A young and energetic Gwen Stefani moved into the music spotlight in 1987 as the sexy lead singer for the band
No Doubt. One of her biggest hits in the '90s with the cross-mixed group of ska-punk and new wave fashion was a single called "Don't Speak," one of the tracks from No Doubt's Grammy nominated third album Tragic Kingdom. The video for "Don't Speak," a play on inner jealousy in a band, accumulated plenty of play on MTV, giving the group and its lead singer a chance to reach even more fans.
Stefani was born and raised in the glittering sunshine of Southern California. Others shared musical talent in her family, including her brother Eric Stefani. When he and a friend, singer John Spence, put together a new band called No Doubt in 1987, of course Gwen was brought in as co-singer with Spence. That same year, Spence ended his life by suicide, leaving a saddened teenage Gwen to step up to the microphone alone. During those first hard years in the group, playing gigs where ever they could, Gwen somehow managed to finish high school and enter college without missing a beat. Other members of No Doubt are guitarist Tom Dumont, drummer Adrian Young, and bassist Tony Kanal. The latter would become Gwen's love interest for a number of years.
In 1992, after signing with Interscope Records, No Doubt released its self-titled debut album. When the record label didn't like the numbers that came in from that first album, they wouldn't agree to back a second. Refusing to give in, even though her brother Eric left, Gwen and the other band members put up money of their own in 1995 to record a sophomore album called The Beacon Street Collection. Stefani kept up the hard work, and soon she and the band had Interscope's full attention again, and were working on another album, Tragic Kingdom. The old saying about the third time being the charm, proved true, and there was nothing tragic to be found in this third offering. The Grammy nominated album hit number one on the Billboard charts, and three of its tracks charted as well, including "Spiderwebs" and "Just a Girl." Another full-length album, Return of Saturn, appeared in 2000 with Gwen Stefani still taking her spot in front at the microphone, where she seems to shine her best. ~ Charlotte Dillon, All Music Guide
