3 Doors Down is an American rock band from Escatawpa, Mississippi, formed in 1996. Founded
by Brad Arnold (vocals and drums), Matt Roberts (guitar), and Todd Harrell (bass). The band
signed to Universal Records after the success of their song "Kryptonite". The band has since
sold well over 16 million records worldwide since their debut album, The Better Life, which
was released in 2000.
History
Early years (1996-2000)
3 Doors Down was formed by drummer vocalist Brad Arnold, guitarist Matt Roberts and bassist
Todd Harrell. The three were friends who had grown up together in Escatawpa, and who all
shared a common interest in rock music. The band began playing locally around the city,
playing a mix of both cover songs and original songs that would eventually be recorded on
their first release. Brad Arnold eventually ended up not only drumming, but also acting as
the group's singer, mainly because, as he puts it, "nobody else would do it, but I did and
enjoyed it." Arnold is also their lyricist, and wrote some of their early hits when he was
15, often working on songs during math class.
The band eventually began to tour outside of their city, and it was during a trip to Foley,
Alabama that they came up with their official name. When the three men were walking through
the town, they saw a building where some letters had fallen off of its sign, and it read
"Doors Down." Since at the time they consisted of three people, they added the "3" to create
"3 Doors Down."
A couple years after performing together, Todd Harrell asked guitarist Chris Henderson to
join the band in order to make the sound more full. They recorded a demo CD of their
original songs at Lincoln Recording Studio in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Radio station 97.9
WCPR started playing the EP version of "Kryptonite", and it became the #1 requested song on
the station for over 15 weeks and led to Universal Records signing the band.
The Better Life (2000-2001)
3 Doors Down's first album, The Better Life was released on February 2 , 2000, and went on
to become the 11th best-selling album of that year, selling over 3 million copies. It has
since been certified 6x platinum, thanks in large part to the international hit singles,
"Kryptonite", "Loser", and "Duck and Run". A fourth single, "Be Like That", also did well
and was actually re-recorded for the 2001 film American Pie 2, with alternate lyrics for the
first 3 lines. This version is known as "The American Pie 2 Edit".
For recording the album, Brad Arnold recorded both the vocal and drum parts. However, when
touring to support The Better Life, the band hired a drummer so that Arnold could perform at
the front of the stage.
Away from the Sun (2002)
Session drummer Josh Freese was hired to record drums for Away from the Sun. Also, Rush
guitarist Alex Lifeson produced and performed on three tracks for the record, "Dangerous
Game", "Dead Love", and "Wasted Me", but only "Dangerous Game" would appear on the finished
product. The band hired Canadian Daniel Adair to play drums for the Away From the Sun tour.
He would go on to record the drums for the band's next studio release, and was with the band
aboard the U.S.S George Washington (CVN 73) to film the music video "When I'm Gone".
Another 700 Miles (2003)
In 2003, 3 Doors Down released a live E.P. entitled Another 700 Miles consisting of
recordings from a live performance by the band in Chicago, Illinois. Another 700 Miles has
since been certified Gold in the United States. Besides featuring some of 3 Doors Down's hit
singles from their previous two albums, the E.P. also contains a version of the popular
Lynyrd Skynyrd song "That Smell".
In 2003, the band began hosting the annual "3 Doors Down and Friends" benefit concert,
through the band's own charity The Better Life Foundation. In 2006, this event was held at
the Mobile Convention Center, with proceeds benefiting Hurricane Katrina survivors. As
residents of Escawtawpa, the members of the band saw the effects of Katrina's devastation.
Seventeen Days (2005-2007)
The band's third studio album, 2005's Seventeen Days, has since been certified platinum.
"Let Me Go" and "Behind Those Eyes" charted with the most success. "Live for Today",
"Landing in London" (on which Bob Seger provided back-up vocals and guitar), and "Here by
Me" were also released as singles. During the Seventeen Days tour, the band appeared
alongside southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as headlined many shows of their own.
Also in 2005, the band released a live DVD entitled Away from the Sun: Live from Houston,
Texas. The DVD was produced and directed by Academy Award nominated Alex Gibney and Doug
Biro. It features songs from both The Better Life and Away from the Sun, and even some early
sketches of "It's Not Me" and "Father's Son", which were both eventually released on
Seventeen Days.
- Greg Upchurch, formerly of Puddle of Mudd, replaced Daniel Adair in 2005, when Adair left
to accept the position as drummer and contributing member of Nickelback.
3 Doors Down (2008-present)
3 Doors Down released their self-titled fourth album on May 20, 2008. It debuted at #1 on
the Billboard 200, selling 154,000 copies in its first week. It is the band's second
consecutive #1 album on the chart after Seventeen Days, as well their fourth album to reach
the Top Ten. The album contains the hit singles "It's Not My Time", "Train", "Let Me Be
Myself" (currently featured in a GEICO commercial) and "Citizen/Soldier", a song written as
a tribute to the National Guard. The band has just recently begun writing their next record.
It is rumored that they are going back in the studio near the end of the year to record
their new album which can be expect to be out by spring/summer 2010.
In 2009, 3 Doors Down, along with The Soul Children of Chicago, released the song “In The
Presence Of The Lord” on the compilation album Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration.
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