Shinedown

Formed in Jacksonville, Fla., in 2001, Shinedown have separated themselves from the ranks of their peers since the very beginning, when an acoustic cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" found its way into local and then nationwide rotation. The modern hard-rockers' debut album, Leave a Whisper, was re-released on the heels of the single's success and promptly went platinum, while carving out a Southern rock identity for the band. Second record, Us and Them, appeared in 2005 and furthered Shinedown's popularity on the strength of the emotionally charged, grungy single "Heroes." Third album, The Sound of Madness, found the band moving away from their Southern rock label and toward more straight-up hard rock with strong elements of the salad days of grunge informing their sound. The album yielded hits in "Devour," "Second Chance" and the title track.