On October 3, 1969, Gwen Stefani was born in Fullerton, California. She was raised in the adjacent Californian city of Anaheim. Her mother, Patti (née Flynn), was an accountant before becoming a housewife, while her father, Dennis Stefani, worked as a marketing executive for Yamaha.
Todd and Eric are Stefani's brothers, and Jill is her sister.
Stefani's parents loved folk music and introduced her to songs by Emmylou Harris and Bob Dylan.
Before leaving No Doubt to work as an animator on The Simpsons, Eric was the band's keyboardist.
She attended Loara High School, where she received her diploma in 1987. She attended Fullerton College after high school before moving to California State University, Fullerton
Gwen was introduced to 2 Tone music by Madness and the Selecter by her brother Eric, who then asked her to sing for the ska band he was starting, No Doubt, in 1986. The band joined Interscope Records in 1991.
The group's self-titled debut album was released in 1992, but grunge's popularity made its ska-pop sound unpopular.
Stefani provided guest vocals for "Saw Red" on Sublime's 1994 album Robbin' the Hood, which was released before No Doubt and Sublime achieved mainstream popularity.
Debbie Harry, the lead singer for the band Blondie, was a major influence on Stefani.
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