Stone Sour is the band that took a backseat to Slipknot in 1998 after five years of fighting to emerge from the Des Moines, Iowa rock scene. Lead singer Corey Taylor and lead guitarist Jim Root were forced to make the difficult decision after three demo tapes yielded few promising responses from the record labels. Now Stone Sour tickets sell as this now quintet of rock musicians have found new life in the 21st century.

The 1990s version of Stone Sour had four members: lead singer Corey Taylor, lead guitarist Jim Root, bassist Shawn Economaki, and drummer Joel Ekman. They formed in 1992, surviving on he strength of their live performances and not album sales or local radio rotation. Stone Sour actually had a major problem early on: They did not have a steady lead guitarist. Before Root joined in 1996, this group would find players for a show or two or a studio musician for a demo recording. This fact most certainly hindered their professional progress since this is and was a metal band.

Root and Taylor split for Slipknot near the end of the 20th century, a most fortunate decision in hindsight. Eventually the group reconvened. In 2002 the addition of rhythm guitarist Josh Rand gave Stone Sour all the energy it needed to not just perform together, but to record together and actually receive radio play.

The new lineup include Taylor as the lead singer, Root as the lead guitarist, Rand as the rhythm guitarist, Economaki as the bassist, and Ekman as the drummer. Stone Sour released an eponymous debut album and scored a track on the Spider-Man soundtrack. The 2002 album earned two Grammy nominations, both for Best Metal Performance. The singles "Inhale" and "Get Inside" helped take the album Gold and kept the group together with its newfound success.