Barenaked Ladies

Barenaked Ladies (often abbreviated BNL) is a Canadian alternative rock band composed of Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, Steven Page, Tyler Stewart, and Jim Creeggan. They formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto. BNL has a reputation as an excellent live band, and are particularly well-known for improvising amusing songs during their shows.

1990s

The band's first album, Gordon, released in 1992, was a smash hit in Canada and included some of the band's most well-known songs, including "Be My Yoko Ono" (the single which helped fund the album), If I Had $1,000,000 (which spawned a Kraft Dinner-throwing tradition at live shows that the band has discouraged), and "Brian Wilson" (named after the Beach Boy who later covered the song on a live album).

Related Topics:
Gordon - 1992 - Yoko Ono - If I Had $1,000,000 - Kraft Dinner - Brian Wilson - Beach Boy

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BNL's second album, Maybe You Should Drive, released in 1994, fared considerably less well with the Canadian public. After the release, Andy Creeggan left the band because of his discomfort with the direction of the band and to begin college.

Related Topics:
Maybe You Should Drive - 1994

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The band released Born on a Pirate Ship in 1996 as a quartet. The album received two large boosts from the Jason Priestley-directed video for The Old Apartment and the inclusion of the song "Shoebox" on the Friends soundtrack. Kevin Hearn was hired as the keyboardist for the subsequent tour and then was asked to join the band.

Related Topics:
Born on a Pirate Ship - 1996 - Jason Priestley - The Old Apartment - Friends

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From two dates on the Born on a Pirate Ship tour during 1996, BNL recorded and released a live album called Rock Spectacle, which had a modest radio hit with "Brian Wilson."

Related Topics:
1996 - Rock Spectacle

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The band's greatest success to date and greatest recognition within the United States has come from their fourth album, Stunt, released in 1998, buoyed by the #1 single "One Week". Immediately after Stunt was released, however, Kevin Hearn was diagnosed with leukemia, eventually undergoing a bone marrow transplant and spending several months in the hospital recovering. The band toured, but with friends Chris Brown and Greg Kurstin on keyboards until Kevin recovered enough to rejoin them on the road. The singles "It's All Been Done" (used as the opening theme song on the short lived animated TV series Baby Blues) and "Call and Answer" also came from this highly successful album. The band has also collaborated with singer Tom Jones for a track on his 1999 album Reload.

Related Topics:
United States - Stunt - 1998 - One Week - Leukemia - Chris Brown - Greg Kurstin - Keyboard - Baby Blues - Tom Jones - 1999 - Reload

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