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 contract 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.
The band’s second long-player Away From The Sun, recorded with new drummer Daniel Adair (b. Vancouver, Canada), was released in November 2002, and any fears over its reception were rapidly shelved when the album achieved platinum status within two months of release. The album also launched two hit singles, ‘When I’m Gone’ and ‘Here Without You’. 3 Doors Down achieved even greater success with their third album, Seventeen Days, which topped the US album chart shortly after being released in February 2005. Adair was subsequently replaced in the line-up by former Puddle Of Mudd drummer Greg Upchurch (b. 1 December 1971, Houma, Louisiana, USA).
