3 Doors Down

This US adult rock outfit flew out of small town Escatawpa, Mississippi, on the back of the huge local radio hit, "Kryptonite". The band was formed in the mid-90s by friends Brad Arnold (b. 27 September 1978, USA; vocals/drums), Matt Roberts (b. 10 January 1978; guitar) and Todd Harrell (b. 13 February 1972; bass), with additional guitarist Chris Henderson (b. 30 April 1971) added to the line-up shortly afterwards. The newly named 3 Doors Down soon established themselves as one of the leading live attractions on the local circuit, and a self-titled demo CD recorded in 1997 was snapped up the band's loyal fanbase. A showcase slot at New York's CBGB's led to a deal with the Universal Records subsidiary, Republic. Drummer Richard Liles (b. 25 February 1973) was added to the line-up during recording sessions for the band's major label debut to allow Arnold to concentrate on vocals. The Better Life, featuring production work by Paul Ebersold, elicited immediate comparisons to Matchbox 20. This slick take on post grunge alternative rock was epitomised by the three opening tracks, "Kryptonite", "Loser" and "Duck And Run", but the rest of the album was very much in the flavour of 70s heavy melodic rock. Nevertheless, The Better Life became one of the surprise hits of the summer of 2000, reaching double platinum status and breaking into the Billboard Top 10. "Kryptonite" also repeated its local success on a national level, climbing into the Top 5 on the Hot 100.