No Doubt is one remarkable band that was a product of the 90s music scene. The band was formed in 1986 with nine original members. Eric Stefani played keyboards, while his sister Gwen Stefani sang backing vocals behind lead singer John Spence. Other members were Chris Leal on bass, Jerry McMahon on guitars, Chris Webb on drums, Tony Meade on the saxophone, and Gabriel Gonzalez and Alan Meade playing trumpets.
The band was barely in its first year together when lead vocalist John Spence tragically died by suicide on December 21, 1987. His death was felt deeply by the other members. It affected them so much that they decided to disband immediately after. However, they reunited a few weeks later.
No Doubt became a significant part of the 90s music scene, even after Spence’s unfortunate passing. Gwen Stefani took over the lead vocals after Alan Meade took over Spence’s role. Now, when people think of “No Doubt” they immediately picture Gwen Stefani’s platinum blonde hair. In a way, she has become the face of the band.
However, no matter the success Stefani enjoyed over No Doubt’s fame in the 1990’s she still felt the founding member’s loss sharply. She has taken to Instagram to remember John Spence. On his 35th death anniversary, Stefani posted photos of Spence with the caption, “Remembering John Spence today, and always.”
The new Voice judge has said before, “I guess I didn’t really know him,” and “He was hurting so badly that he couldn’t talk to anyone about it,” regarding John Spence.
In the early days of No Doubt’s success, Gwen Stefani said in interviews, “For some reason, there was automatically this built-in following,” The Anaheim band did not immediately gain a cult following. It was only after the success of their album Tragic Kingdom that the remaining members truly felt fame.
Even though Spence was only with No Doubt for a year, he still had a significant impact, being the first person who agreed with Eric Stefani to practice in a garage and eventually form the band. The rock band’s name came from Spence’s habit of saying “no doubt” as an automatic response.
The band has not officially disbanded, but most of its founding members have left to pursue other careers. Even Gwen’s brother Eric left the band to become an animator. No Doubt is officially on hiatus after completing their tour in 2015.
Gwen Stefani achieved personal success outside the band. She is a coach on The Voice for the newest season with her husband, Blake Shelton. She has been a coach for the reality show’s 7th, 9th, 12th, 17th, and 19th seasons.
Stefani also dabbled in different industries like producing her perfume, designing clothes, and eyewear, and recently, launching her makeup brand GXVE Beauty. The brand carries cosmetics especially lipstick with the red shades that were part of Gwen Stefani’s signature look in recent years.
The artist does not seem to have any intention of stopping. She is still active both in show business and as an entrepreneur, showing that being No Doubt’s vocalist is only part of what she can do.