This melodic hard rock band was formed in 1996 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, by brothers Chad Kroeger (b. 15 November 1974; vocals/guitar) and Mike Kroeger (b. 25 June 1972; bass), their cousin Brandon (drums), and Ryan Peake (b. 1 March 1973; guitar/vocals). In the same year they released the Hesher EP and their long-playing debut Curb, both of which picked up a lot of airtime on Canadian radio stations. Relentless touring helped promote their music throughout North America, with the band going through several drummers before settling on Ryan Vikedal (b. 9 May 1975), an old friend of Peake's. The State was originally released on the band's own label, but their burgeoning popularity was rewarded by a major recording contract with EMI Canada and heavy metal label Roadrunner Records in the USA. The State proved to be Nickelback's major breakthrough in both countries, with two tracks from the album, "Breathe" and "Leader Of Men", rising into the Top 10 on the US Mainstream Rock chart. The powerful "How You Remind Me' from 2001"s Silver Side Up became a staple on American rock radio, helping propel the album to number 2 on the US album chart shortly after its release. The track eventually climbed to the top of the Hot 100 in December and similar success followed in the UK.
Chad Kroeger enjoyed a transatlantic hit in 2002 with "Hero", a collaboration with Saliva vocalist Josey Scott taken from the soundtrack of Spiderman. The new Nickelback album, The Long Road, did not scale the heights of its predecessor but was nevertheless another solid collection of modern rock tracks. The band parted company with drummer Vikedal in January 2005. He was replaced by former 3 Doors Down member Daniel Adair. Nickelback returned to the upper reaches of the US charts in late 2005 with the hit single "Photograph" and the album All The Right Reasons.
