Nickelback

Nickelback is a Canadian rock group from Hanna, Alberta, formed in 1995. The band begins as a cover act called Village Idiot, with Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Brandon Kroeger and Ryan Peake in the line-up. Its name comes from a phrase Mike Kroeger uses while working in a coffee shop: “Here’s your nickel back.” Early performances centre on songs by bands such as Led Zeppelin and Metallica.

Career

Nickelback records its first release, the EP Hesher, in 1996, then follows it with the debut album Curb later the same year. Brandon Kroeger leaves the band in 1997 and is briefly replaced by Mitch Guindon. Ryan Vikedal joins as drummer in 1998. The group signs with Roadrunner Records and EMI in 1999 after gaining attention through independently released material.

The State appears in North America in 2000 and in Europe in 2001, with singles including “Old Enough”, “Worthy to Say”, “Leader of Men” and “Breathe”. It becomes the band’s first gold and later platinum release, and its first entry on the Billboard 200.

Nickelback’s mainstream breakthrough comes with Silver Side Up in 2001. Produced by Rick Parashar, the album reaches number one in Canada and number two on the Billboard 200. Its lead single, “How You Remind Me”, becomes the group’s biggest hit, and the album also yields “Too Bad” and “Never Again”.

In 2002, Chad Kroeger collaborates with Josey Scott on “Hero”, which appears in the film Spider-Man. The band also releases the concert DVD Live at Home that year. During a performance at Portugal’s Ilha do Ermal festival, the group leaves the stage after objects are thrown from the audience.

The Long Road follows in 2003, produced by Joey Moi. It debuts in the Billboard 200 top ten, reaches multi-platinum status, and includes singles such as “Someday”, “Feelin’ Way Too Damn Good” and “Figured You Out”. After the touring cycle ends, Ryan Vikedal leaves in 2005 and Daniel Adair, formerly of 3 Doors Down, joins on drums.

Commercial peak and later releases

All the Right Reasons appears in 2005 and becomes the band’s best-selling album. It reaches number one on both the Billboard 200 and the Canadian Albums Chart, and produces internationally successful singles including “Photograph”, “Savin’ Me”, “Far Away”, “If Everyone Cared” and “Rockstar”. Guest contributions on the album include Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, and it also features material associated with Dimebag Darrell of Pantera.

Nickelback signs a multi-album and touring deal with Live Nation in 2008, the same year it releases Dark Horse, produced by Robert John “Mutt” Lange. The album generates eight singles, including “Gotta Be Somebody”, “If Today Was Your Last Day”, “Burn It to the Ground” and “This Afternoon”, and its world tour runs from 2008 to 2010.

Here and Now follows in 2011, led by “Bottoms Up” and “When We Stand Together”. It enters the Billboard 200 at number two and reaches number one in Canada. The band issues the compilation The Best of Nickelback Volume 1 in 2013.

No Fixed Address is released in 2014 through Republic Records and includes “Edge of a Revolution” and “What Are You Waiting For?”. A planned tour in support of the album is partly postponed after Chad Kroeger undergoes surgery for a vocal cord cyst. In 2016, the band releases a cover of Don Henley’s “Dirty Laundry”.

Nickelback signs with BMG Rights Management in 2017 and releases Feed the Machine, supported by a North American tour with Daughtry, Shaman’s Harvest and Cheap Trick. In 2020, it records a cover of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by The Charlie Daniels Band featuring guitarist Dave Martone. Get Rollin’ follows in 2022, with “San Quentin” and “Those Days” as singles, and the group tours Canada and the United States in 2023.

Recognition

Nickelback is among the most commercially successful Canadian rock bands, with worldwide sales of more than 50 million records. It ranks as the seventh best-selling music act of the 2000s and the second best-selling foreign act in the United States for that decade. In 2009, Billboard ranks the band as the most successful rock group of the 2000s and the seventh most successful artist overall. In 2023, Nickelback is inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Members

The band’s members include Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and Daniel Adair, with earlier members Brandon Kroeger, Mitch Guindon and Ryan Vikedal.

Style

Nickelback is associated with rock, alternative rock, hard rock, alternative metal, electropop, funk rock and grunge.