One Man's Creed

Newton's Third Law of Motion, the one about actions being met with opposite ones, also works for rock stars. Scott Stapp, the voice of once infinitely popular rock band Creed, believes this. And that belief comes from first-hand experiences.

"There is a consequence for everything in life, whether it's immediate or down the road," says the rock vocalist by phone before a recent concert in Pittsburgh. The same tour brings him to Fort Smith on Wednesday, where he'll perform at Neumeier's Rib Room in support of his new solo recording, "Proof of Life."

The highs of Creed's heyday were as dramatic as the band's fall from grace and popular favor. According to Yahoo Music, Creed was the ninth best-selling act of the 2000s, dishing out more than 20 million copies of albums such as "My Own Prison" and "Human Clay" in that decade. That put them ahead of N'Sync, The Dixie Chicks and the band they most often drew comparisons to, Nickelback. Here and abroad, it is estimated Creed sold more than 50 million records total.

With those peaks came other highs, particularly those courtesy of the middle member of the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll triumvirate. Stapp fought alcoholism, and he also developed an addiction to pain killers. A 2002 Creed show in Chicago was so bad ticketholders filed a class action lawsuit against the band after Stapp allegedly spent much of it lying down on the stage instead of singing. The lawsuit was later dismissed.

Stapp recounted much of his previous troubles in his 2012 autobiography, "Sinner's Creed."

"It started out as an exercise in self-reflection," Stapp says. He first shared the stories with his wife, then opted to share them in book format. In the text, he discusses his addictions, his depression and his attempts at suicide.

"Proof of Life," released late last year on his longtime label Windup Records, addresses much of the same material. Included are songs such as "Slow Suicide," which earned some attention from modern rock and Christian radio. It suggests that drugs and alcohol kill little by little instead of all at once. Stapp is now committed to sobriety.

"I'm better. I'm more in tune now. And present in my life. Everything is better," he says.

That's in spite of having to start from scratch. Creed disbanded -- again -- in 2011 following a short tour. The album "Proof of Life" performed modestly, too, peaking at No. 37 on the Billboard top albums chart. Stapp's current solo tour now takes him to clubs, not arenas. He still performs several Creed songs each evening, saying his new perspective on life empowers him at the microphone, even when singing songs from a past life.

He's a Christian, something he readily admits now but was more hesitant to address during the Creed era. But he also understands karma, and how how good actions are rewarded with positive ones in return. That means he's on the way up, he says. He likens his past struggles to climbing up a hill with a backpack full of rocks, if the rocks serve as metaphors for human foibles. He's emptied that backpack now, he says, and he's moving forward with a new self and new music.

"It's everything that people love about rock and roll, but with purpose and passion. It's real, and it's authentic. What happened to me inspires me," he says. And he's sharing it all, in the hope it inspires others, too.