Sum 41

Sum 41

Sum 41 is a rock band that formed in Ajax, Ont. with Deryck Whibley (vocals, guitar), Dave Baksh (guitar), Jason "Cone" McCaslin (bass) and Steve Jocz (drums). The group formed in 1996, 41 days into the summer before its members entered grade 12. The quartet's pop-punk-metal-based music, high-energy performances and sense of humour caught the attention of EMI Music Publishing Canada and Aquarius Records, and Island Records in the US. Singer/guitarist Greig Nori, formerly of Treble Charger, produced three of Sum 41's first four albums and subsequently became the group's manager.

With this team behind it, Sum 41's Half Hour Of Power was certified gold in Canada for selling 50 000 copies before the release of the band's major breakthrough, 2001's All Killer No Filler. The album featured the hits "In Too Deep," "Fat Lip," "Motivation" and "Handle This," and the videos for the first two songs were aired heavily on music television channels around the world. All Killer No Filler was certified triple-platinum in Canada, double-platinum in the US and UK, platinum in Ireland and Japan, and gold in France, Indonesia and Australia.

The band's third album, 2002's Does This Look Infected?, included the hits "Still Waiting," "Over My Head (Better Off Dead)" and "The Hell Song." Sum 41 was named group of the year at the 2003 Juno Awards and Does This Look Infected? was certified platinum in Canada. The band remained active internationally, touring the world and earning a platinum certification in Japan and gold records in the US, UK, France, Indonesia and Australia.

The group travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo in May 2004 with War Child, a Canadian charity that provides humanitarian assistance to children affected by war. They shot a documentary titled Rocked: Sum 41 In The Congo to help expose the devastating impact of the country's longstanding civil war, and were caught in the crossfire of a gun battle. They were evacuated from the country with the assistance of Canadian peacekeeper Chuck Pelletier, and the group's 2004 album, Chuck, was named in his honour. Chuck had a heavier sound than its predecessors on some songs, but also introduced cello, piano and acoustic guitar on others as the group expanded its horizons. Chuck spun off the singles "We're All To Blame," "Some Say," "No Reason" and "Pieces," a number-one rock radio hit in Canada. It took the 2005 Juno for best rock album and was certified double-platinum in Canada, platinum in Japan and gold in the US and Indonesia.

Whibley became engaged to Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne in June 2005. They were married 15 July 2006 and divorced in 2010. Baksh left the group in May 2006 to form his own band called Brown Brigade. After taking an extended break, Sum 41 released Underclass Hero in 2007. A greatest hits collection, 8 Years of Blood, Sake and Tears was released in Japan in 2008, coming out as All the Good Shit in the rest of the world in 2009. The international release featured the single "Always" along with a DVD of all of the group's videos. Screaming Bloody Murder and Live at the House of Blues, Cleveland 9.15.07 were released in March and August respectively, 2011.