Creed (band)

This article is about the American rock band. For other uses, see Creed (disambiguation).

Creed

Creed is an American post-grunge band from Tallahassee, Florida that became popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The band won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song for the song "With Arms Wide Open" in 2001. The band broke up in 2004 after three multi-platinum albums, selling 26 million records in the United States. In late 2008, rumors began circulating that Creed was planning a 2009 reunion, but they have since been dismissed by Michael Tremonti, Alter Bridge's fan liaison.

In April 2009, however, the official Creed website was re-launched, and a video stating 'coming summer 2009' was posted on the home page, which now confirms the band are to reunite. However, the terms of such a reunion are still unclear.

Early Years (1995-1996)

Creed formed after Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti, friends at Florida State University and high school classmates at Orlando's Lake Highland Preparatory School, decided to form a band, recruiting Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips to complete the quartet in late 1995. The band was originally called "Naked Toddler", then was called "Maddox Creed" but was changed to "Creed" by suggestion of Marshall and agreed to be the final naming. The four members had already written and collaborated three of the songs that would go on to become tracks on their chart-topping debut album My Own Prison. The songs were "One", "Sister" and "What's This Life For".

My Own Prison (1997-1998)

"Their debut album, My Own Prison, was independently released in 1997 and only cost them $6,000 to produce, and distributed to Florida radio stations. This drew the attention of several labels that agreed to see the band, only to pass. Rejected, Creed was playing a small gig when Diana Meltzer from Wind-Up Records heard the group. She had heard their independent album, and after hearing them live, signed the band to her label. After a remix to make it more radio friendly, My Own Prison was re-released by Wind-up Records across the country. The album was a surprise success, reaching the Top 40 on the Billboard Top 200, and spinning off several singles ("My Own Prison", "Torn", "What's This Life For", and "One") that topped the rock radio charts. The band's hit song "My Own Prison" was also featured as a live performance on the charity album Live in the X Lounge.

Human Clay and Marshall's Departure (1999-2000)

Their second album, Human Clay, was released in 1999 and debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart at number one, based on the strength of its first single, "Higher", which spent several weeks on the top of the rock radio charts. It wasn't until early 2000 that the single crossed over onto pop radio going to the Top Ten on the Billboard Pop Chart, and Creed became a household name. The follow-up single, "With Arms Wide Open," also hit number one that fall.

Meanwhile, Brian Marshall quit the band, and Brett Hestla (Virgos Merlot, Dark New Day) took over on the Human Clay tour, and subsequent tours. Around that time, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit bad-mouthed Stapp at New York's Krock 92.3 "Dysfunctional Family Picnic Concert" where they were both performing. In response to this, Scott Stapp invited Fred Durst to an open boxing match.

Weathered (2001-2003)

In the fall of 2001, "My Sacrifice", the first single off Creed's last album Weathered, was used in a series of promotional tribute videos made by World Wrestling Entertainment. They also had "Young Grow Old," a B-side to the 1999 release Human Clay, featured as the official theme song for World Wrestling Entertainment WWE's Backlash pay-per-view event in April 2002. In early 2002, "Bullets" was released as a single, along with a costly, special effects-laden video. The song and video were possibly Creed's least successful since achieving mainstream success. However, Creed rebounded quickly, with one of the summer's biggest hits, "One Last Breath".

Stapp was involved in a car accident in April 2002 and it had seemed that the tour that they had planned was not going to happen. However, Stapp recovered in time to appear in the last few shows. "Don't Stop Dancing" was a minor hit for Creed in late 2002/early 2003.

Break-up, subsequent activities, and reunion (2004-present)

In June 2004, Creed officially announced their break-up. Stapp began recording his debut solo album, The Great Divide with Roadrunner Records recording artist Goneblind. The other band members (including former bassist Brian Marshall) formed a new band, Alter Bridge, with Myles Kennedy. Touring bassist Brett Hestla has since joined the band Dark New Day. On November 22, 2004 Creed released a greatest hits album.

The three members currently involved in Alter Bridge have stated that Creed is solely in their past, and will not reunite any time in the future. Scott Stapp believed that the group could reunite someday, but in his recent claims he also feels that Creed is in the past.

In 2008, Mark Tremonti, along with Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy, appeared as guests on two separate tracks on Sevendust's album Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow.

On November 3, 2008, Blabbermouth.net reported that a Creed reunion could materialize in 2009. According to Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, Myles Kennedy is rumored to replace Robert Plant for a Led Zeppelin reunion tour in 2009. Blabbermouth states that "if Kennedy should take the job with the Zeppelin offshoot, the sources have indicated that there are already "significant dollars" on the table for a Creed reunion." On December 2, Rolling Stone reported that an announcement of a Creed reunion is "imminent". However, it was stated by Jimmy Page's manager that there will be no Led Zeppelin reunion and that Myles Kennedy will remain in Alter Bridge to record the band's third album. Because of this, a Creed reunion appeared unlikely.

However, on March 17, 2009 a teaser trailer for a possible tour was leaked, pulled, and then on April 2nd re-published on the re-launched Creed website, Creed.com, which states 'coming summer 2009'.

This is now confirmation that the band will reunite in 2009, however it is still unclear as to the extent of the reunion. In addition, for the first time since the bands split, their MySpace has been updated.

Controversies

Despite the band's continual dismissals of the label, Creed is sometimes labeled a Christian rock band due to the fact that all three albums focus on questions of faith, Christianity, and eternity. The band was never signed to a contemporary Christian music label, nor did it perform in Christian music venues or get any widespread regular play on Christian radio. However, the band's namesake creed itself denotes a popular Christian theological concept, of absolute individual belief, usually monotheistic. Also, themes within their musical titles such as "Higher", "My Sacrifice", "My Own Prison", "With Arms Wide Open", and "One Last Breath" contain allusion to Christian theology, though it hasn't been confirmed that the songs were meant to be Christian songs.

Creed was sued in 2003 by four concert goers who claimed Scott Stapp "was so intoxicated and/or medicated that he was unable to sing the lyrics of a single Creed song" at a December 29, 2002 concert in Chicago. The lawsuit was later dismissed.

Scott Stapp contemplated committing suicide sometime in 2003 after drinking a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey. According to Rolling Stone he was convinced that anyone involved with Creed wanted him dead so he would become a "Kurt Cobain martyr-type" and increase record sales. "I had crazy thoughts going through my head," he said. However, he decided against suicide upon seeing a photo of his son just as he had the gun held to his head.

In 2004, prominent music magazine, Guitar World, ranked Creed second only to Limp Bizkit in its "Worst Band of the Year" feature article.

Collaboration with World Wrestling Entertainment

For many years, Creed collaborated with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) by allowing many of their songs to be played for promotions (such as a having new singles serve as the theme songs to pay-per-views). In 2001, when WWE began airing videos highlighting many different wrestlers' careers as well as video highlights of the rigors of the road for wrestlers, Creed songs were frequently used as background music - "My Sacrifice" being the most-used song. Even following the breakup of Creed, Scott Stapp and Alter Bridge have both contributed music to WWE.

Band members

Current Members

• Scott Stapp – lead vocals (1995-current)
• Mark Tremonti – guitars, backing vocals (1995–current); bass guitar on Weathered (2001 — all tracks)
• Scott Phillips – drums, percussion, keyboards (1995–current)
• Brian Marshall – bass guitar (1995–2000-2009)

Touring members

• Brett Hestla – bass guitar (2000–2004)
• Brian Brasher – guitars (1995)

Session members

• John Kurzweg – keyboards on My Own Prison (1997 — multiple tracks)
• Aimee Stapp – backing vocals on Weathered (2001 — track "Don't Stop Dancing")
• Robby Krieger – guitars on Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors (2000 — track "Riders on the Storm")
• Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards on Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors (2000 — track "Riders on the Storm")

Discography

Main article: Creed discography

• 1997: My Own Prison
• 1999: Human Clay
• 2001: Weathered
• 2004: Greatest Hits

External links

• Creed's official website
• CreedFeed
• Creed on Allmusic.com