Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte is a pop-rock/pop-punk band formed in 1996. They have had many singles, some of their more popular songs being "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", "The Anthem," and "Girls and Boys". They took their band name from a children's book, written by Carol Beach York. Their most recent hits have been "Predictable", "I Just Wanna Live", and "We Believe" on their new album, The Chronicles of Life and Death. The band is fronted by twin brothers Benji and Joel Madden, born in Waldorf, Maryland. Despite personally claiming to be a punk band, many critics deride the band for its pop-oriented sound and the band's following which mostly consists of teenage females. Thus the band is often categorized as pop punk or pop-rock. Many other punk fans frown on them as well.
Band members
- Joel Madden: Vocals and occassional 3rd Guitar
- Benji Madden: 2nd Guitar and backup vocals
- Billy Martin: Lead Guitar and Keyboards
- Paul Thomas: Bass
- Aaron Escolopio: Drums (1996-2001)- left to join Wakefield
- Dusty Brill: Drums (2001-2002)- temporary
Chris Wilson: Drums (2002-2005)- left due to medical conditions- Dean Butterworth: Drums (since May 2005) - temporary; current drummer
Biography
Frontmen Joel and Benji Madden grew up in the town of Waldorf, Maryland in a lower middle-class family. They were born in 1979, on March 11. At a young age their father left them, and they had a hard time with only their mother to earn money for the family. One day they had an idea, and (although Joel had never sung before, and Benji had never played guitar before)they started the band in 1996 where they recruited childhood friends Paul Thomas (bass) and Aaron Escolopio (drums). They soon moved to Annapolis and met Billy Martin, through a mutual interest in the band Silverchair.
"Ours was definitely a dysfunctional family situation," admits Benji Madden, "but luckily me and Joel always had each other. When things started to fall apart, we just got into music." The twins' older brother Josh turned them on to influential albums by Rancid, Minor Threat, the Cure, the Smiths, and many more.
After releasing an EP, entitled Another EP, in 1999, Good Charlotte released their first self-titled album, which was not a huge commercial success. Singles that were released from that album include "Little Things" and "Motivation Proclamation".
Aaron was the drummer in their debut album, Good Charlotte, before leaving the band in early 2001 to join the band Wakefield with his brother, Ryan. He was replaced with Dusty, who was just a temporary drummer and had left the band before the recording of their second album, The Young & the Hopeless. As a result, veteran professional studio drummer Josh Freese plays for that album.
2002's The Young And The Hopeless was much more popular, and marked the bands emergence into mainstream music. Their single that made them famous, titled "Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous" topped charts around the globe. Singles that followed from that abum included "The Anthem" and "Girls and Boys". The Young and the Hopeless received 3x-platinum certification from the RIAA, landing the band on Saturday Night Live, the covers of Rolling Stone and Alternative Press, a two page feature in the New York Times and spots on CNN and The Today Show. Good Charlotte were also hugely popular at MTV, where the Madden Brothers once served as hosts All Things Rock. Their video clips were chart-topping favorites on both MTV and MTV2, with "The Anthem" going on to receive 2003's MTV "Viewers Choice" Video Music Award. Also, in 2004, frontmen Benji and Joel Madden were on Punk'd after they were both tricked by Ashton Kutcher for this incident which they saw their Range Rover crashed on top of Volvo while being towed.
Chris Wilson was the band's drummer for their third album, The Chronicles of Life and Death, which was released in 2004. Singles currently released from that album include "Predictable", "I Just Wanna Live" and "We Believe". This album was considered a departure from their previous 2 albums. In May 2005, Chris left for personal health reasons[1].
Today, through non-stop touring and wide publicity, Good Charlotte has built a huge fanbase from all four corners of the globe.
Their most recent "Noise to the World Tour" with Simple Plan featured Dean Butterworth, who has previously played with Morrissey, as the band's current temporary drummer.
Other Biographies: GC - Epic Music[2] Represent GC[3]
Discography
- Good Charlotte (Epic Records) (2000) #185 US
- The Young and the Hopeless (Epic Records) (2002) #7 US (3x Platinum), #15 UK
- The Chronicles of Life and Death (Epic Records) (2004) #3 US (Platinum), #8 UK
From Good Charlotte:
- "Little Things"
- "Motivation Proclamation"
- "The Click"
- "Festival Song"
From The Young and the Hopeless:
From The Chronicles of Life and Death: