Nickelback may seem like an overnight success story in the world of rock, but this Canadian quartet earned their fame through years of hard work. Front man Chad Kroeger and his brother Mike Kroeger formed the band in the early 1990s, playing covers of their favorite rockers in the bars of their home town, Hanna, Alberta. With moderate local success, they decided to take their music career to Vancouver, where Chad began writing his own songs. Chad continued singing and playing lead guitar, Mike played bass, and they were joined by Ryan Vikedal on drums and Ryan Peake on guitar.
While in Vancouver, they started to gain more widespread recognition when they released two albums in 1996. Hesher and Curb were greeted well by rock fans in the area, and soon, rockers all over were recognizing the new talent. Nickelback started touring furiously to promote the albums, doing shows in the US and Canada. Though the tour was considered a success, Nickelback was still not part of the mainstream rock genre. By 2000 they had produced a third record, titled The State, which received significant radio play in their native Canada. Soon the record started to migrate into the US due to frequent touring of the band and news spreading through fans by word-of-mouth. The State was soon released on a major label in America. The album produced two top 10 singles. Both 'Breathe' and 'Leader of Men' received radio play in the US and Canada and started to get the band noticed by rock fans everywhere.
After touring to promote The State, headlining with bands like Creed, 3 Doors Down, and Fuel, the band pulled out their big guns and showed the music business what they really had. In 2001 Nickelback released Silver Side Up to cheers from rock fans everywhere. The single 'How You Remind Me' pushed its way onto American radio and was soon at the top of the Hot 100 list. It became the most played song of 2002 according to Billboard's Airplay Monitor. With the success and spread of the single through radio, Silver Side Up sold more than 9 million copies worldwide. Nickelback was now one of the most listened to rock bands of the time.
Singer Chad Kroeger took a short break from his success with Nickelback to record a duet with Saliva singer Josey Scott. The product of this collaboration was 'Hero', featured on the Spider-Man soundtrack. It soon became a huge hit. Kroeger also paired up with Santana on Shaman. Kroeger joined back up with his Nickelback pals in 2003, and they quickly released Long Road. In 2004, to promote the release of Long Road, Nickelback decided to hit the road and tour with 3 Doors Down and Puddle of Mudd. Three Days Grace was also asked to open a few of their July shows. Nickelback offered ticket presales to their fans across the world to ensure a full crowd of enthusiastic fans who hoped to enjoy the laser-lights and pyrotechnics, which promised to make the shows unforgettable.
