Blues Traveler | |
|---|---|
 Blues Traveler performing in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
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| Origin | Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Works | Discography |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels |
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| Members | |
| Past members | Bobby Sheehan |
| Website | bluestraveler |
Blues Traveler is an Americanrock band that formed inPrinceton, New Jersey in 1987. The group is known for creativesegues during live performances and pioneering theH.O.R.D.E. touring music festival.
The group comprises singer and harmonica playerJohn Popper, guitaristChan Kinchla, drummerBrendan Hill, bassistTad Kinchla, and keyboardist Ben Wilson. Tad Kinchla and Ben Wilson joined the band following the death of bassist Bobby Sheehan in 1999.
Their singles include "But Anyway", "Run-Around", and "Hook", the latter two from their 1994 albumfour which sold over six million copies worldwide. Fans are permitted to record live events.
Sheehan's death and Popper's struggle withobesity put a damper on the group's mainstream success, andA&M dropped the band in 2002. In the years following, the band has attempted to work with a number ofindependent labels and record producers.
Traveler's Blues, an album ofblues covers, was released in July 2021, and was nominated byThe Recording Academy for Best Traditional Blues album at the 2022Grammy Awards. Their follow-up album,Traveler’s Soul, a collection ofR'n'B andSoul covers, was released in October of 2023.
Blues Traveler originated as ahigh schoolgarage band in Princeton, New Jersey in the mid-1980s. Harmonicist, singer and guitarist John Popper and drummer Brendan Hill formed a group called The Establishment (later renamed Blues Band) with Hill's brother on bass and a rotating roster of guitarists. The band produced a fewcassette tapedemos. In addition to some original songs, their repertoire included upbeatcovers of "Gloria" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic".
The group added guitarist andfootball player Chan Kinchla. Though a promising athlete, Kinchla decided to commit to music following a knee injury. Popper met bassist Bobby Sheehan and the two became friends, with Sheehan becoming the bass player for Blues Band in 1987.[1]
The quartet held a basementjam session (later christened The Black Cat Jam) which spawned the coregrooves for several songs on their first album. Ablack cat happened to be nearby, and the group took this as asign and adopted the Black Cat as itsmascot.
The group changed their name to Blues Traveler, inspired by thedemon featured in the filmGhostbusters, Gozer the Traveler.[1]
After graduating fromPrinceton High School and moving toNew York City, Popper, Hill, and Sheehan enrolled in the music program atThe New School while Kinchla attendedNew York University. Blues Traveler began playing gigs along the New York-areaclub circuit, sometimes nightly;[1] the most prominent contract was playing Wednesday nights at a club calledthe Wetlands.[2][3] Another bar, The Nightingale, was a regular gig, and later became the setting for the song "Defense and Desire".[4][5]
The group shared an apartment on Bergen Street[3] in Brooklyn, New York, along with their high school friend, singerChris Barron.[2][6] A second band that Popper and Hill founded, called The Trucking Company, soon became TheSpin Doctors with Barron as their frontman.[2] The two groups would often share the stage, playing non-stop concerts of multiple sets.[5] Their first show together was at a Columbia University fraternity party. During this time, Blues Traveler acquired a devout follower, Gina-Z (subject of the band's song "Gina") who first became an unofficial "band mom" and later a tour manager, and is involved with the group's business to the present day.[7]
At one New York show they were discovered by anA&M Records talent scout, Patrick Clifford, and the band signed their first recording contract. By 1990 all members had dropped out of college classes.[6] The group also attracted the attention of David Graham, son of the world-famous concert promoterBill Graham, and David Graham became the group's manager. Blues Traveler then started a relentless touring schedule, expanding their reach up and downthe east coast.
Blues Traveler releasedtheir self-titled debut album in 1990,[8] with the song "But Anyway" getting airplay on college radio stations. The album includedJoan Osborne on backing vocals on two tracks.
A second album,Travelers and Thieves, followed in 1991.[9] Upon Bill Graham's death that year, they released a liveEP,On Tour Forever,[8] as a tribute to Graham, which featured guitaristCarlos Santana.
Around this time, the mainstream national audience was exposed to Blues Traveler bytelevision hostDavid Letterman,[8] who has introduced them as "[his] favorite band". The band has since made more appearances onThe Late Show than any musical artist. Letterman's band leaderPaul Shaffer has played on a number of Blues Traveler recordings.
In 1992, the group founded theH.O.R.D.E. festival as an alternative to others such asLollapalooza, along with other bands such asPhish and Spin Doctors. Blues Traveler began recording their third album,Save His Soul. Recording was temporarily interrupted by John Popper'smotorcycle accident, although the band resumed touring shortly thereafter with Popper in awheelchair.[8] Two singles were released from the album, "Defense & Desire" and "Conquer Me", which reached No. 34 on theMainstream Rock Tracks chart.
The band's fourth album, titledFour, was produced by the team ofMichael Barbiero andSteve Thompson and released in late 1994. The upbeat pop single "Run-Around" became the group's first chart hit followed by "Hook". "Run-Around" won aGrammy Award and broke a record for most weeks on the chart.[10]
Blues Traveler appeared atWoodstock '94 and later became an opening act forThe Rolling Stones. The band played on the 1995 season premiere ofSaturday Night Live as a last-minute replacement forPrince. They were featured in an episode of the sitcomRoseanne, and later recorded the show'stheme song for its final season. The 1996 comedy filmKingpin featured the group playing their song "But Anyway" during the closing credits.
The group recorded theJohnny Rivers song "Secret Agent Man" for the filmAce Ventura: When Nature Calls at Icon Recording Studios in St. Louis, Missouri and theBob Seger song "Get Out of Denver" for the filmThings to Do in Denver When You're Dead, as well asFats Domino's "I'm Walkin'" forRebel Highway:Cool and the Crazy. Several previously recorded Blues Traveler songs were included on film soundtracks, includingThe Last Seduction,Speed,Very Bad Things,White Man's Burden, andThe Truth About Cats & Dogs. The band also appeared as themselves in the 1998 filmBlues Brothers 2000 and on its soundtrack, playing "Maybe I'm Wrong", an original composition with a classic blues-rock sound. The band made an appearance performing as themselves in the 1999independent filmWildflowers, which had been filmed a couple of years earlier. Blues Traveler recorded theSly & the Family Stone song "I Want to Take You Higher" for theNORMLcompilation albumHempilation and theJohn Lennon song "Imagine" for the Lennontribute albumWorking Class Hero. The original song "Christmas" was included on the benefit albumA Very Special Christmas 3.
The double live albumLive from the Fall was released in 1996. It featured recordings from the band's autumn 1995 concerts and showcased the strength of the band's live performances.
The next studio album,Straight On till Morning, also produced by Barbiero/Thompson, was released in 1997. It achievedplatinum status, reaching number 11 on theBillboard 200 albums chart, but did not perform as well asfour. The single "Carolina Blues" peaked at number four on the Mainstream Rock Tracks.
By the end of 1998, the band had prepared aconcept album calledThe Sun, The Storm and The Traveler, based onAesop's fable ofThe North Wind and the Sun, and they planned to record it after a recess in the fall of 1999. That summer, John Popper had emergencyheart surgery due toartery blockage, forcing the band to cancel their annualJuly 4Red Rocks shows at the last minute.
During the hiatus, Popper released a solo album with a backing band consisting of drummerCarter Beauford and members of the group Cycomotogoat.
On August 20, 1999, Bobby Sheehan was found dead in hisNew Orleans, Louisiana, home, where he had been recording music with some friends the night before. Sheehan's death was ruled an accidentaldrug overdose, withcocaine,valium, andheroin found in his system.
The remaining members of Blues Traveler convened and agreed that Sheehan would have wanted them to continue as a band. Auditions for a new bassist were held in concert, and included Chan Kinchla's younger brother Tad, who was unanimously determined to be the best choice for the role. Additionally, the band also auditioned for a permanent keyboardist—an action Sheehan had often urged. In January 2000,[11] Ben Wilson of thejump blues band Big Dave & the Ultrasonics was chosen, and has since become a central contributor to the band's songwriting.
The band discarded their concept album material, instead releasing a smaller online EP,Decisions of the Sky: A Traveler's Tale of Sun and Storm, and went to work collectively composing a new set of songs with the new lineup. The resulting album wasBridge, which had the working titleBridge Outta Brooklyn as a tribute to Sheehan (with both the acronym B.O.B. and his nickname "Brooklyn Bobby"). The songs "Girl Inside My Head" and "Just for Me" received airplay, but the album's sales fell somewhat short of expectations.
The live albumWhat You and I Have Been Through and the compilationTravelogue: Blues Traveler Classics were both released in 2002.
Blues Traveler were one of dozens of artists who were jettisoned as part ofA&M's corporate restructuring. The band signed withSanctuary Records for their next album,Truth Be Told, which achieved number 147 on The Top 200 chart.[citation needed] The band's 2003 Independence Day concerts at Red Rocks Amphitheatre were released on the CDLive on the Rocks and the DVDThinnest of Air, and includeZiggy Marley singing on his father's song "No Woman, No Cry".
The band left Sanctuary forVanguard Records and released¡Bastardos!, which was produced byWilco'sJay Bennett and was touted as the band's return to music that they wanted to play. The album charted at 49 on theIndependent Albums, anda live EP of songs from the album was released to independent record stores. The group recorded "Rag Mama Rag" for the 2007 tribute albumEndless Highway: The Music of The Band, as well as "Free Bird" forUnder the Influence: A Jam Band Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Blues Traveler have been featured onVH1'sBehind the Music,A&E'sPrivate Sessions,[12] andAustin City Limits. The group recorded the title track to theSandra Boynton children's albumDog Train, which was also used as the promotional music for theAmerican Kennel Club'sNational Championship event. The band's music has been used in video games (NASCAR 2000) and commercials (Busch Beer). The songs "Business as Usual" and "Money Back Guarantee" are used as transitional music on thepublic radiofinance programMarketplace and its sister showMarketplace Money.
In 2007, Blues Traveler released the albumCover Yourself, a "best-of" album of previously released songs re-recorded and reinterpreted with acoustic instrumentation. It was released October 30, 2007, through Columbia/Red Ink Records.[13] They did a national tour, with New Jersey–based singer-songwriter Lisa Bouchelle as opening act. After the tourJohn Popper andLisa Bouchelle recorded the song "Only The Tequila Talking", which was released on her albumBleu Room with a Red Vase in 2010.
Blues Traveler appeared at theLollapalooza 2008 festival. At their June 2008 shows, the band debuted new songs from their new albumNorth Hollywood Shootout . The album, which features aguest appearance byBruce Willis in the track "Free Willis (Ruminations From Behind Uncle Bob's Machine Shop)", released in August 2008.
In March 2012, Blues Traveler released a double-disc compilation titled25 onHip-O Records; the album commemorates the band's silver anniversary and includes their hit singles, new covers, and previously unreleasedB-side material. It peaked at No. 49 in Canada.[14] The following studio album,Suzie Cracks the Whip, was released on June 26 of that year.[15]
In September 2013, Blues Traveler signed with Las Vegas–based management firm, UD Factory.[16]
On April 7, 2015, the band released their twelfth studio album,Blow Up the Moon which peaked at No. 29 onIndependent Albums and No. 47 onTop Rock AlbumsBillboard charts.[17] As part of the album's promotion album, Blues Traveler released a music video using Rockstar editor inGrand Theft Auto V on September 14, 2015.[18] The music video featuredJC Chasez and3OH!3. In 2016, Blues Traveler made a cameo appearance in the filmThe Meddler.[19] On December 7 the group released a cover version of "Go Tell It on the Mountain".[20]
In April 2017, the band announced a five-week U.S. tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the group's formation.[21] In May of the same year, social posts, and a video piece onKeyboard Magazine confirmed the band was in the studio in Nashville recording with record producerMatt Rollings.[22] The albumHurry Up & Hang Around was released on October 12, 2018, through BMG.
On June 7, 2021, Blues Traveler announced a new album to be titledTraveler's Blues and released a two–sidedEP with the songs that would be featured on the new album.[23] The EP contained songs "Funky B*tch" and "Ball and Chain" which FeaturesChristone "Kingfish" Ingram. The album would be released the forthcoming month.
Traveler's Blues was released on July 30, 2021.[23] The album featured covers of classic blues songs and featuresCrystal Bowersox, Wendy Moten,Christone "Kingfish" Ingram,Rita Wilson,John Scofield,Warren Haynes,The War and Treaty,Mickey Raphael, andKeb' Mo'. The album was nominated for "Best Traditional Blues Album / Best Traditional Blues Recording" at the 64th annualGrammy Awards.[24] The followup,Traveler's Soul, released on October 20, 2023, features covers of classic R&B and soul songs, featuring collaborations withPat Monahan ofTrain,Daisha McBride,Valerie June, andRyan Shaw.[25]
The band celebrated the 30th anniversary ofFour in 2024, going on a 24-city tour that autumn where they performed the album in its entirety.[26] In the summer of 2025, the band went on a co-headline tour alongside theGin Blossoms andSpin Doctors.[27] All three bands teamed up on the single "Indiana Wants Me", a cover of theR. Dean Taylor song, which released August 8.[28]
Blues Traveler allows and encourages fans to record and trade live performances,[29] provided that no money changes hands and no profit is made. The band has also given permission for live fan-made recordings to be hosted on websites such as Live Music Archive and eTree.org. Recordings available there span from 1986 through the present day. On more recent tours, they sell recordings of that night's performance. Attendees can pre-purchase a copy of the show until 30 minutes into the performance and then pick up the CD after the show.
Every year since 1994, with the exception of 1999 (due to Sheehan's health) and 2020 (due to COVID-19), Blues Traveler has headlined a show atRed Rocks Amphitheatre inMorrison, Colorado, on theAmerican Independence Day, July 4. The band sometimes plays two consecutive nights, starting on July 3.[30]
This tradition started in 1994, when Blues Traveler was opening for The Allman Brothers Band at the venue for two nights, July 3 and 4. The next year, the band booked the HORDE festival to play there on Independence Day, and in 1994 the current tradition began in earnest.[31]
These shows attract fans from all over the United States. The band frequently debuts new songs and brings back older songs which have fallen out of rotation.[citation needed]
The 2003 Independence Day concerts were recorded for a home video and alive album release.[32]
The band have been described asblues rock,[33]folk rock,[34]alternative rock,[35] andsouthern rock.[36]
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