Taproot is an American alternative metal band from Ann Arbor, Michigan, formed in 1997. They are best known for their hit single "Poem", which peaked at No. 5 on the Mainstream Rock chart in 2002.
Taproot originally consisted of vocalist/guitarist Stephen Richards, bassist Phil Lipscomb, drummer Jarrod Montague, and guitarist Mike DeWolf. After a few independent releases in the late 1990s, they signed to the major label Atlantic Records in 1999. Their debut album on the label, Gift, was released in 2000. Both of the album's singles, "Again & Again" and "I", attained moderate success. Taproot's breakthrough came in 2002, with the album Welcome, which featured the lead single "Poem" as it peaked at No. 5 on the Mainstream Rock chart and No. 10 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. Ultimately, Welcome sold over 500,000 copies. The release of 2005's Blue-Sky Research produced the single "Calling", which peaked at No. 11 on the Mainstream Rock chart. However, the album did not match its predecessor's success. As a result, Atlantic and Taproot parted ways in 2006.