Good Charlotte Biography

Long before identical twin brothers Benjii and Joel Madden began to grace tabloid covers for their relationships with celebutantes Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, the Waldorf, MA natives were famous in their own right for their pop-punk band Good Charlotte. The Maddens formed their post-grunge group after seeing the Beastie Boys in 1995 and recruited high school friends Paul Thomas (bass) and Aaron Escolopio (drums). Good Charlotte, as they named their punk rock-meets-mainstream outfit, was complete with Joel as vocalist, Benjii as lead guitarist and the final edition of second guitarist Billy Martin.Good Charlotte made a name for themselves by performing their mix of sentimental rock ballads and post-grunge pop songs for audiences in Washington, D.C. before releasing their eponymous debut on Epic Records. The album's single "Little Things" earned the Madden brothers a spot as MTV VJs and Good Charlotte was featured on the network's All Things Rock. In the midst of working on the second album, Escolopio dropped out to join his brother in Wakefield; recording commenced with Chris Wilson soon filling in and later becoming Good Charlotte's permanent drummer. In 2002 The Young and the Hopeless dropped, loaded with smash singles "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and "Anthem." The Young and the Hopeless went triple-platinum and saw Good Charlotte sharing the stage with New Found Glory at the Honda Civic Tour in 2003.Now a mainstream mainstay, Good Charlotte released their third album, The Chronicles of Life and Death, in 2004. Although the album debuted at number three on the charts, it was not as big of a commercial success as their sophomore album. The band switched drummers again when Wilson left to play for Summer Obsession and Dean Butterworth, who previously was drummer to Morrissey and other acts, filled in to begin work on Good Charlotte's fourth album. Due to Joel's heavily publicized then-relationship with pop star Hilary Duff, the band recorded in Vancouver and released Good Morning Revival in 2007. The album featured songs reminiscent of the Killers in a departure from their older work, as well as hit single "The River."