Maroon 5

California natives Adam Levine, Mickey Madden, Ryan Dusick, and Jesse Carmichael met in middle school and in 1995 formed the band Kara’s Flowers. With that lineup, the four musicians released their first album, The Fourth World, in 1997 on Reprise Records. The album enjoyed only moderate success; the band left the label, and the members went back to their own lives while staying in touch. In 2001 the group regrouped, rebranded as Maroon 5, and was joined by guitarist James Valentine. Maroon 5 played venues in Los Angeles and New York before releasing Songs About Jane in 2002, an album that sold 10 million copies and was certified Gold. Maroon 5 was off and running. After months of touring, Ryan Dusick left the band in 2006, a year before the release of I Won’t Be Soon Before Long; he was replaced by drummer Matt Flynn. With him, Maroon 5 released its third album, Hands All Over, in 2010, followed two years later by Overexposed. In just a few years, Maroon 5 established itself on the international pop-rock scene with eclectic music and high-energy concerts.