Oasis is an english rock band that was formed in Manchester in 1991. Currently, the band consists of Noel Gallagher, Liam Gallagher, Andy Bell, Gem Archer, and Zak Starkey- an unconfirmed band member who has recorded at sessions and traveled with the band. Before the band we all know as Oasis came to be, it was a little known band called the Rain, which was taken from a 1966 Beatles B-Side. The Rain consisted of Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan, Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs, Tony McCarroll, and Chris Hutton. After losing their vocalist (Hutton), Liam Gallagher was invited by Guigsy, a school friend, to join the band. Gallagher accepted the invitation and insisted that the name of the band be changed to Oasis.

With the line-up listed above, Oasis played their first live gig in August of 1991 at the Boardwalk club in Manchester. Noel Gallagher was later asked by brother Liam to become the manager of the band. Noel found this idea laughable, and denied the proposal. However, he eventually joined the band, overtaking the role of songwriter and lead guitarist. After playing a series of live gigs, the band got their big break after “bullying” their way into the opening slot at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow. It was there that Alan McGee, the co-owner of Creation Records heard the band perform and signed them to the label four days later.

The Band saw the height of their fame between 1994 and 1998. Their first single, “Supersonic”, was released in April of 2004 and reached #31 on the charts. Their third single, “Live Forever”, made it into the Top 10 of the UK charts. In September of 1994, the band released their debut album “Definitely Maybe” which entered the charts at #1 and became the fastest selling debut album ever in the UK.

During their early years, the band suffered a lot of hardships. Noel was accused of using riffs from other artists, and Liam was big into drugs. After a live performance in 1994 in which Liam reportedly abused the audience and brother Noel, Noel quit the band temporarily. He eventually rejoined the band in October of 1994 and had written some new songs, including “Talk Tonight” while away.

In April of 1995, Oasis was able to earn their first UK #1, “Some Might Say”, which was the first single from their second album. Around this time, drummer Tony McCarroll was kicked out of the band and replaced by Alan White. With the new line-up, the band began to work on new material for their second album, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? At the time of its release, this album was very popular, and remains today the third largest selling album of all time in the UK. It sold over 19 million copies worldwide. Of off this album comes some of the most popular songs in the history of the band: Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back in Anger, and Champagne Supernova.

In September of 1995, McGugian left the band for a short period of time and was replaced by a man by the name of Scott McLeod. This member eventually left, and McGuigan re-joined the band. McLeod can be seen in the Wonderwall music video, and went along with the band for some live performances.

In 1999, the band Oasis suffered some more hardships, which molded the band into what it is today. Bonehead announced suddenly that he was going to leave the band. His exuse was that he wanted to concentrate on other things, however Noel believes that he left as a result of not being allowed to drink or do drugs. This was a rule that was instilled by Noel in efforts to improve Liam’s singing and work ethic. After the departure of Bonehead from the band, Guigsy announced just days later that he too was dipping out. This came as a shock to fans. Guigsy’s excuse for leaving the band was that the departure of his close friend Bonehead instigated his own departure.

After the lose of Bonehead and Guigsy, only three members remained: Noel, Liam and Alan. Colin “Gem” Archer joined the band in 1999 as the rhythm guitarist, taking over the role of Bonhead. Andy Bell later joined the band and took over the position of bassist. With this line-up, Oasis formed its own label “Big Brother”, which released all of Oasis’ records in the UK and Ireland. The band recorded “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants” in February of 2000. This album did not recieve as much praise as previous albums put out by the band. Familiar to millions, a live album was released in late 2000 and recieved fair reviews. in 2002, the band released Heathen Chemistry, the bands first album with Andy and Gem.

In 2004, the bands drummer, Alan White, left the band for personal reasons. A man by the name of Terence Kirkbride joined Oasis temporarily and recorded on “Mucky Fingers”. However, the band eventually was joined by Zak Starkey, Ringo Starr’s son and a member of the Who. In 2005 the band released it’s 6th album Don’t Believe the Truth. In 2006, the band released a best of album titled ‘Stop the Clocks’. They also released a documentary titled “lord don’t slow me down”.

Currently, the band’s contract has run out with Sony. However, the band already has pretty much written their entire next album. It has been reported that recording of the new material will not begin until -at earliest- August of 2007. This is because of Starkey’s tour with The Who. Continue to follow the band, for they are sure to come out with incredible material.