Biography
Current Evanescence band members:
Amy Lee - vocals and piano (Co-founder, July 1994 - present)
Rocky Gray - drums (2002 - present)
John LeCompt - guitar (2002 - present)
Terry Balsamo - guitar (November 2003 - present)
Tim McCord - bass (August 2006 - present)
Former Evanescence band members:
William Boyd - bass (January 2003 - June 2006)
Ben Moody - lead guitar (co-founder, July 1994 - October 2003)
David Hodges - keyboard, background vocals (1999 - December 2002)
Evanescence is band from Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. Evanescence is usually catagorized as rock, but they don't fit into any of rock subcategorys. They are sometimes labeled as gothic rock, alternative rock, nu metal, piano rock, arena rock, and Wagnerian rock.
Evanescence band was found by singer, pianist, and songwriter Amy Lee and previous Evanescence band member, songwriter and lead guitarist Ben Moody. The two of them met in a youth camp in Arkansas.
They discovered they had the same passion towards music, and they began to write songs together. The songs were altered lyrically and musically by them.
For some time, they were unable to recruit additional musicians and did not have sufficient funds to for professional assistance. That's why they were also unable to play live shows. However two songs "Understanding" and "Give Unto Me", found their way into local music charts, and demand for live show increased. They went through several names, including Childish Intentions, and Stricken, before deciding they will go under the name Evanescence (from the word "evanescent", meaning the act of vanishing, synonymous to disappearing).
Their first full-lenght demo CD, origin (released in 2000), is relativly unknown. The band also released two EPs. First, was titled Evanescence EP (1998) of which only 100 copies were made, and second one Sound Asleep EP, also known as the Whisper EP (1999), limited to only 50 copies. Origin was made in only 2500 copies, so now can be found only by those who are villing to pay the hundreds of dollars the discs now worth. In response to this, Lee and Moody encouraged fans to download the band's older songs from the Internet during a interview.
Originally considered by many to be part of the Christian rock scene, and for a short time promoted in Christian stores, eventually the band made it clear that they did not want to be considered a Christian rock band.
Their first major album was Fallen, and it was certified 6x Platinum, it spent 43 weeks in the top billboard Top 10 and has sold in over 14 million copies worldwide. As of April 2005 it is one of eight albums in history to spend a full year in the Billboard Top 50.
Evanescence's major label single "Bring me to life", which features guest vocals from Paul McCoy of 12 Stones, was a global hit for the band and reached #5 on the American Billboard Hot 100. It also provided Evanescence with their first and so far only UK #1, where it stayed for four weeks, from June-July 2003. "My Immortal" was as popular as "Bring me to life". It was rated #7 in the U.S.A and U.K. charts.
On October 22, 2003, Moody left the band in the middle of a European tour.
Their album "Anywhere But Home" was released in 2004. It is DVD/CD compilation. The DVD is their live from Paris show. The CD included containes a song entitled "Missing" which was previously unleashed, and reached #1 in Spain. Also on the CD are "Breath No More" (from Electra soundtrack) and "Father Away".
Their second official album "The Open Door" was released in U.S.A on October 3, 2006, in U.K. October 2, and in Australia September 30. It has 13 tracks. It was sold in 447,000 copies in the U.S.A in the first week of sales, and earned their first #1 ranking on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Reference - www.wikipedia.com
