Paul Thomas

Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland, formed in 1995.

In 1999, Good Charlotte opened for Save Ferris in Philadelphia.

After the performance, they left a demo of "Little Things" that soon got airplay on local radio station Y100.

Benji Madden was certain of the song's potential hit status with its high-school theme and the reality of its lyrics.

A Sony Music employee passed the band's demo to regional promotion manager Mike Martinovich, who was impressed by the group's writing ability and the autobiographical nature of the songs.

He contacted talent manager Steve Feinberg, who flew to Annapolis to watch the group perform and later began working with them.

Around the same time, WHFS also began playing the demo.

As the track became a hit in the area, record labels began showing interest in Good Charlotte.

By the end of 1999, the band went on an east-coast tour with Lit.

Representatives from several major labels attended the New York City show of the tour.

The band released their self-titled debut album in 2000 to mostly positive reviews.

Starting in 2000, the group became a full-time touring act with support slots for Lit, Goldfinger, Sum 41, and Mest.

Following a showcase in New York City, the group met with people in the music industry.

David Massey, executive vice president of A&R at major label Epic Records, signed the band to the label in May.

Good Charlotte's debut studio album Good Charlotte was released on September 26, 2000 through Epic and Daylight Records.

The Japanese edition included "The Click", a cover of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's "If You Leave" and a live acoustic version of "The Motivation Proclamation" as bonus tracks.

Sales did not meet the label's expectations, and the group were nearly dropped from the label.

In October and November, the group went on a US tour with Fenix TX, followed by a US tour with MXPX until the end of the year.

In 2002, they achieved breakthrough success with their second album, The Young and the Hopeless.

Featuring the hit singles "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", "The Anthem" and "Girls & Boys", The Young and the Hopeless sold 3.5 million copies in the US and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA, for a total of almost 5 million copies sold worldwide.

The band followed up with The Chronicles of Life and Death in 2004; a darker album, both musically and lyrically.

Backed by the singles "Predictable" and "I Just Wanna Live", The Chronicles of Life and Death continued the band's success, and the album was certified platinum by the RIAA, selling over one million copies in the US alone.

Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of Joel Madden (lead vocals), Benji Madden (guitar, vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin (guitar, keyboards), and Dean Butterworth (drums, percussion).

In 2007, they released the dance-punk inspired album Good Morning Revival before going back to their pop-punk-roots with the album Cardiology in 2010.

In addition, they released two compilations: Greatest Remixes in 2008 and Greatest Hits in 2010.

Twin brothers Joel and Benji Madden formed Good Charlotte and worked full-time on the band.

The Madden brothers focused on getting the band signed, reading books and magazines that would aid them in achieving this goal.

They made promotional packages which they sent to record labels.

Joel Madden learned that the girl he took to homecoming was a sister of bassist Paul Thomas.

Thomas met the brothers and was unimpressed with their performance skills.

and began playing clubs in the D.C. metro area.

The Madden brothers moved to Annapolis, Maryland where they performed acoustic shows.

The band named themselves Good Charlotte after the children's book, Good Charlotte: Girls of the Good Day Orphanage, by Carol Beach York.

Guitarist Billy Martin went to one of these shows at the insistence of Jimi Haha of Jimmie's Chicken Shack.

Martin became friends with the Madden brothers and let them move in with him after they were evicted from their apartment.

Martin joined Good Charlotte after the trio learned they had a shared interest in the Australian rock band Silverchair and the break up of Martin's band Overflow.

They wrote new songs and recorded and performed demos.

The band worked in support slots for Blink-182, Lit and Bad Religion.

After a four-year-long hiatus, the band announced its comeback on November 3, 2015.

The band released Youth Authority to positive reviews in 2016, and in 2018 they released their latest album, Generation Rx.