Scott Alan Stapp (born August 8, 1973) is an American singer and songwriter best known as the lead singer of the band Creed. Stapp was born Anthony Scott Flippen on August 8, 1973 in Cherokee, North Carolina, to his mother Lynda and his biological father, about whom little is known. He was adopted by Steven Stapp, a dentist, when he married Scott's mother. After developing a friendship with guitarist Mark Tremonti, Stapp and Tremonti decided to form a band. After recruiting Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips, Creed was formed in 1995. Creed went on to sell three multi-platinum albums and became one of the most successful rock bands of the late 1990s and early 2000s.