Eric Stefani

{{Short description|American musician and animator (born 1967)}} {{Use American English|date=October 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Infobox musical artist  | name = Eric Stefani | image = | caption = Eric Stefani in 1988 | image_size =  | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | birth_name = Eric Matthew Stefani | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|6|17}} | birth_place = [[Fullerton, California]], U.S. | origin = [[Anaheim, California]], U.S. | instrument = {{flatlist| * Keyboards * synthesizer * piano * guitar * vocals }} | genre = [[Ska punk]] | occupation = {{flatlist| * Keyboardist * songwriter * animator }} | years_active = 1986–present | label = {{flatlist| * [[Interscope]] * [[Trauma Records|Trauma]] * [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]] }} | past_member_of = [[No Doubt]] }} '''Eric Matthew Stefani''' (born June 17, 1967) is an American musician and animator best known as a founder and former member of the [[ska punk]] band [[No Doubt]]. He is the elder brother of former bandmate [[Gwen Stefani]]. He is also a former animator on the television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gettyimages.in/pictures/stefani-1-gf-eric-stefani-formely-of-rock-group-no-doubt-news-photo-569145873|title=CA.Stefani.#1.GF. ERIC STEFANI, formerly of rock group No Doubt, and is now an animator, looks at one|date=August 6, 2015 |access-date=August 22, 2018}}</ref>

==Early life and education== Stefani is the son of Dennis and Patti Stefani. He attended [[Loara High School]] in [[Anaheim, California]]. He worked at a [[Dairy Queen]] with his sister Gwen and [[John Spence (musician)|John Spence]].<ref name=ocweekly/> After high school, he attended [[Cypress College]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://fullertoncollegecentennial.com/alumni-stories/no-doubt.html | title=Fullerton College Centennial Celebration | Alumni Stories }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/gwen-cuts-loose-86867/|title=Gwen Cuts Loose|date=January 27, 2005|first=Jenny|last=Eliscu|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> He went on to study animation at the [[California Institute of the Arts]] in 1991.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thechive.com/2017/08/20/musicians-who-left-huge-bands-right-before-they-got-big-9-photos/ |title=Musicians who left huge bands right before they got big (9 Photos) |author=Brian Boonex |publisher=[[The Chive]] |access-date=November 5, 2018}}</ref>

According to No Doubt's guitarist [[Tom Dumont]], Eric was able to write music for the band despite not knowing music theory—an accomplishment that impressed Dumont, since he was a music major.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ernie Ball |title=Ernie Ball: String Theory featuring Tom Dumont of No Doubt |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auU_XzxXaQw |website=YouTube |date=June 13, 2017 |access-date=July 1, 2022}}</ref>

==Career== Stefani, his sister Gwen and John Spence formed the band No Doubt in 1986.<ref name=ocweekly>Vineyard, Jennifer. [http://www.ocweekly.com/music/music/tunes-and-toons/23963/ "Tunes and 'Toons"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203214724/http://www.ocweekly.com/music/music/tunes-and-toons/23963/ |date=December 3, 2008 }}, OCWeekly.com, February 26, 1998; retrieved August 24, 2007.</ref> Stefani also landed a job drawing for ''[[The Simpsons]]'' in 1989, when it was still a short on ''[[The Tracey Ullman Show]]''; he continued working on ''The Simpsons'' after it became its own successful series, splitting his time between the show and the band.<ref name="LA Times">{{cite news |last=Boehm |first=Mike |date=October 30, 1996 |title= Without No Doubt |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-30-ca-59399-story.html |work= [[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date= August 14, 2025}}</ref>

The group added several members and performed live shows at venues such as Fenders Ballroom in [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]]. The group started writing original material, most of which Eric Stefani contributed. Stefani also designed the posters and logos for the band during this time, and Gwen credited Eric's skills as a cartoonist with inventing her early pop star persona.<ref name="LA Times"/><ref name="rs">{{cite news |last=Heath|first=Chris |date=May 1, 1997 |title=Flashback: Inside No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom |url=https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/flashback-no-doubt-tragic-kingdom-2088/ |work= |location= |publisher= [[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=August 13, 2025}}</ref> Tom Dumont referred to Eric as "the main creative force in the band for many years."<ref name="zelig">{{cite web|first=Evan|last=Zelig|url=http://www.nodoubtonline.com/Pictures/Concerts/ConcertDirect/2/Index3.html|title=Interview with Tom Dumont|website=NoDoubt.com|date=October 31, 1996|access-date=July 29, 2009|via=NoDoubtOnline.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220821203534/http://www.nodoubtonline.com/Pictures/Concerts/ConcertDirect/2/Index3.html|archive-date=August 21, 2022|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Stefani wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on No Doubt's [[No Doubt (No Doubt album)|self-titled debut album]]. The album did not meet expectations, and Stefani was distant from his bandmates during the ensuing tour.<ref name="rs"/><ref name="Time Magazine">{{cite news |last=Pous |first=Terri |date=August 21, 2012 |title=Gone Too Soon? Artists Who Left Bands Before Their Prime |url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2012/08/28/gone-too-soon-artists-who-left-bands-before-their-prime/slide/no-doubt-eric-stefani/ |access-date=August 13, 2025 |publisher=[[Time Magazine]]}}</ref> The band began work on its next album the following year but their record label [[Interscope Records]] rejected much of its material (the album would eventually be independently released as ''[[The Beacon Street Collection]]''), and the band was paired with producer [[Matthew Wilder]].<ref name="rs"/><ref name="btm">"No Doubt". ''[[Behind the Music]]''. [[VH1]]. April 9, 2000.</ref>

Stefani, who preferred songwriting to touring and felt diminishing creative control, left the band in 1994 before their third album ''[[Tragic Kingdom]]'' was released.<ref name="Time Magazine"/> He wrote two songs on the album and co-wrote five others.<ref name="LA Times"/> Eric and Gwen were nominated as a songwriting team at the [[Grammy Awards of 1998|1998 Grammy Awards]] for [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]] for "[[Don't Speak]]".<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9801/06/grammys.list/index.html "List of Grammy award nominations"], cnn.com, January 6, 1998; retrieved January 11, 2007.</ref>

After leaving the band, Stefani returned to animating full-time for ''The Simpsons'',<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.spin.com/featured/no-doubt-tragic-kingdom-cover-story/|title=No Doubt's 1996 'Tragic Kingdom' Cover Story: Get Happy!|newspaper=Spin |date=October 10, 2017|access-date=August 22, 2018}}</ref> having previously split his time between the show and the band.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://diffuser.fm/no-doubt-debut/|title=25 Years Ago: No Doubt Go Against the Trends on Their Debut|website=Diffuser.fm|date=March 17, 2017 |access-date=August 22, 2018}}</ref> The episode "[[Homerpalooza]]" contains a quick scene, drawn by Stefani, where the members of No Doubt appear, although they are not featured.<ref name="Archer">{{cite video |people=Archer, Wes |date=2005 |title=The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Homerpalooza" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>

In an interview on ''[[Late Night with Seth Meyers]]'' on October 26, 2020, Gwen revealed that Eric recorded some instrumentation on one of the tracks for her upcoming album, which ended up being "[[Let Me Reintroduce Myself]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/late-night-on-nbc/late-night-gwen-stefani-didnt-know-blake-shelton-before-the-voice/2454752/|title = 'Late Night': Gwen Stefani Didn't Know Blake Shelton Before 'The Voice'}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

== External links == *[http://www.blogger.com/profile/15495578644553808884 Blogger: User Profile: Eric Stefani] * {{IMDb name|1198265}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stefani, Eric}} [[Category:1967 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American rock keyboardists]] [[Category:American ska musicians]] [[Category:California Institute of the Arts alumni]] [[Category:Musicians from Anaheim, California]] [[Category:No Doubt members]] [[Category:20th-century American keyboardists]]