3 Doors Down is an American rock band formed in Escatawpa, Mississippi, in 1996. The band's founding members were Brad Arnold (lead vocals and drums), Matt Roberts (lead guitar and backing vocals), and Todd Harrell (bass guitar). The band's music has been described as a mixture of post-grunge, hard rock and alternative rock.
3 Doors Down achieved mainstream popularity with their 2000 debut single, "Kryptonite", which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The song preceded their debut album, The Better Life (2000), which became the 11th-best-selling album of that year, received septuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spawned two additional Billboard Hot 100 entries: "Loser" and "Be Like That". Their second album, Away from the Sun (2002), continued the band's success, debuting at number eight on the Billboard 200 and spawning the Billboard Hot 100 top-five singles "When I'm Gone" and "Here Without You".
The band's third and fourth studio albums, Seventeen Days (2005) and their self-titled fourth album (2008), both debuted atop the Billboard 200 and received platinum certifications by the RIAA. The band's fifth album, Time of My Life (2011), peaked at number three, and their sixth album, Us and the Night (2016), peaked at number 14.
The band is without any of its three founding members, leaving rhythm guitarist Chris Henderson (who joined 3 Doors Down in 1998) as the only member from The Better Life lineup remaining. Bassist Todd Harrell left the band in 2013 after a vehicular homicide charge, guitarist Matt Roberts died in 2016 from a drug overdose, and lead singer Brad Arnold died in 2026 from kidney cancer.
History Formative years: 1996–1998 3 Doors Down was formed in 1996 by Escatawpa, Mississippi, natives Brad Arnold (lead vocals and drums), Matt Roberts (lead guitar and backing vocals), and Todd Harrell (bass guitar). While the trio were walking through the town of Foley, Alabama, during a trip there, they noticed a building where some letters had fallen off its sign, reading "Doors Down". Since the band consisted of three people at the time, they added the number 3 to create "3 Doors Down".
Arnold wrote the band's breakout hit single, "Kryptonite", in high school during math class at age 15.
The three-piece began to record demo material in 1997. The demo recording sessions took place at the Holly House Recording studio in Biloxi, Mississippi. The band's demo songs were mixed and recorded by Clyde Holly, with the recordings being released on a self-titled CD in 1997. 1,000 copies of the demo CD were released initially, with 1,000 more copies being released two years later. When the band gave the CD to local radio station WCPR-FM, they started playing the demo recording of "Kryptonite" and it became the number one requested song on the station for over 15 weeks. The station's program director sent the song to manager Phin Daly who in turn showed it to Bill McGathy, his employer at In De Goot Entertainment.
In 1998, two years after the band formed, Harrell asked rhythm guitarist Chris Henderson, who was previously in a band named Burning Bridges, to join the group. The band was booked in New York to perform a showcase at the CBGB music club. Daly told HitQuarters: "Once they got on stage and started playing it was apparent the magic was in the music. So we moved to sign them."
Mainstream success: 1999–2004 3 Doors Down's first studio album, The Better Life, was released on February 8, 2000. It went on to become the 11th best-selling album of the year, selling over four million copies. It was certified septuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 26, 2020, signifying over seven million units sold in the United States, thanks in large part to the international hit singles "Kryptonite", "Loser", and "Duck and Run". Released in April 2000, "Kryptonite" reached number three on the charts and became the band's breakout hit, receiving a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song. A fourth single, "Be Like That" was re-recorded for the 2001 film American Pie 2, with alternate lyrics for the first three lines; this version is known as the "American Pie 2 Edit". While recording the album, Brad Arnold recorded both the vocal and drum tracks. The band hired drummer Richard Liles for the tour in support of The Better Life so that Arnold could perform at the front of the stage. Liles left the group and was later replaced by Canadian percussionist Daniel Adair, who toured with them and did studio sessions.
The band's second studio album, Away from the Sun, was released on November 30, 2002, and peaked at number eight on the charts. The album produced the singles "When I'm Gone", "Here Without You", and "The Road I'm On". Away from the Sun went platinum within two months of releaseLarkin, C. (July 4, 2006) "3 Doors Down". Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 4th ed. Oxford University Press. and eventually went multi-platinum; it sold four million copies worldwide, including well over three million in the US. "When I'm Gone" received Grammy nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, respectively. Session drummer Josh Freese was hired to record drums for the album. Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson produced and performed on three tracks for the record, "Dangerous Game", "Dead Love", and "Wasted Me", but only "Dangerous Game" would appear on the finished product. The band hired Canadian Daniel Adair to play drums for the Away From the Sun tour. He would go on to record the drums for the band's next studio release, and was with the band aboard the USS George Washington (CVN-73) to film the music video "When I'm Gone".
In 2003, 3 Doors Down released a live EP entitled Another 700 Miles consisting of recordings from a live performance by the band in Chicago, Illinois. Another 700 Miles has since been certified Gold in the US. In addition to featuring some of 3 Doors Down's hit singles from their previous two albums, the EP also contains a version of the 1977 Lynyrd Skynyrd song "That Smell". The group toured with Nickelback in 2004.Waddel, R. (May 29, 2004). Hopes high for 3 Doors Down/Nickelback. Billboard. Volume 116, Issue 22.
In 2003, the band began hosting the annual "3 Doors Down and Friends" benefit concert through the band's own charity, The Better Life Foundation. In 2006, this event was held at the Mobile Convention Center, with proceeds benefiting Hurricane Katrina survivors. As residents of Escatawpa, the members of the band saw the effects of Katrina's devastation.
Continued success: 2005–2010
By 2005, the band had sold 12 million albums.Losey, S. (June 2005). Daniel Adair: revolving door: making the exodus from 3 Doors Down to Nickelback. Modern Drummer, Volume 29, Issue 6. The band's third studio album, Seventeen Days, was released on February 8, 2005, and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum. It contains five singles, "Let Me Go", "Behind Those Eyes" (which achieved major chart success), "Live for Today", "Landing in London" (on which Bob Seger sang the second verse and provided back-up vocals), and "Here by Me". During the Seventeen Days tour, the band appeared alongside southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as headlining many shows of their own.
The band later released a live DVD entitled Away from the Sun: Live from Houston, Texas. The DVD was produced and directed by Alex Gibney and Doug Biro. It features songs from both The Better Life and Away from the Sun, and even some early sketches of "It's Not Me" and "Father's Son", which were both eventually released on Seventeen Days.
Greg Upchurch, formerly of Puddle of Mudd, replaced Daniel Adair, when Adair left to become drummer and contributing member of Nickelback.
3 Doors Down released their self-titled fourth album on May 20, 2008. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 154,000 copies in its first week. It became the band's second consecutive number 1 album on the chart after Seventeen Days, as well their fourth album to reach the Top Ten. The album contains the hit singles "It's Not My Time", "Train", "Let Me Be Myself" and "Citizen/Soldier", a song written as a tribute to the National Guard. The album went on to be certified platinum.
In 2009, 3 Doors Down, along with The Soul Children of Chicago, released the song "In the Presence of the Lord" on the compilation album Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration.
The band recorded a Christmas song called "Where My Christmas Lives", which was the first Christmas song Brad Arnold had written. It was digitally released along with seven acoustic songs on December 8. Six of these acoustic tracks were from the previous self-titled album, and one was an acoustic version of "Where My Christmas Lives".
Lineup changes: 2011–2013
3 Doors Down released their fifth studio album, Time of My Life, on July 19, 2011. The band had previously released "When You're Young" as the first single from the album on January 10, 2011. The single reached number 81 on the US Billboard Hot 100. A second single from the album, "Every Time You Go" was released to digital outlets on May 23, 2011. The band embarked on a tour in July 2011, across the US, Europe, and the United Kingdom in support of the album. The album debuted and peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200, with 59,800 copies sold in its first week. Beginning in May 2012, the band embarked on a six-week-long "Gang of Outlaws Tour" with headliners ZZ Top and opener Gretchen Wilson.
On May 23, 2012, Matt Roberts announced he was leaving the band to focus on his health. He told fans in a statement, "3 Doors Down will always have a special place in my heart and it saddens me to take this time off. But my health has to be my first priority". Guitarist Chris Henderson announced on Twitter that his former guitar tech Chet Roberts would replace Matt Roberts as lead guitarist.
After the "Gang of Outlaws" tour finished, the band said in an interview that they were entering the studio to record three or four new songs for their first Greatest Hits album, which was released on November 19, 2012. During the tail end of the Gang of Outlaws tour, they debuted a new song "One Light" which was included on the band's The Greatest Hits. Guitarist Chris Henderson announced on Twitter they would be back in the studio a few weeks after the tour had ended. In late 2012, the band appeared at several smaller shows including one in Huntington, New York. The band performed at Download Festival 2013 at the Zippo Encore Stage on the Friday of the three-day festival. From the end of 2012 through March 2013, 3 Doors Down went on a joint headlining tour with US rock band Daughtry to promote Daughtry's third studio album release. The cover of "In the Air Tonight" was captured and uploaded to Daughtry's official YouTube channel. The band also played the Dubai Jazz Festival in February 2013.
On April 20, 2013, bassist Todd Harrell was charged with vehicular homicide for his actions the night before in Nashville, Tennessee. He was reportedly driving on I-40 at high speed while under the influence of prescription medication when he caused an accident that killed 47-year-old Paul Howard Shoulders Jr. The judge in the case harshly criticized the musician's doctor in the courtroom, accusing the physician of prescribing Harrell far too many pain pills. Harrell was also charged with bringing controlled substances into a correctional detention facility. In December 2015, Harrell was sentenced to two years' imprisonment followed by six years of probation.