The roots of Los Angeles band Maroon 5 lay in the late-1990s Weezer-influenced alt-rock outfit Kara's Flowers. After that group disbanded, the members eventually started a new band (along with a second guitarist). Rechristening themselves Maroon 5, t…

As the very first winner of the AMERICAN IDOL television show competition, Kelly Clarkson was inevitably pegged as little more than a manufactured pop commodity. The surprisingly versatile singer managed to survive against expectations, however, and …

Coming out of the grass-roots Gilman St. punk scene of the early-1990s Bay Area, Green Day exploded into the mainstream with their third album, 1994's DOOKIE. The trio's punk energy and pop hooks, influenced by first-generation punks like the Buzzcoc…

b. 1981, Bangor, Maine, USA. This pop rock singer-songwriter first emerged in the late 90s as a popular draw on the Boston coffee house circuit. Day began playing piano and guitar in his early teens and before long had begun performing live sets and …

b. 18 July 1982, Dallas, Texas, USA. Pop rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Cabrera dropped out of a course at the University of Texas to concentrate on music. He had previously played in punk bands but switched direction as a member of the Dallas-…

Formed in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA, this pop punk quartet was formed in 1994, with its roots reaching back to a two-man music comedy team (vocalist/guitarist Jaret Reddick aka Jaret Von Erich and bass player Erik Chandler aka Erik Rodham Clinton), t…

The punk pop craze continued to sweep across US shopping malls and MTV during the early twenty-first century, owing to the emergence of acts such as Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based Simple Plan. Following in the footsteps of fellow Canadians Sum 41, Si…

John Mayer emerged in 2001 as the fresh young face for a new generation of earnest singer-songwriters. While Mayer's work is as confessional, intimate, and acoustic-guitar-based as that of old-schoolers like James Taylor and Jackson Browne, his appro…

This Los Angeles, California, USA-based alternative rock band treads the same middle ground as Creed, Matchbox 20 and Pearl Jam. Songwriter Jason Wade (b. 5 July 1980, California, USA; vocals/guitar) and Sergio Andrade (b. 17 October 1977, Guatemala …

As the lead singer of California neo-ska pop-punks No Doubt, Gwen Stefani gained notoriety for her spunky, riot grrrl-lite approach to fronting a rock band. On her 2004 solo debut, LOVE. ANGEL. MUSIC. BABY., Stefani pulled a musical about-face and fu…

b. 23 June 1977, Mechanicsville, Virginia, USA. The pop rock singer-songwriter Jason Mraz grew up in Virginia where he first developed an interest in musical theatre. He left his home state to attend the American Musical And Dramatic Academy in New Y…

Five for Fighting is the pseudonym of John Ondrasik, one of the most successful figures in the wave of lite-rock singer-songwriters that emerged in the early 2000s. Singing in the heartfelt lilt popularized by Dave Matthews, Ondrasik plays amiable, r…

With the assistance of its contemporaries Creed and Godsmack, 3 Doors Down helped keep the grunge flag flying in the mid-1990s in the wake of the demise of genre founders like Nirvana and Soundgarden. Combining the mammoth, sludgy riffs of the aforem…

Rob Thomas was the singer and principal songwriter for Matchbox Twenty a Florida-based adult alternative combo that found success with a blend of 70s rock influences slick hooks and 1990s post-grunge crunch The band broke through in 1996 with Push an…

Ashlee Simpson, younger sister of singer Jessica Simpson, is one of the most fascinating pop-culture phenomena of the early 2000s. Following a stint on the squeaky-clean television drama "7th Heaven," the prefabricated sensation's singing career was …

The Los Angeles-based hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas has made a name for itself by taking an eclectic and organic approach to rap, R&B, and funk. Led by vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Will.I.Am., the band also includes two other MCs, Apl.de.Ap. and Ta…

Originating from San Diego, California, USA, and formed during the mid-90s, this Christian rock band was the brainchild of brothers Jonathan Foreman (vocals/guitar) and Tim Foreman (bass/vocals). Like many San Diego teenagers, the Foremans were avid …

Hailing from Chattanooga, TN, Usher Raymond (best known by his given name) emerged in the '90s as a young R&B singer full of promise. The stars must have been aligned correctly for him, as he snagged Puffy Combs as a producer for his eponymous 1994 d…

Pop singer and actor Jesse McCartney was a child performer dynamo singing on Broadway and landing an acting gig on All My Children before even joining his first boy band a feat that came at the age of 12 Teen poppers Dream Street scored a platinum al…