Gwen Stefani Biography

Born October 3rd, 1969, at St. Jude's Hospital in Fullerton, California, Gwen has spent her entire life in Southern California. Gwen grew up in Orange County with her parents, brothers Eric and Todd, and sister Jill. A very close family, Gwen can recall her first live performances ever being puppet shows that she and Eric would create together and perform for their neighbors. Her first singing experiences came when she would dress up with her sister Jill and their cousins, and play "Musical House". While "playing house" might have been an ordinary activity for young American girls, it's not common to make it mandatory that all words be sung and not spoken. Gwen was highly influenced by the rising popularity of ska and punk that was making its presence felt in the So Cal area.

Gwen can first recall music having an influence on her life when she was in junior high and her brother Eric would bring home two-tone ska records by artists such as Madness and The Selecter. It was at this point that she became heavily involved in the ska scene. In addition to the aforementioned bands, Gwen also got really into L.A. bands like The Untouchables and Fishbone.

In early 1987 Gwen's brother Eric and John Spence founded what is now No Doubt. In the beginning Eric asked Gwen to share vocal duties with John. Sadly, not long after No Doubt's incarnation, John Spence committed suicide which left Gwen to rock the mic.The show must go on, and it did, as No Doubt continued to perform in local gigs. In the meantime, Gwen had graduated high school, and followed up her studies at Cal State Fullerton College.

Gwen was forced to juggle the band, her studies, as well as what turned out to be a 7-year long romance with fellow band member, Tony Kanal. In 1989, two new members joined the No Doubt team, guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young. After No Doubt was really attracting a fan base (thanks mostly to their energetic live performances), Flea, the bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded a demo for the band in 1990, which led to their signing with Interscope Records.

In 1992, the band released their self-titled debut, but despite the substantial following the band had garnered, the album was far from a commercial success. Their record company was losing faith in their potential, but No Doubt's persistence did not waver.

The group went back into the studio with their own money, and recorded a collection of "extra" songs they had written. Their sophomore effort, The Beacon Street Collection, was released in 1995, and not only struck a cord with their devout fans, but also re-sparked Interscope's confidence in the band.

No Doubt was back in business and returned to the recording studio with the support of their record company. The fruit of their effort was the hugely successful Tragic Kingdom, only this one was sans Eric Stefani, who left to become an animator on The Simpsons.

1995's Tragic Kingdom broke through the charts with its debut single, "Just A Girl", with the help of the punk-tinged catchy lyrics and an accompanying colorful video. The album went on to spawn hits such as "Spiderwebs" and the super smash hit, "Don't Speak". The latter was written as an ode to the former relationship of Gwen and Tony, and must have struck a Spanish guitar chord with the public since the single has become the band's biggest smash to date and topped charts worldwide. The album went on to become a Billboard Number One, and garnered two Grammy nominations for the group.

Going into the studio to work on their fourth album, Gwen seemed fascinated by all of the musical possibilites available and hopes to grow stronger as a lyricist.

No Doubt's release of Return of Saturn, hit the music scene in 2000, and spawned the hits "Ex-Girlfriend" and "Simple Kind of Life".

They say you can never go home again. Yet, on their new Interscope Records release and fifth album, Rock Steady, No Doubt has embarked on a globe-spanning musical adventure that proves, once and for all, that home is where the heart is.

One non-musical aspect of Gwen that is just as much a part of her as anything else is her interest in clothes and fashion. Admittedly a thrift store junkie, Gwen has been making her own clothes ever since her mom first made her a replica of Maria's dress from The Sound of Music to wear during a high school talent show.

Sources: 14gwen.com, Absolute Divas, VH1.com, Absolutely Celebrity Network.