"Mmm Mmm Mmm"

In the mid-1980s, Riddell joined with Brad Roberts to form the decidedly less-than-serious bar band, Bad Brad Roberts and the St. James Rhythm Pigs. Over time, the band evolved into the Crash Test Dummies. Ellen Reid and Benjamin Darvill became permanent additions. George West, the original bass player, quit and was replaced by Dan Roberts, Brad's brother. Riddell was replaced by Vince Lambert, who later left, and was replaced by Mitch Dorge around the time that The Ghosts that Haunt Me was released.

Mainstream success

Crash Test Dummies first began to achieve commercial success in Canada with the release of The Ghosts that Haunt Me in 1991. The album eventually reached quadruple platinum sales (400,000) in Canada, largely due to the overwhelming popularity of the smash hit single "Superman's Song," which earned the Dummies the 1991 Juno Award for Group of the Year.

However, the Dummies did not receive much international recognition until the 1993 release of their second album, God Shuffled His Feet. Particularly instrumental in increasing CTD's exposure in the U.S. market was the appearance of a new type of radio format: adult album-oriented alternative rock (AAA). These stations put the single "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" in high rotation. The result was that by mid-1994, the album had passed the platinum sales mark in the U.S. (one million), and had also earned the Dummies three Grammy nominations and three more Juno nominations. To date, GSHF has sold more than five and a half million copies worldwide.

In 1994, the band released "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead", a cover of the UK-alternative band XTC 1992 track of the same name, as a single and on the soundtrack of the Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels comedy Dumb and Dumber. The single, credited to The Crash Test Dummies and Ellen Reid, charted at No. 30 in the UK singles chart and scored the band a Canadian No. #1 hit.

In 1996, the Dummies' third album, A Worm's Life, was released to mixed critical and moderate commercial success. The guitar-heavy singles were warmly received in some markets, but nothing matched the runaway success of either "Superman's Song" or "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm". Still, the album went platinum in Canada in less than one month.

Give Yourself A Hand, the Dummies' fourth album, was released March 23, 1999. The album showcased a new sound for the Dummies, as it featured Ellen Reid singing lead vocals on three tracks, and Brad Roberts singing in a falsetto on several others. The whole sound of the album was much more electronic than the previous recordings.

During a hiatus between albums, Benjamin Darvill became the first Dummy to release solo material. Under the name Son Of Dave, Darvill first brought out the album 01, followed with B. Darvill's Wild West Show. Released on Benjamin's own label, Husky Records, the eclectic CDs received widespread critical acclaim.

Post-mainstream career

The Crash Test Dummies parted ways with their record label, BMG, after the end of the GYAH tour. Free from major-label restrictions, the Dummies surprised fans in 2001 by putting their solo projects on hold for a fifth studio album and tour. After suffering a near-fatal car accident in the fall of 2000, Brad found himself recuperating in the town of Argyle, Nova Scotia. It was there that he met some local "lobster fishermen" who happened to be quite musically inclined - Kent Greene, Dave Morton, and Danny MacKenzie. Together, they recorded the bulk of I Don't Care That You Don't Mind, which was to be Brad's first solo album. Later on, Ellen was brought in to record backing vocals for a few tunes, and Dan agreed to tour with Brad. When Ellen and Mitch agreed to tour as well, the Crash Test Dummies name was put on the record. This album saw the Dummies returning to their acoustic roots. Brad compared this album to the Dummies' first, The Ghosts That Haunt Me, though he calls it more atmospheric and polished.

Near the end of 2001, some new Dummies solo albums were released. First, Ellen Reid launched her debut solo effort, Cinderellen.

Soon after, Brad Roberts' long-awaited double-live CD and rockumentary entitled Crash Test Dude were made available through MapleMusic.

2002 opened with the surprise of Mitch Dorge's debut album, As Trees Walking. On the CD, Mitch played almost all of the instruments, took some of the photos for the liner notes, and won a Prairie Music Award for Best Instrumental Recording.

Brad, Dan, and Ellen returned as Crash Test Dummies at the end of 2002 with Jingle All The Way, a long-rumoured Christmas album.

In 2003, Puss 'n' Boots was released. Much like I Don't Care, the album began life as a Brad Roberts solo project. Co-written by Stuart Cameron, 13 songs were selected from a pool of 30. Ellen sang backing vocals and Dan played bass, though much of the music - funky grooves that would not have seemed out of place on Give Yourself A Hand - was performed by other musicians.

Songs of the Unforgiven, the eighth studio album under the Crash Test Dummies name, was recorded not long after Puss 'n' Boots.

The Dummies today

On August 6, 2006, a message was posted by Brad Roberts on the band's website stating that the band was more or less done with touring and that he was currently working on an album, with Stewart Lerman, using the optigan and omnichord. Brad also stated that the new recordings will be released for download online, for a modest fee, instead of being sold in retail stores.

On May 10, 2007, the song "It's a Small Town," written for a charity event in Englishtown, Cape Breton, was released for download off the band's website.

On September, 2007 an official podcast was launched for the band and it was announced that Sony BMG will be releasing a "best of" compilation for the band.

Members

The band officially consists of the following members:

• Brad Roberts — lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitar
• Ellen Reid — vocals, piano, keyboards, accordion
• Dan Roberts — bass guitar
• Benjamin Darvill — harmonica, mandolin, acoustic and electric guitar, and more
• Mitch Dorge — drums

(Note: Even though they haven't officially left the band, it's unlikely that Benjamin Darvill or Mitch Dorge will perform with the band again, because both have solo projects and live far away from Brad Roberts' home in New York City.)

Discography

Studio albums

• The Ghosts that Haunt Me (1991)
• God Shuffled His Feet (1993) #9 U.S., #1 UK
• A Worm's Life (1996) #78 U.S.
• Give Yourself a Hand (1999)
• I Don't Care That You Don't Mind (2001)
• Jingle All The Way (2002)
• Puss 'n' Boots (2003)
• Songs of the Unforgiven (2004)