The California foursome’s ethos is amply displayed on the 1994 album Smash and its breakthrough single “Come Out and Play.” Authoritatively sung by Dexter Holland, the song boasts lyrics that capture the exhilaration and death-defying foolishness of juvenile delinquency: ”They're like the latest fashion/They're like a spreading disease/The kids are strappin' on their way to the classroom/Getting weapons with the greatest of ease.” Holland’s performance is offset by guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman, who coaxes loopy Middle Eastern melodies from his instrument like a punk-rock snake charmer.

“Come Out and Play” rocketed to no. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, easing the way for subsequent Offspring hits including “Self Esteem,” “Gotta Get Away” and “Bad Habit.” Smash sold a remarkable 14 million copies worldwide, the record for most album units sold by an indie label band.

“Come Out and Play” surfaced just as gangsta rap was rising into the mainstream from the urban underground. With its ambiguous mix of gang-banger lyrics and punk absurdism, the single seemed to herald the arrival of a prophetic new force in rock & roll.

The Offspring continue to cast a puckish eye on western youth culture. On albums Ixnay on the Hombre, Americana, Conspiracy of One and Splinter, the band has explored topics including machismo (“Hit That“), societal decay (“Americana,” “LAPD“) and the mainstream appropriation of black culture (“Pretty Fly [for a White Guy]”).

Over the course of its 20-year history, the group has released seven studio albums, one compilation, three EPs and three DVDs, selling more than 32 million records worldwide. One of history’s best-selling punk acts, the Offspring seized the torch lighted by fearless post-Zeppelin visionaries including the Ramones, Sex Pistols and Dead Kennedys.

Several elements factor into the Offspring’s success: Guitarist Noodles’ no-nonsense thrashings and the bedrock rhythms of bassist “Greg K.” Kriesel lay the crucial groundwork. Since the band’s inception, able drummers have included James Lilja, Ron Welty and Atom Willard. Former Saves The Day percussionist Pete Perada currently tours with the band.

Frontman Dexter Holland may be the Offspring’s secret weapon. His blowtorch vocals toe the line between Johnny Rotten snarling and Steve Tyler-inflected bombast. “Self Esteem,” “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy),” “Hit That” and other Holland-penned tunes combine punk attitude with pop, classic rock, reggae and ska.

Named valedictorian of his high-school class, Holland earned a master’s degree in molecular biology from the University of Southern California. Though he cites seminal punk bands Social Distortion and the Dead Kennedys as influences, Holland also professes a soft spot for legends including The Beatles and Bob Dylan.

His intellect and broad musical tastes help explain his sly songwriting style, but the singer firmly insists he doesn’t pander. "If I don't sell three million records, I'm going to commit suicide?" Holland quipped during a 1998 Rolling Stone interview. "You can't second-guess what the audience might say…if you try to gear your writing toward that, you're truly lost."

Holland’s philosophy has paid off handsomely. In addition to leading the Offspring, he and bandmate Greg Kriesel are founders of Nitro Records. Driven by passion, not market research, the California indie label has championed punk acts including the Vandals and Guttermouth, along with progressive group AFI.

Lately, the Offspring have been sequestered in the studio recording their eighth studio album with producer Bob Rock (Metallica, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi). One may confidently surmise that the band’s forthcoming recording will rock — without taking itself too seriously.

Both Hanna and McEuen are accomplished guitarists and songwriters who have logged more time on the road than many artists twice their age. Jonathan was performing with his dad by the time he was seven. "There were 9,000 people who stood up and screamed and cheered after I sang," he recalls of performing at his dad's annual Rocky Mountain Opry at Colorado's famed Red Rocks amphitheater. "I was in tears because it was so emotional. When you are seven years old and people are sitting and then they are standing and screaming because of something you did, that's when I got the buzz. From then on I knew."

Like McEuen, music was part of Hanna's life early on. After high school, he moved to Nashville to pursue a music career and met Mavericks frontman Raul Malo. "His music affected me and it just totally changed my perspective of country music," says Hanna, who went on the road with the Mavericks, handling harmony, rhythm guitar and percussion. He later performed on Malo's solo dates and the two co-wrote together. "Being in Nashville got me interested in songwriting," he notes

McEuen had been offered a pop deal with Universal, but the seeds for Hanna-McEuen were planted when Jonathan and Jaime recorded "Lowlands" in 2001 for the Dirt Band's Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. III . The song was so well received, it paved the way for their debut disc, which fuses Hanna's Nashville sensibilities with McEuen's West Coast vibe. "It's just the accumulation of influences over the years," says Hanna. "We have very similar tones in our vocals, but we also have very different styles, so I think when you marry the two, it comes out to be what it is."

"We're opening a new chapter," says Jonathan of the duo's musical legacy, "It's something that I just love so much. It's [been] totally worth the wait."

His songwriting legacy includes such classics as "Peace Train" (recorded by 10,000 Maniacs, Dolly Parton and Don Williams), "Wild World" (cut by Jimmy Cliff and Maxi Priest) and "The First Cut is the Deepest" (covered by Rod Stewart and, recently, Sheryl Crow). The list of others who have performed songs written by Stevens is as diverse as the modern music scene itself: Pearl Jam, Wayne Newton, Sarah McLachlan, Johnny Cash, Patti LaBelle, The Mavericks, Gilberto Gil, New Order, Floyd Cramer, Yo La Tengo and Elton John, to name but a few. And his catalog includes such other classics as "Moon Shadow," "Where Do The Children Play," "Morning Has Broken" and "Sad Lisa."

It's all an amazing accomplishment for a singer, writer and guitarist who was The Offspring of a Greek father (who ran a London restaurant) and Swedish mother. Raised and educated in Sweden, where his studies included classical music, Stevens landed in England during his late teens. Songs from his debut album, Matthew and Son , made him a U.K. pop star while a hit version of "There Goes My Baby" by The Tremeloes began his decades-long string of high profile covers.

After a bout with tuberculosis in 1969, Stevens reemerged as a unique folk-rock troubadour whose gentle style nonetheless conveyed songs of stunning depth, intensity and resonance. Albums like Mona Bone Jakon , Tea for The Tillerman , Teaser and The Firecat and others made him a staple on American pop and album radio as well as an international star. A longtime spiritual bent led him to convert to Islam in 1979 and not long after change his name and leave the music business. A decade later he made headlines with a statement supporting Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwa (Islamic death sentence) against novelist Salman Rushdie that Stevens later claimed to have been misinterpreted. The controversial declaration caused many U.S. radio stations to pull the music of Cat Stevens from their playlists. But the lasting strength of his creations and heart found within them has overcome that situation.

Last year Stevens returned briefly to the pop music scene to re-record "Peace Train" for an album to benefit the children of Iraq that also included contributions from Paul McCartney, David Bowie, George Michael and other British pop stars. “'Peace Train' is a song I wrote, the message of which continues to breeze thunderously through the hearts of millions of human beings," says Stevens, "and there is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again."

"We've put our hearts and souls into this album, and I hope the record speaks for itself," says Jim Corr, the group's 35-year-old keyboard player and big brother to fellow band members Sharon (29), Caroline (25) and Andrea (24). Since In Blue has already debuted at number one on the charts in the family's native Ireland, as well as the U.K., Germany, Spain, Austria, Switzerland and Australia, the album obviously speaks well for the Corrs, who boast international sales of some 15 million albums on three previous albums.

The group's U.S. gold album for their last release here, Talk On Corners, is only a hint of what's to come with In Blue. The siblings wrote all 15 tracks, three of them in collaboration with master producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, known for his chart-topping work with Def Leppard and Shania Twain. Also enlisting producers like Mitchell Froom (Sheryl Crow, Paul McCartney) for the album, the Corrs have created a hook-laden set of songs that showcase their luscious familial harmonies and natural appeal.

For all their talent and the glamour appeal of the three beautiful sisters, the Corrs have broken through thanks to hard work. "We've sold every album ourselves, practically door to door," explains Sharon. The offspring of a mother and father who entertained Irish pub crowds with cover songs every weekend, The Corrs came together when Jim formed the group with his sisters to audition for the movie The Commitments, in which three of them won minor parts and Andrea played a starring role. The Corrs carried on from there with their own campaign for success, earning fans in gig after gig in Ireland, the United Kingdom and then much of the rest of the world, taking their show as far afield as Australia and the Far East.

By now The Corrs have performed for such luminaries as England's Queen Elizabeth II and The Pope, and opened concerts in the U.S. and Europe for the Rolling Stones. Large-scale Stateside success with In Blue may be just the beginning for The Corrs.

"Everybody is asking whether this is the definitive Corrs album," says Sharon. "Well, it is for now. But just wait until you hear the next one."

Delivering hummable pop melodies with punk fury, the aptly named Offspring sound like the mutant spawn of Guns N' Roses and the Beastie Boys. Their punishing, yet fun-loving sound has resulted in three platinum albums, including their current CD, Americana. The single "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" was named 1999's Most Performed Song on College Radio at the recent BMI Pop Awards, where Offspring singer/songwriter Dexter Holland accepted the award.

The single's appeal was understandable. "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" combines the more tuneful elements of punk, heavy metal and hip-hop with judiciously sampled sound bites. The song finds the band spoofing trendy suburban kids who mimic the hip-hop lifestyle. By gleefully trashing wannabe rappers, The Offspring expose the dubious motives and pretensions of some kids: "If you don't rate/ just overcompensate/ At least you'll know you can always go on Rikki Lake."

Comprising Holland, guitarist Noodles, bassist Greg K. and drummer Ron Welty, The Offspring were formed in suburban Los Angeles in the late '80s. The band's self-titled 1989 debut album and its 1992 follow-up, Ignition, generated modest sales and media attention.

But with the 1994 release of their appropriately titled third album, Smash, Holland and company skyrocketed to stardom. Featuring the hit singles "Come Out and Play," "Self-Esteem" and "Gotta Get Away," the album sold over 11 million copies. It also transformed The Offspring into alternapop superstars.

The band's dizzying ascent could be attributed to songwriting savvy and musical skill. Smash featured 14 songs that captured the cynicism and angst of the latchkey generation. Hits like "Come Out and Play" and "Self Esteem" addressed teen obsessions like cars, cliques and gangs.

The band's keen lyrical observations were offset by a brutal, dual-guitar attack complemented by Holland's expressive vocals. In all, Smash trumpeted the arrival of a refreshingly relevant new band.

But success proved bittersweet. Almost overnight, The Offspring found themselves fielding offers from major labels hoping to lure them away from their indie-rock home, Epitaph Records. The band's 1996 defection to Columbia Records resulted in sell-out accusations from some fans.

The Offspring survived the controversy in style. Their 1997 album Ixnay on the Hombre sold over two million copies, while Americana has also achieved similar sales and critical acclaim. As both albums attest, The Offspring have lost none of their songwriting savvy, performing power or artistic integrity.

Other top BMI winners included Mariah Carey who was named Artist of the Decade, R. Kelly who was named R&B Hip-Hop Artist of the Year and his Maxwell* hit "Fortunate" was named R&B Single of the Year, Juvenile's 400 Degreez was named R&B Album of the Year, Jay-Z was named Rap Artist of the Year, JT Money/Sol�'s "Who Dat" was named Rap Single of the Year, the Offspring was named Modern Rock Artist of the Year, and Sarah McLachlan's mega-hit "Angel" was named Adult Contemporary Track of the Year.

In addition, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were presented with a special award for setting an all-time Billboard record for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Modern Rock Track chart with their song "Scar Tissue."

* Artist not represented by BMI