Barenaked Ladies Biography

Toronto, Canada's quirky popsters Barenaked Ladies were never ones to follow a trend. They were more interested in making someone laugh than being astute and serious. Most of all, a friendship consumed this band and that bond cemented their place in alternative rock.
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Teenage friends Ed Robertson and Steven Page found themselves laughing at the innocent and child-like term "barenaked lady" while attending a Bob Dylan concert in 1988. Both Robertson and Page agreed that it would make a funny band name, and since the duo was already into rock music and playing guitar, the Barenaked Ladies were born. Joining them were bass man Jim Creeggan, his brother Andy on keyboards, and drummer Tyler Stewart, and the Barenaked Ladies began to blend their comic relief sensibilities inside an eclectic mix of jazz, folk, and rock. The famous self-titled Yellow Tape (1991) captured BNL's first independently recorded material, however Canadians weren't too fond of the group's naïveté. They were branded a novelty act by some, but The Yellow Tape proved successful when it became the only indie release to achieve platinum status in Canada. Record labels entered an instant bidding war, and Sire won over the band. Their rock & roll dreams were beginning to unfurl. Their zany, wacky, and hip debut Gordon was released in 1992, and college kids across North America were keen on singles such as "Be My Yoko Ono," "Enid," and the charming favorite "If I Had a $1,000,000." Canadian contemporaries also warmed up to the silliness of "If I Had a $1,000,000" and BNL began their reign as Canada's pop kings alongside the Tragically Hip. Not everyone was amused, however. Toronto mayor June Rowlands considered the band's name to be sexist and demeaning to women, and therefore forbid the Barenaked Ladies from playing a local gig in 1992. In typical style, BNL laughed it off and resumed their schedule. At the height of grunge, Ben Mink came around to produce the acoustically mellow Maybe You Should Drive in 1994. Songs like the jaunty "Alternative Girlfriend" and the sweetly melodic "Jane" were college radio favorites, but changes were on the way. Before they could collect themselves for a third album, Andy Creeggan left the band in order to finish college and Look People guitarist/keyboardist Kevin Hearn hopped on board for BNL's joint tour with Billy Bragg...and never left. Hearn joined the band for 1996's obscuro-pop album Born on a Pirate Ship and again, BNL charted new celebrity territory by appearing on an episode of Beverly Hills 90210 to perform their Top 40 hit, "The Old Apartment." Success was fast, leaving BNL to sellout countless summer shows. This merry mayhem was captured on the band's first live album, Rock Spectacle (pronounced Rock-Spek-Tak). The uninhibited and playful effort introduced a new audience to the aspect of the band that had been winning them fans since they started -- their live shows. It even included one of their signatures -- improvised rapping and stage banter. Rock Spectacle was BNL's first album to be certified gold in the U.S.

BARENAKED LADIES PICTURES

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BARENAKED LADIES BIOGRAPHY