Formed:

1986 - Buffalo, New York.

Goo Goo Dolls Members:

• Johnny Rzeznik - Vocals, Guitar
• Robby Takac - Vocals, Bass
• Mike Malinin - Drums

Influences and Early Days:

The Goo Goo Dolls were formed in Buffalo, New York by Johnny Rzeznik, Robby Takac, and original drummer George Tutuska. They were originally a cover band but soon began writing their own songs. Punk was a heavy influence on the band's sound, but, by the third album Hold Me Up in 1990, the Goo Goo Dolls were more of a power pop and alternative rock band in the mold of the Replacements.

"We Are the Normal," from the 1993 album Superstar Car Wash, reached the modern rock top 10.

Quote from Goo Goo Dolls' Johnny Rzeznik:

"I find myself being exactly who I am at the moment when I pickup a guitar. It's kind of comforting, because I can never sell out. I'm not talented enough to contrive something like that."

Pop Breakthrough:

In late 1994 the Goo Goo Dolls replaced their drummer George Tutuska with Mike Malinin. They also worked with veteran alt-rock producer Lou Giorgano to put together 1995's album A Boy Named Goo. The song "Name" began to get serious radio airplay and ultimately became the band's pop breakthrough landing at #5 on the pop singles chart.

Top Goo Goo Dolls Hit Songs:

• Name (1995) #5 Pop (Watch Video)
• Slide (1998) #8 Pop (Watch Video)
• Iris (1998) #9 Pop (Watch Video)
• Black Balloon (1999) #16 Pop (Watch Video)
• Here is Gone (2002) #18 Pop (Watch Video)

"Iris":

Following their pop breakthrough, Goo Goo Dolls ended up in legal battles with their record label Metal Blade that resulted in a jump to the parent label Warner Bros.

Following a particularly vexing bout with writers block, the band came up with the song "Iris" for the 1998 soundtrack to the film City of Angels. "Iris" became one of the biggest radio hits of the decade. It spent 18 weeks or 4 months at the top of the top 40 radio airplay chart.

Trivia Fact About Goo Goo Dolls:

The band's original name was The Sex Maggots.

Back to Buffalo and a New Album:

Following "Iris," Goo Goo Dolls released the album Dizzy Up the Girl, which included an additional top 10 pop single, and the group became super stars. Songs from Dizzy Up the Girl spent 2 years in strong rotation at pop radio stations, but it took the band a total of 4 years to put together another album. Gutterflower, the trio's most polished work yet, hit the top 5 on the pop albums chart, but it failed to generate major hit singles.

Fed up with life in Los Angeles, Goo Goo Dolls' lead vocalist and songwriter Johnny Rzeznik decided to pack up and return to his hometown of Buffalo, New York. The band put on a July 4th show for their hometown fans in 2004 which resulted in the album Live in Buffalo. It included a top 40 hit remake of Supertramp's classic "Give a Little Bit."

Goo Goo Dolls finally set to work on Let Love In, their next album, in 2005. "Better Days" was released as a single in the fall of 2005 and became associated with recovery from the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina as CNN used the song frequently in their broadcasts. It returned the band to the pop top 40 and set the stage for Let Love In to be released in late April, 2006.