Ongoing History Daily: The No Doubt suicide

July 15, 2021 Alan Cross 0 Comments 0 min read

No Doubt was formed by Eric Stefani, Gwen’s brother, just before Christmas 1986. The singer at the time was a guy named John Spence, a super-energetic guy who came famous for doing backflips. Gwen’s job back then was to sing harmonies.

There were a couple of lineup changes over the next year, but none as harrowing as when John Spence committed suicide just a couple of before the band was to play a big showcase gig for record company executives.

The band actually broke up for several weeks before deciding to get back together with saxophonist Alan Meade on vocals. That lasted for a while before Gwen got the gig full-time.

Yesterday’s post was all about Rivers Cuomo’s childhood.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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