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Composer · Actor

1988-01-01 · Scarborough, Ontario, Canada · Other

12 series in the catalog

Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian rock band formed in Scarborough, Ontario, in 1988. The group began as a duo of singer-guitarists Ed Robertson and Steven Page and expanded to a quintet with bassist Jim Creeggan, percussionist and keyboardist Andy Creeggan and drummer Tyler Stewart. Multi-instrumentalist Kevin Hearn replaced Andy Creeggan in 1995. Page left the band in 2009; Robertson, Jim Creeggan, Stewart and Hearn have continued as a quartet.

The band first achieved widespread recognition in Canada with the independently released cassette The Yellow Tape (1991), the first independently released recording to receive platinum certification in Canada. Its debut studio album, Gordon (1992), was a major Canadian commercial success. After building an American audience through touring and the live album Rock Spectacle (1996), Barenaked Ladies attained international success with Stunt (1998). The album's lead single, "One Week", reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Barenaked Ladies' music combines pop and rock songwriting with folk-derived acoustic arrangements, vocal harmonies and lyrics that alternate between humour and more serious subjects. The band's concerts are noted for comic exchanges, improvised songs and freestyle rapping. The group has won eight Juno Awards, received two Grammy Award nominations and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2018.

History

Formation and independent releases (1988–1991)

Robertson and Page attended the same Scarborough public school but became friends as teenagers after discovering a shared interest in music. Both later worked as counsellors at Interprovincial Music Camp in McKellar, Ontario. They devised the name Barenaked Ladies while attending a Bob Dylan concert at Exhibition Stadium.

The duo made its debut on October 1, 1988, at a Second Harvest benefit at Nathan Phillips Square. With little time to rehearse, Robertson and Page filled their set with improvised songs and comic exchanges, an approach that became a continuing feature of the band's performances.

Robertson and Page recorded the cassette Buck Naked in 1989. They subsequently invited brothers Andy and Jim Creeggan, whom they knew from music camp, to join them for performances. A second cassette, Barenaked Lunch, followed in 1990. Stewart joined as drummer that year while Andy Creeggan was studying abroad; Creeggan returned in 1991 on keyboards and percussion.

The five-member lineup recorded The Yellow Tape as a demonstration tape for South by Southwest. After Canadian record companies declined to sign the band, it sold the cassette at concerts and through local retailers. Increasing demand led to commercial distribution through Page Publications, established by Page's father, Victor. The cassette became the first independent release certified platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.

The band received its first Canadian top-40 hit with a version of Bruce Cockburn's "Lovers in a Dangerous Time", recorded for the 1991 tribute album Kick at the Darkness. Its growing popularity also generated controversy when Toronto mayor June Rowlands prevented the group from performing at a 1991 New Year's Eve event at Nathan Phillips Square because she considered its name inappropriate. The decision received national attention and was reversed for subsequent city events.

Canadian success and early albums (1992–1997)

Barenaked Ladies signed with Sire Records and released Gordon in July 1992. Produced by Michael Phillip Wojewoda, the album included re-recordings of "If I Had $1000000", "Be My Yoko Ono" and "Brian Wilson", together with the singles "Enid" and "What a Good Boy". Gordon reached number one in Canada and was certified diamond for sales of one million copies. The band won Group of the Year at the Juno Awards of 1993.

The follow-up album, Maybe You Should Drive (1994), adopted a comparatively subdued sound and sold less than its predecessor. "Jane", written by Page and Stephen Duffy, became one of the band's best-known songs. During the album's touring cycle, tensions developed within the group, and Andy Creeggan left in 1995 to study music at McGill University.

The band recorded Born on a Pirate Ship (1996) as a quartet. The album included "The Old Apartment", whose music video was directed by Jason Priestley, and "Shoe Box", which appeared on the soundtrack to the television series Friends. Hearn joined for the ensuing tour and became a permanent member. The live album Rock Spectacle was released later in 1996. Radio airplay for its versions of "Brian Wilson" and "The Old Apartment" expanded the band's audience in the United States; the album was certified gold there in 1997.

International breakthrough (1998–2003)

The band worked with producers Susan Rogers and David Leonard on Stunt, released in July 1998. Shortly before its release, Hearn was diagnosed with leukemia and temporarily withdrew from touring while receiving treatment. Musicians including Chris Brown and Greg Kurstin substituted until he returned.

"One Week", written and sung by Robertson, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and helped Stunt reach number three on the Billboard 200. The album also produced the singles "It's All Been Done", "Call and Answer" and "Alcohol" and was certified multi-platinum in Canada and the United States. Barenaked Ladies received three Juno Awards in 1999, including Best Group and Best Pop Album, while "One Week" was nominated for a Grammy Award for best pop performance by a duo or group.

The band followed with Maroon in 2000, produced by Don Was. Led by "Pinch Me", the album reached number one in Canada and number five in the United States. "Pinch Me" received the band's second Grammy nomination. The compilation Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits (1991–2001) followed in 2001.

After a hiatus, the band returned with Everything to Everyone in 2003. The album completed its contract with Reprise, after which Barenaked Ladies resumed operating independently while retaining distribution arrangements with Warner Bros. Records.

Independent period and departure of Page (2004–2011)

Barenaked for the Holidays (2004) was the band's first independent album since The Yellow Tape and the first recorded at Page's Fresh Baked Woods studio. It was issued through the band's Desperation Records label. In 2005, the members composed and recorded music for the Stratford Festival production of Shakespeare's As You Like It.

The group recorded 29 songs during sessions in 2005 and 2006. They were divided between Barenaked Ladies Are Me (2006) and Barenaked Ladies Are Men (2007), with the latter also available as part of a boxed edition containing both albums. The band experimented with direct digital distribution during this period and offered professionally recorded concerts through its website.

The group wrote and recorded "Big Bang Theory Theme" for the television sitcom The Big Bang Theory, which premiered in 2007. The song became one of the band's most widely recognized recordings. The children's album Snacktime! followed in 2008 and received the 2009 Juno Award for Children's Album of the Year.

On February 24, 2009, Barenaked Ladies and Page announced that he had left by mutual agreement. The remaining members continued as a quartet, while Page pursued solo and theatrical work. Robertson said that Page's departure created additional space for the group's other songwriters, while Page later described a working relationship that had become dominated by stress.

The quartet recorded All in Good Time with Wojewoda. Released in March 2010, it was the first Barenaked Ladies album without Page and featured songwriting and lead vocals from all four members. The album's lead single, "You Run Away", addressed the aftermath of the separation.

Continued recording and Canadian Music Hall of Fame (2012–2019)

Barenaked Ladies signed with Vanguard Records and released Grinning Streak in June 2013. Its singles included "Boomerang", "Odds Are" and…