Born 10/3/69 in California

October 3, 1969

Gwen Stefani was born in Fullerton, California and raised in Anaheim, California, and grew up in a Roman Catholic household. Her mother named her after a stewardess in the 1968 novel Airport, and her middle name, Renée, comes from The Four Tops' 1968 cover of The Left Banke's 1966 hit song "Walk Away Renée". Her father, Dennis Stefani, is Italian American and works as a Yamaha marketing executive. Her mother, Patti Flynn, is of Irish and Scottish descent and worked as an accountant before becoming a homemaker. Her parents were fans of folk music and presented music by Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris to their daughter. She is the second oldest of four children; she has a younger sister, Jill, a younger brother, Todd, and an older brother, Eric. Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt but left the band to pursue a career in animation on The Simpsons.

Many of the women in Stefani's family were seamstresses, and much of her clothing was made by her or her mother. As a child, Stefani's musical interests consisted of musicals such as The Sound of Music and Evita. After making a demo tape for her father, she was encouraged not to take music lessons to train her "loopy, unpredictable" voice.

Stefani made her onstage debut during a talent show at Loara High School, where she sang "I Have Confidence," from The Sound of Music, in a self-made tweed dress inspired by one from the film. Stefani was on the Loara swim team in an attempt to lose weight. She first worked scrubbing floors at a Dairy Queen and later manning the MAC makeup counter of a department store. After graduating from high school in 1987, she began attending California State University, Fullerton.

"No Doubt" formed

January 1, 1986

When her brother Eric asked her to join his band, No Doubt, she was more than ready. The band's lead singer was John Spence, with whom Stefani shared vocals. In 1987, however, Spence committed suicide. Stefani kept No Doubt together, encouraging them to continue pushing through the difficult times. Finally, in 1991, the band was signed to Interscope Records. She also did backup vocals for Sublime on the song "Saw Red"

"No Doubt" Debut Album Released

March 17, 1992

The band released its self-titled debut album in 1992, but its ska-pop sound was unsuccessful due to the popularity of grunge. Stefani rejected the aggressiveness of female grunge artists and cited Blondie singer Debbie Harry's combination of power and sex appeal as a major influence.

Third Time's the Charm: Tragic Kingdom a Smash Hit!

October 10, 1995

No Doubt's third album, Tragic Kingdom (1995), which followed the self-released The Beacon Street Collection (1995), took more than three years to make. During this time, the band almost split up because of the failed romantic relationship between Stefani and bandmate Tony Kanal. Their break-up inspired Stefani lyrically, and many of the album's songs, such as "Don't Speak", "Sunday Morning", and "Hey You", chronicle their relationship and her happiness.

Five singles were released from Tragic Kingdom and "Don't Speak" led 1996's U.S. year-end airplay chart. Stefani left college for one semester to tour for Tragic Kingdom but did not return when touring lasted two and a half years.The album sold more than 16 million copies worldwide, and received several Grammy Award nominations.

Return of Saturn

April 11, 2000

No Doubt released the less popular Return of Saturn in 2000, which expands upon the New Wave influences of Tragic Kingdom. Most of the lyrical content focuses on Stefani's often rocky relationship with then-Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale and her overall insecurities, including indecision on settling down and having a child.

Rock Steady

December 11, 2001

The band's 2001 album, Rock Steady, explores more reggae and dancehall sounds while maintaining the band's New Wave influences, generally receiving positive reviews. The album generated career-highest singles chart positions in the United States, and "Hey Baby" and "Underneath It All" received Grammy Awards. A greatest hits collection, The Singles 1992-2003, which includes a cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life", was released in 2003 to moderate sales.

Married!

September 14, 2002

Soon after Stefani joined No Doubt, she and bandmate Tony Kanal began dating.[17] Stefani stated that she was heavily invested in the relationship, commenting that "...all I ever did was look at Tony and pray that God would let me have a baby with him." Kanal ended the relationship.

In December 1995, Stefani met Bush guitarist and lead singer Gavin Rossdale at a No Doubt concert, and the two became involved in a long distance relationship. The couple has kept details about its relationship private, avoiding talking to journalists together. They married on September 14, 2002, with a wedding in St Paul's Church in Covent Garden, London. A second wedding was held in Los Angeles two weeks later. According to Stefani, it was held so that she could wear a custom-designed wedding dress by British-Gibraltarian fashion designer John Galliano.

Fashion Statement: L.A.M.B. Clothing Line Founded

January 1, 2003

Stefani made most of the clothing that she wore on stage with No Doubt, resulting in increasingly eclectic combinations. Stylist Andrea Lieberman introduced her to haute couture clothing, which lead to Stefani launching a fashion line named L.A.M.B. in 2004. The line takes influence from a variety of fashions, including Guatemalan, Japanese, and Jamaican styles. The line achieved popularity among celebrities and is worn by stars such as Teri Hatcher, Nicole Kidman, and Stefani herself.

The Discovery of Rossdale's Daughter

January 1, 2003

The couple discovered in 2003 that Rossdale had a daughter, Daisy (b. 1989) from a previous fling with model Pearl Lowe when Rossdale took a paternity test. Stefani was "devastated and infuriated" at the discovery, leading to a rocky patch in her relationship with Rossdale. Stefani does not have a relationship with Daisy, though Rossdale remains Daisy's godfather. Stefani's song "Danger Zone" was widely believed to be about the discovery and its aftermath; However, the song was written prior to the incident.

Harajuku Merchandise Line

June 1, 2003

In June 2005, she expanded her collection with the less expensive Harajuku Lovers line, which she referred to as "a glorified merchandise line", with varied products including a camera, mobile phone charms, and undergarments. In late 2006, Stefani released a limited edition line of dolls called "Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Fashion dolls". The dolls are inspired by the various costumes that Stefani and the Harajuku Girls wore while touring for the album. In late summer 2007, Stefani launched a perfume, 'L', as a part of her L.A.M.B. collection of clothing and accessories. The perfume has high notes of sweet pea and rose.

Stefani Goes Solo: L.A.M.B.

November 23, 2004

Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (L.A.M.B.), was released in November 2004. The album features a large number of collaborations with producers and other artists, including Tony Kanal, Linda Perry, OutKast's André 3000, and The Neptunes. Stefani created the album to modernize the music to which she listened when in high school, and L.A.M.B. takes influence from a variety of music styles of the 1980s and early 1990s such as New Wave and electro.

Stefani's decision to use her solo career as an opportunity to delve further into pop music instead of trying "to convince the world of [her] talent, depth and artistic worth" was considered unusual. As a result, reviews of the album were mixed, and it was described as "fun as hell but…not exactly rife with subversive social commentary." The album debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart at number seven, selling 309,000 copies in its first week. It sold well, reaching multi-platinum status in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.

Gwen Does Harlow: Movie Debut

December 17, 2004

n 2004, Stefani showed interest in making film appearances and began auditioning for films such as Mr. & Mrs. Smith. She made her acting debut playing Jean Harlow in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator in 2004 and was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by Cast in Motion Picture. Scorsese, whose daughter was a No Doubt fan, showed reciprocal interest in casting Stefani after seeing her picture from a Marilyn Monroe-inspired photo shoot for Teen Vogue in 2003. To prepare for the role, Stefani read two biographies and watched 18 of Harlow's films. Shooting her part took four to five days, and Stefani had few lines.

Stefani lent her voice to the title character of Malice, a PS2 and Xbox video game in 2004; before completion, however, the company opted not to use No Doubt band-members' voices

Grammy Nominations in 2005, 2006

Feburary 13, 2005

At the 2005 Grammy Awards, Stefani was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and at the next year's awards, Stefani received five nominations for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

Son Kingston is Born

May 26, 2006

In December 2005, Stefani and Rossdale announced that they were expecting their first child together. The pregnancy was first reported by Us Weekly, and Stefani confirmed the pregnancy by shouting "I want you to sing so loud that the baby hears it" during a concert in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after her press agent stated that it was untrue. On May 26, 2006, their son, Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, was born via caesarean section at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Kingston weighed 3.4 kilograms (7 pounds, 5 ounces). In January 2008, it was confirmed by her father-in-law that Stefani will be expecting her second child.

The Sweet Escape: Flying Solo, #2

December 5, 2006

Stefani's second solo album, The Sweet Escape, was released in December 2006. Stefani recollaborated with Kanal, Perry, and The Neptunes, along with Akon and Tim Rice-Oxley from English rock band Keane. The album focuses more heavily on electro/dance music for clubs than its predecessor. Stefani commented that it differed from L.A.M.B. because "I just wasn't inspired to do another album and…I was a lot more relaxed making it." Its release coincided with the DVD release of Stefani's first tour, entitled Harajuku Lovers Live. The album received mixed reviews by critics, who found that it "has a surprisingly moody, lightly autobiographical feel...[but] Stefani isn't convincing as a dissatisfied diva" and called the album a "hasty return" that repeats Love. Angel. Music. Baby. with less energy.