation and image as the Bad Boys came later, completely accidentally. Andrew never did engineer it. He simply exploited it exhaustively". Oldham changed the spelling of the band from "The Rollin' Stones" to "The Rolling Stones" and changed the spelling of Richards last name to Richard because it "looked more pop".[34][35] Stewart did not fit Oldham's mould, according to Wyman, of "pretty, thin, long-haired boys, and was removed from the line-up in May 1963 to become manager and occasional pianist for the band until his death in 1985.[36][37][38]

A cover of Chuck Berry's "Come On" was the Rolling Stones' first single, released on 7 June 1963. The Rolling Stones refused to play it at live gigs,[39] and Decca bought only one ad to promote the single. With Oldham's direction fan-club members bought copies at record shops polled by the charts,[40] helping "Come On" rise to No.21 on the UK singles charts.[41] Having a charting single gave the band entree to play outside London, starting with a booking at the Outlook Club in Middlesbrough on 13 July, sharing the billing with The Hollies.[42] Later in the year Oldham and Easton arranged the band's first big UK concert tour as a supporting act for American stars including Bo Diddley, Little Richard and The Everly Brothers. This Autumn 1963 tour became a "training ground" for the young band's stagecraft.[24][43][44]

During this tour the Rolling Stones recorded their second single, a Lennon/McCartney-penned number entitled "I Wanna Be Your Man"; it reached No.12 in the UK charts. Their third single, Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away", was released in February 1964 and reached #3.

Oldham saw little future for an act that lost significant song writing royalties by playing songs of "middle-aged blacks", limited the appeal to teenage audiences. At Oldham's urging, Jagger and Richards co-wrote songs, the first batch of which he described as "soppy and imitative."[45] Because songwriting developed slowly, songs on the band's first album The Rolling Stones, (issued in the US as England's Newest Hit Makers) were primarily covers, with only one Jagger/Richards original – "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)" – and two numbers credited to Nanker Phelge, the pen name for songs written by the entire group.[46]

The Rolling Stones' first US tour, in June 1964, was, in Bill Wyman's words, "a disaster". When we arrived, we didn't have a hit record [there] or anything going for us."[47] When the band appeared on Dean Martin's TV variety show The Hollywood Palace, Martin mocked both their hair and their performance.[48] During the tour they recorded for two days at Chess Studios in Chicago, meeting many of their most important influences, including Muddy Waters.[49][50] These sessions included what would become the Rolling Stones' first number 1 hit in the UK: their cover of Bobby and Shirley Womack's "It's All Over Now".[51]

"The Stones" followed James Brown in the filmed theatrical release of The TAMI Show, which showcased American acts with British Invasion artists. According to Jagger in 2003, "We weren't actually following James Brown because there were hours in between the filming of each section. Nevertheless, he was still very annoyed about it..."[52] On 25 October the band also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. Regarding the pandemonium the Rolling Stones caused, Sullivan banned the band from his show,[53] though he later did book them repeatedly.[9] Their second LP – the US-only 12 X 5 – was released during this tour;[54] like their first album, it contained mainly cover tunes, augmented by Jagger/Richards and Nanker Phelge tracks.

The Rolling Stones' fifth UK single – a cover of Willie Dixon's "Little Red Rooster" backed by "Off the Hook" credited to Nanker Phelge – was released in November 1964 and became their second No.1 hit in the UK – an unprecedented achievement for a blues number. The band's US distributors (London Records) declined to release "Little Red Rooster" as a single there. In December 1964 London Records released the band's first single with Jagger/Richards originals on both sides: "Heart of Stone" backed with "What a Shame"; "Heart of Stone" went to number 19 in the US

Nickelback is a Canadian alternative rock band from Hanna, Alberta, formed in 1995 by Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and then-drummer Brandon Kroeger. While largely a rock band, the group has also experimented with various other musical styles such as pop and country, aside from their hard rock and post-grunge base. Nickelback is one of the most commercially successful Canadian groups, having sold over 35 million albums worldwide.[2] Nickelback ranks as the 11th best selling music act of the 2000s, and is the 2nd best selling foreign act in the U.S. behind The Beatles for the 2000s.[3] In December 2009, Nickelback were ranked 7th on Billboard Magazine's list of "Artists of the Decade" - both the highest-ranked band and the highest-ranked rock artist in the list.[4] Billboard Magazine also named Nickelback as the Adult Pop Artist of the decade.[5] The band has sold 21,000,000 album copies in the U.S.[6] The band is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its name originates from the nickel in change that band member Mike Kroeger gave customers at his job at Starbucks; he would frequently say, "Here's your nickel back."[7] The band is signed to EMI in Canada and Roadrunner Records for the rest of the world. In July 2008, the band signed with Live Nation for three touring and album cycles, with an option for a fourth. The contract includes recordings, touring, merchandise and other rights.

Nickelback
Nickelback live on stage, 2006
Background information
Origin	Hanna, Alberta, Canada
Genres	Alternative rock, post-grunge, hard rock,alternative metal
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Roadrunner, Atlantic, EMI (Canada), LiveNation
Website	www.nickelback.com
Members
Chad Kroeger Ryan Peake Mike Kroeger Daniel Adair
Past members
Ryan Vikedal Brandon Kroeger Mitch Guindon

Silver Side Up and The Long Road (2001–04) :

In 2001 Nickelback released the Silver Side Up album. The single "How You Remind Me" was a number 1 single on the Mainstream and Modern rock charts, as well as the pop chart. It also peaked at number 2 on Adult Top 40 and became the Billboard Hot 100 number 1 single of the year for 2001. The next single was "Too Bad", which also reached number 1 on the Mainstream Rock Chart and had a small amount of success on the pop chart. The final single from the album was "Never Again", another number 1 hit on Mainstream Rock.

In 2002, Chad Kroeger collaborated with Josey Scott on the Spider-Man theme song, "Hero". This also featured Tyler Connolly, Mike Kroeger, Matt Cameron, and Jeremy Taggart. In 2002, Nickelback released their first DVD Live at Home. In 2002 they re-released their first album Curb, with RoadRunner Records. Silver Side Up has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

In 2003, Nickelback released The Long Road. It spawned five singles. The lead single was "Someday" and the album went on to sell five million copies worldwide.[12] The band also released "Feelin' Way Too Damn Good" as a single, which peaked at number 3 on the Mainstream Rock Charts. "Figured You Out" was also released as a single and topped the Mainstream Rock Charts for 13 consecutive weeks.
All the Right Reasons (2005–07)

Nickelback's fifth studio album, All the Right Reasons (2005), produced five U.S. Hot 100 top 20 singles: "Photograph", "Savin' Me", "Far Away", "If Everyone Cared" and "Rockstar". Three of these became U.S. Hot 100 top 10 singles. All the Right Reasons had sold 7,357,944 copies in the US to June 19, 2010.[13] In total, All the Right Reasons has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide since its 2005 release. Aside from all the success of All the Right Reasons, lead singer Kroeger began his own label named 604 Records in 2005 and holds the position of executive producer. In early 2005, Ryan Videdal left the band and 3 Doors Down's drummer Daniel Adair joined Nickelback. The group was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2007.
Dark Horse (2008–present)

On September 4, 2008, Roadrunner Records announced that the first single from the upcoming album would be "If Today Was Your Last Day", to be released on September 30, 2008. However, the song was replaced by "Gotta Be Somebody".[14] The new album, produced by Mutt Lange and titled Dark Horse, was released on November 18, 2008. The album was .[15] "Something in Your Mouth" was released as the second single to rock radio only on 15 December, where it reached number 1. "If Today Was Your Last Day" was released as the third single. Four more singles were released, "I'd Come for You", "Burn It to the Ground" (which would become the theme for WWE RAW) and "Never Gonna Be Alone" released in September and "Shakin' Hands" as the seventh single on November 16.[16] Its eighth single, "This Afternoon", was released on March 23, 2010. On February 28, 2010, Nickelback gave a performance at the beginning of the concert portion of the 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony, performing "Burn It to the Ground". On October 2010 Nickelback finished their Dark Horse Tour.[17]

Chad Kroeger said in an interview with Billboard.com in September 2010 that songwriting for the next Nickelback album was planned to commence as early as February 2011 with "about four tunes" already in mind.[18] Adair mentioned that the band wanted to go back to the musical style of All The Right Reasons, which he described as "more organic."[19]
Critical reception

At various points in their career Nickelback has received widespread negative reviews from various sources. Review aggregator Metacritic reports that three of their six most recent studio albums since becoming a mainstream act, The Long Road, All the Right Reasons and Dark Horse, have scores of 62%, 41% and 49% respectively.[20][21][22] Criticism tends to focus on the band's themes of "strippers, sex, prostitutes, drugs, sex, drinking and sex",[23] for being derivative in the music they create, as well as too often sticking to formula instead of innovating.[24]

Despite a barrage of criticism Nickelback has still managed to please some reviewers with each of their mainstream albums. Allmusic reviewer Liana Jones complimented Nickelback after their commercial breakthrough, Silver Side Up; "what gives the group an upper hand over its peers is intensity and raw passion... Nickelback ups the ante by offering realistic storytelling that listeners can relate to."[25] Following their 2008 album, Dark Horse, ChartAttack credited the band's success to knowing their target audience: "Chad Kroeger is a genius because he knows exactly what people want and precisely how far he can go. He turned out an extremely racy album that's loaded with songs about gettin' drunk and doin' it all without breaking any taboos, and with enough love and moral authority to grease its passage into the mainstream. Rejoice, North America. This is your world."[26] Billboard gave praise to the band: "The bulletproof Nickelback provides affordable fun that promises good returns in hard times."[27] Also various fellow musicians like Chris Martin of Coldplay[28] as well as R&B singer Timbaland[29] support the band.

Nickelback is a Canadian alternative rock band from Hanna, Alberta, formed in 1995 by Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and then-drummer Brandon Kroeger. While largely a rock band, the group has also experimented with various other musical styles such as pop and country, aside from their hard rock and post-grunge base. Nickelback is one of the most commercially successful Canadian groups, having sold over 35 million albums worldwide.[2] Nickelback ranks as the 11th best selling music act of the 2000s, and is the 2nd best selling foreign act in the U.S. behind The Beatles for the 2000s.[3] In December 2009, Nickelback were ranked 7th on Billboard Magazine's list of "Artists of the Decade" - both the highest-ranked band and the highest-ranked rock artist in the list.[4] Billboard Magazine also named Nickelback as the Adult Pop Artist of the decade.[5] The band has sold 21,000,000 album copies in the U.S.[6] The band is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its name originates from the nickel in change that band member Mike Kroeger gave customers at his job at Starbucks; he would frequently say, "Here's your nickel back."[7] The band is signed to EMI in Canada and Roadrunner Records for the rest of the world. In July 2008, the band signed with Live Nation for three touring and album cycles, with an option for a fourth. The contract includes recordings, touring, merchandise and other rights.

Nickelback
Nickelback live on stage, 2006
Background information
Origin	Hanna, Alberta, Canada
Genres	Alternative rock, post-grunge, hard rock,alternative metal
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Roadrunner, Atlantic, EMI (Canada), LiveNation
Website	www.nickelback.com
Members
Chad Kroeger Ryan Peake Mike Kroeger Daniel Adair
Past members
Ryan Vikedal Brandon Kroeger Mitch Guindon

Silver Side Up and The Long Road (2001–04) :

In 2001 Nickelback released the Silver Side Up album. The single "How You Remind Me" was a number 1 single on the Mainstream and Modern rock charts, as well as the pop chart. It also peaked at number 2 on Adult Top 40 and became the Billboard Hot 100 number 1 single of the year for 2001. The next single was "Too Bad", which also reached number 1 on the Mainstream Rock Chart and had a small amount of success on the pop chart. The final single from the album was "Never Again", another number 1 hit on Mainstream Rock.

In 2002, Chad Kroeger collaborated with Josey Scott on the Spider-Man theme song, "Hero". This also featured Tyler Connolly, Mike Kroeger, Matt Cameron, and Jeremy Taggart. In 2002, Nickelback released their first DVD Live at Home. In 2002 they re-released their first album Curb, with RoadRunner Records. Silver Side Up has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

In 2003, Nickelback released The Long Road. It spawned five singles. The lead single was "Someday" and the album went on to sell five million copies worldwide.[12] The band also released "Feelin' Way Too Damn Good" as a single, which peaked at number 3 on the Mainstream Rock Charts. "Figured You Out" was also released as a single and topped the Mainstream Rock Charts for 13 consecutive weeks.
All the Right Reasons (2005–07)

Nickelback's fifth studio album, All the Right Reasons (2005), produced five U.S. Hot 100 top 20 singles: "Photograph", "Savin' Me", "Far Away", "If Everyone Cared" and "Rockstar". Three of these became U.S. Hot 100 top 10 singles. All the Right Reasons had sold 7,357,944 copies in the US to June 19, 2010.[13] In total, All the Right Reasons has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide since its 2005 release. Aside from all the success of All the Right Reasons, lead singer Kroeger began his own label named 604 Records in 2005 and holds the position of executive producer. In early 2005, Ryan Videdal left the band and 3 Doors Down's drummer Daniel Adair joined Nickelback. The group was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2007.
Dark Horse (2008–present)

On September 4, 2008, Roadrunner Records announced that the first single from the upcoming album would be "If Today Was Your Last Day", to be released on September 30, 2008. However, the song was replaced by "Gotta Be Somebody".[14] The new album, produced by Mutt Lange and titled Dark Horse, was released on November 18, 2008. The album was .[15] "Something in Your Mouth" was released as the second single to rock radio only on 15 December, where it reached number 1. "If Today Was Your Last Day" was released as the third single. Four more singles were released, "I'd Come for You", "Burn It to the Ground" (which would become the theme for WWE RAW) and "Never Gonna Be Alone" released in September and "Shakin' Hands" as the seventh single on November 16.[16] Its eighth single, "This Afternoon", was released on March 23, 2010. On February 28, 2010, Nickelback gave a performance at the beginning of the concert portion of the 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony, performing "Burn It to the Ground". On October 2010 Nickelback finished their Dark Horse Tour.[17]

Chad Kroeger said in an interview with Billboard.com in September 2010 that songwriting for the next Nickelback album was planned to commence as early as February 2011 with "about four tunes" already in mind.[18] Adair mentioned that the band wanted to go back to the musical style of All The Right Reasons, which he described as "more organic."[19]
Critical reception

At various points in their career Nickelback has received widespread negative reviews from various sources. Review aggregator Metacritic reports that three of their six most recent studio albums since becoming a mainstream act, The Long Road, All the Right Reasons and Dark Horse, have scores of 62%, 41% and 49% respectively.[20][21][22] Criticism tends to focus on the band's themes of "strippers, sex, prostitutes, drugs, sex, drinking and sex",[23] for being derivative in the music they create, as well as too often sticking to formula instead of innovating.[24]

Despite a barrage of criticism Nickelback has still managed to please some reviewers with each of their mainstream albums. Allmusic reviewer Liana Jones complimented Nickelback after their commercial breakthrough, Silver Side Up; "what gives the group an upper hand over its peers is intensity and raw passion... Nickelback ups the ante by offering realistic storytelling that listeners can relate to."[25] Following their 2008 album, Dark Horse, ChartAttack credited the band's success to knowing their target audience: "Chad Kroeger is a genius because he knows exactly what people want and precisely how far he can go. He turned out an extremely racy album that's loaded with songs about gettin' drunk and doin' it all without breaking any taboos, and with enough love and moral authority to grease its passage into the mainstream. Rejoice, North America. This is your world."[26] Billboard gave praise to the band: "The bulletproof Nickelback provides affordable fun that promises good returns in hard times."[27] Also various fellow musicians like Chris Martin of Coldplay[28] as well as R&B singer Timbaland[29] support the band.

The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960. They are one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music.[1] From 1962, the group consisted of John Lennon (rhythm guitar, vocals), Paul McCartney (bass guitar, vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals). Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the group later worked in many genres ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. The nature of their enormous popularity, which first emerged as "Beatlemania", transformed as their songwriting grew in sophistication. They came to be perceived as the embodiment of ideals of the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s.

Initially a five-piece line-up of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe (bass) and Pete Best (drums), they built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from 1960. Sutcliffe left the group in 1961, and Best was replaced by Starr the following year. Moulded into a professional outfit by their manager, Brian Epstein, their musical potential was enhanced by the creativity of producer George Martin. They achieved mainstream success in the United Kingdom in late 1962, with their first single, "Love Me Do". Gaining international popularity over the course of the next year, they toured extensively until 1966, then retreated to recording studios until their break-up in 1970. Each then found success in independent musical careers.

During their studio years, they produced what critics consider some of their finest material including the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), widely regarded as a masterpiece. They are the best-selling band in the history of popular music,[2][3] and four decades after their break-up, their recordings are still in demand. They have had more number one albums on the UK charts and have held the top spot longer than any other musical act.[4] According to the RIAA, they have sold more albums in the United States than any other artist.[5] The Beatles were placed at number one on Billboard magazine's fiftieth-anniversary list of all-time top Hot 100 artists in 2008.[6] They have received 13 Grammy Awards from the American National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences[7] and 15 Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.[8] They were collectively included in Time magazine's compilation of the 20th century's 100 most influential people.[9] Lennon was murdered outside his home in New York City in 1980, and Harrison died of cancer in 2001. McCartney and Starr remain active.

The Beatles
The Beatles in 1964 John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr
Background information
Origin	Liverpool, England
Genres	Rock, pop
Years active	1960–1970
Labels	Parlophone, Capitol, Vee-Jay, Apple
Associated acts	The Quarrymen Plastic Ono Band
Website	www.thebeatles.com
Members
John Lennon Paul McCartney George Harrison Ringo Starr
Past members
Stuart Sutcliffe Pete Best

The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960. They are one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music.[1] From 1962, the group consisted of John Lennon (rhythm guitar, vocals), Paul McCartney (bass guitar, vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals). Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the group later worked in many genres ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. The nature of their enormous popularity, which first emerged as "Beatlemania", transformed as their songwriting grew in sophistication. They came to be perceived as the embodiment of ideals of the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s.

Initially a five-piece line-up of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe (bass) and Pete Best (drums), they built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from 1960. Sutcliffe left the group in 1961, and Best was replaced by Starr the following year. Moulded into a professional outfit by their manager, Brian Epstein, their musical potential was enhanced by the creativity of producer George Martin. They achieved mainstream success in the United Kingdom in late 1962, with their first single, "Love Me Do". Gaining international popularity over the course of the next year, they toured extensively until 1966, then retreated to recording studios until their break-up in 1970. Each then found success in independent musical careers.

During their studio years, they produced what critics consider some of their finest material including the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), widely regarded as a masterpiece. They are the best-selling band in the history of popular music,[2][3] and four decades after their break-up, their recordings are still in demand. They have had more number one albums on the UK charts and have held the top spot longer than any other musical act.[4] According to the RIAA, they have sold more albums in the United States than any other artist.[5] The Beatles were placed at number one on Billboard magazine's fiftieth-anniversary list of all-time top Hot 100 artists in 2008.[6] They have received 13 Grammy Awards from the American National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences[7] and 15 Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.[8] They were collectively included in Time magazine's compilation of the 20th century's 100 most influential people.[9] Lennon was murdered outside his home in New York City in 1980, and Harrison died of cancer in 2001. McCartney and Starr remain active.

The Beatles
The Beatles in 1964 John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr
Background information
Origin	Liverpool, England
Genres	Rock, pop
Years active	1960–1970
Labels	Parlophone, Capitol, Vee-Jay, Apple
Associated acts	The Quarrymen Plastic Ono Band
Website	www.thebeatles.com
Members
John Lennon Paul McCartney George Harrison Ringo Starr
Past members
Stuart Sutcliffe Pete Best

Sonny Moore (born January 15, 1988), professionally known as Skrillex, is an electro house/dubstep producer from Los Angeles, California and former frontman for the American band From First to Last.[2][3] In late fall of 2007 he embarked on his first tour as a solo artist, the Team Sleep Tour with Team Sleep, Strata, and Monster in the Machine. After recruiting a new band lineup, Moore toured North America on the Alternative Press Tour, supporting bands such as All Time Low and The Rocket Summer, and appeared on the cover of Alternative Press annual 100 Bands You Need to Know issue.[4] In June 2008, Moore went into recording for his debut album, titled Bells, alongside producer Noah Shain. He released the Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites EP as a co-release between mau5trap and Big Beat record labels, and runs an imprint label called Owsla, named after an organization in the book Watership Down

Skrillex
Skrillex performing at Sasquatch 2011
Background information
Born	January 15, 1988 (age 23)
Origin	Los Angeles, California, USA
Genres	electro house, fidget,[1] dubstep
Occupations	Musician, DJ, singer, guitarist
Years active	2002–Present
Labels	Atlantic, Sony BMG, Mau5trap
Associated acts	From First to Last, deadmau5, Korn
Website	www.skrillex.com
Notable instruments
Ableton Live[1]

Solo career (2007–present) :

On February 27, 2007, Moore announced he had left From First to Last to pursue a solo career. He then launched a Myspace page displaying three demos ("Signal", "Equinox", and "Glow Worm"). This led to Moore's first performance since his leaving From First to Last. On April 7, 2007, alongside harpist Carol Robbins, Moore played several original songs at a local art building.

After months of releasing demos via Myspace, Moore played on the Team Sleep Tour with a full band. The tour also featured supporting acts Monster in the Machine and Strata. Moore made several demo CDs available on this tour, limited to about 30 per show. These CDs were tour exclusive, and were packaged in "baby blue envelopes", each with a unique drawing by Moore or bandmate.

In February 2008, Alternative Press Magazine announced the second annual AP Tour, with All Time Low, The Rocket Summer, The Matches, and Forever the Sickest Kids, as well as Sonny Moore. The tour started in Houston, Texas on March 14 and went through North America, ending in Cleveland, Ohio on May 2, with the majority of the shows being sold out. All bands playing the tour would be featured on the cover of Alternative Press Magazine's annual 100 Bands You Need to Know special, and would be interviewed on the Alternative Press Podcast. During this tour Moore's line-up consisted of Sean Friday on drums, Christopher Null on guitar, and Aaron Rothe on keyboards.

On April 7, 2009, he released Gypsyhook EP, a digital EP, which featured three songs and four remixes. Also included was a Japanese version of "Mora" entitled "海水". Physical copies of the EP were available at his shows. After going on tour with Innerpartysystem and Paper Route and opening for Chiodos on their European tour, Moore performed at Bamboozle on May 2. He performed on Bamboozle Left's Saints and Sinners stage on April 4. He toured with Hollywood Undead in April 2009 performing under the band name Sonny and the Blood Monkeys, with Chris Null (electric guitar), Sean Friday (drums, percussion & beats) and Aaron Rothe (keyboards, synthesizers, programming & turntables)

Although no official statement has been given regarding the album, Moore has been reported in interviews and at events saying Bells will no longer be released.