Creed Biography

Creed was a post-grunge group that became one of the best selling rock bands of the late 1990s and early 2000s in the US. While the original grunge groups were experimenting with new sounds, Creed adapted grunge into a radio-friendly style.

Some listeners consider Creed's music to be Christian rock. However frontman Scott Stapp stated: "No, we are not a Christian band. A Christian band has an agenda to lead others to believe in their specific religious beliefs. We have no agenda."

Creed originally came together in Tallahassee, Florida in 1995 as Naked Toddler when Stapp and guitarist Mark Tremonti, former high school friends, got together and started writing songs. They soon added bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. They later changed their name to "Creed" after Marshall's earlier band, "Maddox Creed".

They then found work at a live music bar, where they impressed the owner Jeff Hanson enough to let them play at one of his bigger stores. Hanson liked the band so much that he convinced producer John Kurzwegg to produce the band. Their first album My Own Prison was independently released, and distributed to Florida radio stations. This drew the attention of several labels that agreed to see the band, only to pass. Dejected, Creed was playing a small gig when Diana Meltzer from Wind-Up Records heard the group. She had heard their independent album, and after hearing them live, signed the band to her label. After a remix to make it more radio friendly, My Own Prison was re-released by Wind-Up Records across the country.