Drake Bell

Drake Bell

Though he had been acting since he was five, when he was filmed in his first commercial, Drake Bell (born Jared Drake Bell in Orange County, California) didnt start playing the guitar until he was cast in the 2001 TV movie Chasing Destiny, also starring the Whos Roger Daltrey, who gave the young performer his initial lessons. As a teenager, though Drake was focusing on acting, he continued to play music and write songs on the side, and after a program he was in, Nickelodeons The Amanda Show, was canceled in 2002, and a spinoff, The Drake and Josh Show, was started (it first aired in 2004), Bell was able to finally show off his chops onscreen, writing the theme song, Found a Way, and playing an exaggerated version of his guitarist self named Drake Parker.

Heavily influenced by the Beatles and the Beach Boys, Drake released his debut, Telegraph, independently in 2005; soon after he signed to Universal, who put out his sophomore record, Its Only Time, the following year. The live album, Drake Bell in Concert, appeared in 2008 and it wouldnt be until 2011 that Drake would release any new material, with the stopgap EP A Reminder.