Although he is introverted, quiet and a shy person, he is the bassist of the amazing band "Alter Bridge".
Ahhhh and he is also a real estate agent !!
So let's get to know Brian a little bit...
(Photo: Alter Bridge/Austin Hargrave)
1. His full name is Brian Aubrey Marshall, he was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and grew up in Florida.
2. He started his career as a child when he played on his father's drum set. After several times he scratched the set so dear to his father's heart, his father decided to buy him a bass guitar to fit the drums.
3. In several interviews he said the bassists who influenced him the most were: Steve Harris, John Entwistle, Geddy Lee, John Paul Jones, and Doug Pinnick.
4. But he began his real musical career in 1990 when he was a student at the University of Florida,
when he played in the band "Mattox Creed".
5. He then played in a cover band called "Baby Fish Mouth".
6. In 1994 he was auditioned for a band formed by two of his fellow students at the university, Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti. The two loved what they heard and Brian joined the band, together with the drummer Scott Phillips they created "Creed".
7. The name of the band was brought by Brian from his previous band "Mattox Creed", Stapp loved the word "Creed" and so its name was determined. By the way, the band's first name was "Naked Toddler".
(Photo: Last.fm)
8. The band's debut album "My Own Prison" was released in 1997 and was a huge success with sales of over 6 million copies. Four singles were released from the album: "My Own Prison", "Torn", "What's This Life For", and "One" and four of them took first place on the Billboard Rock chart. Which made the band the first to achieve this with a debut album.
9. The band's second album "Human Clay" was released in 1999, the first single from the album "Higher" topped the charts and spent 17 weeks in the first place. With the release of the album it immediately took first place on the Billboard 200 and became an insane success as it sold about 10 million copies in the first two years which gave the band its first and only Grammy win.
10. With the success of the album, the band established its status as a hard rock leader in the post-Grunge era.
11. After the tour to promote the album, Brian's addiction to alcohol began to deteriorate, Stapp and Tremonti begged him to enter a rehab facility but Brian denied his condition and refused. The situation apparently escalated between Stapp and Brian and the former decided to fire him from the band. To this day Brian himself has not shared his version of the case and the circumstances.
12. Another story that clouded the relationship between Stapp and Brian was Brian's reference to the band "Pearl Jam" and their singer Eddie Vedder. In an interview with KNDD Radio in 2000, Brian said that Stapp is a much more talented writer than Eddie and that "Pearl Jam's" album lacks compelling and catchy music. In every interview the band got questions about Brian's remarks, the matter greatly angered Stapp who opposed Brian's arrogant comments. Brett Hestla replaced Brian as a bass player during the tour.
13. A year after leaving, taking time for himself, Brian puts together a new band with members of his former band. Dan Bartley on guitar, Hardy Mattox on drums, and Matt Knabe on vocals, and give it the name "Grand Luxx".
14. The band recorded several songs and performed several times but the album that was planned did not materialize. At that time Brian played in another band called "Head Heavy" which recorded an entire album in Brian's home studio but this time too the album was not released.
15. The band's third album "Weathered" was released in 2001 and was also a huge success, reaching first place on the Billboard and staying there for 8 weeks in a row. But this time it was recorded without Brian when Tremonti took the bass role in the entire album.
16. Two years after his departure, "Creed" falls apart following a deterioration in the condition of Stapp drug and alcohol. The two remaining friends, Tremonti and Scott turn to Brian to form a new band.
17. The three get excited about an anonymous singer named Myles Kennedy who was a singer in the band "The Mayfield Four" and decide to invite him to join the band. Without hesitation, the guy approves, and the four form the band "Alter Bridge".
(Photo: NME.com)
18. They released their debut album "One Day Remains" in August 2004, the album was a success and reached number five on Billboard while staying there for 14 weeks. The album was written mostly by Tremonti, both in terms of music and lyrics, with Myles contributing only a few parts.
19. In 2007 the band released their second album (and a masterpiece to be noted) "Blackbird". Although the album only reached number 13 on Billboard, it received very positive reviews from critics and later became one of the band's biggest albums. After the release of the album, the band went on a tour to promote it and there is even a DVD named "Live from Amsterdam" that was recorded during the tour. Look for it... Highly recommended!
20. Although all the band members ruled out the possibility that "Creed" would come back to life, in 2009 the quartet returned and released their fourth album "Full Circle". The album was not a great success, but one of the shows from the tour broke records. The band performed in September 2009 in Houston Texas in front of 239 cameras and millions of viewers, with the show broadcast live via the Internet. There were a number of other Guinness records broken in that show.
21. In 2011 "Alter Bridge" released their third album "AB III" (which is also needless to say a masterpiece album). The album's lead single "Isolation" topped the US rock charts. Here too you can find a live performance from the album tour, called "Live at Wembley".
22. In the same year Tremonti formed the band "Tremonti" and a year later released their debut album "All I Was". Immediately after the album's release, Brian joins the band on tour to promote the album. He leaves after the tour end.
23. In 2012 the members of the "Creed" return to work together on the next album, but it does not materialize and the band officially disbands forever.
24. In 2013, "Alter" released its fourth album "Fortress". It's one of the band's most powerful and gruesome albums.
25. In 2016 "Alter Bridge" released their fifth album called "The Last Hero", Tremonti claimed that the album was a combination of "Blackbird" and "Fortress" together.
26. In October 2019 the band released their sixth album "Walk the Sky" (we did not say this about the previous two but this is a masterful album double time). Tremonti said that in order to get inspired for the album he decided to go back in time and dig into the riffs he recorded many years ago. He not only took inspiration from the riffs but part of the vibes of the songs were also heard from the past of the 80s.
27. We mentioned in the first paragraph that Brian is a real estate agent, together with his wife they have a real estate agency, and besides his activities with the band he sells houses with his wife in the area where he lives, "Fort Walton Beach" and "Destin Florida". Now you know who to contact if you want to buy a house www.stagerightgroup.com
28. While the band is not active (while Myles is with Slash or solo career and Tremonti with his band) Brian loves playing with local bands at clubs in Florida and is also the bass player of the neighborhood church.
29. Brian said that as a bass player he does not like to stick to the line of the drums or the guitar, he likes to play mainly in the line of the singer melody and switch between the drums and the guitar in sections that require a power rhythm with significant volume.
30. In October 2022, "Alter Bridge" releases its seventh album "Pawns & Kings". Unfortunately, and we really say this with heavy mixed feelings, this feels like the beginning of the end. The album sounds flat, without depth or charisma, something that feels like autopilot. And with the rumors of a "Creed" reunion, the feelings are only getting stronger.
31. In July 2023, "Creed" announced a reunion!!!! The band announced not only a reunion but also a full North American tour called "The Summer of '99 Tour". The tour is scheduled to start in April 2024, this is the first time the band has taken the stage together since 2012 and there are already rumors of a new album...
(Photo: Chuck Brueckmann)
You can listen to Alter's last album "Pawns & Kings" on Spotify, Apple Music
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