Nickelback

Biography

Nickelback Gets His Start
Brothers, Chad and Mike Kroeger formed Nickelback in Vancouver in 1996 with their cousin Brandon (who is no longer in the band) and their buddy Ryan Peake. Chad Kroeger wrote lyrics while the rest of the guys worked together on the music. They came up with the name Nickelback from Mike Kroeger's cashier experience at Starbucks. Customers would pay $1.50 for a coffee that costs $1.45 - and Mike Kroeger would always have to give them "a nickel back."

Nickelback's Big Break
Nickelback put together and released a seven song demo titled Hesher and began supporting it with live gigs. In 1997, Nickelback released their debut CD, Curb and pushed the album with non-stop touring. Nickelback later went through a bunch of drummers until they hooked up with current drummer Ryan Vikedal, who was an old buddy of Ryan Peake's. In 1999, Nickelback released
Nickelback's 'How You Remind Me' was a huge hit.
Courtesy of EMI
their second CD, The State, (released in 2000 in the US) under their own, independent label. Nickelback had a top-twenty hit with the song Leader of Men and it wasn't long until record labels came knocking. They jumped back on the road to support the CD and eventually signed with Roadrunner Records.

Nickelback Goes Stateside
Nickelback had a large following in Canada - having toured with bands like Creed, Silverchair and Everclear - but wanted to break into the US. In 2001, Nickelback released their third CD, Silver Side Up and the first single How You Remind Me became a huge hit across North America. How You Remind Me even made it to number one on Canadian and US rock charts.