Papa Roach (1993–present) Shaddix is the founding member of Papa Roach. He formed the band with former drummer
Dave Buckner, bassist Will James, and guitarist Ben Luther, in 1993. Luther was replaced by current guitarist Jerry Horton, and by 1996 Tobin Esperance had replaced Will James following his departure. In 2007, Dave Buckner's role was filled by
Tony Palermo, leaving Jacoby as the only original member in the band. Before releasing their
major-label debut album,
Infest, Papa Roach recorded and published an EP in 1994 entitled
Potatoes For Christmas. In 1997, their first full-length album, entitled
Old Friends from Young Years, was released. When Papa Roach started, Shaddix went by the stage name "Coby Dick", inspired by the band's tour van which was named Moby Dick. After the band rose in popularity and he read articles referring to himself as Dick (e.g. "...Dick said"), Shaddix regretted the choice and decided to use his birth name beginning with the band's next album
Lovehatetragedy. Shaddix stopped using rapping as a whole in their 2004 album
Getting Away with Murder. In an interview in 2004, Shaddix said that he became disenchanted with
hip-hop and what it represented in the media and stated that "I just want to be a rocker"; in 2009, he stated that it was safe to assume he would not be rapping again. However, in 2012, Shaddix started rapping again in the album
The Connection. There were some tracks on their 2017 album
Crooked Teeth that featured rapping. In 2021, Shaddix looked back on his and
Papa Roach's association with the
nu metal genre, saying, "I love being one of the forefathers of
nu metal, that’s dope, but we’ve been able to outlive it and celebrate it at the same time." On December 13, 2019, Shaddix provided new vocals for a remix of
The Hu's "Wolf Totem".
Fight the Sky (2002–2004) Shaddix performed as the lead singer of a
post-hardcore band called Fight the Sky from 2002 to 2004 under the name 'John Doe'. The band was intended as a side project of Shaddix where he could display the heavier side of his vocals. The band's line-up consisted of Shaddix as the lead singer, Wade Khail as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist, Ali Abrishami as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist, and Jay Ingram on the drums and percussion. The band had signed a record deal to Papa Roach's self-owned label El Tonal Records and entered Velvet Tone Studios in
Sacramento, California, to record their debut album
Seven Deadly Songs between January and February 2004. No public updates have been made regarding either the release date of the album or the future of Fight the Sky. ==Personal life==