Hootie & the Blowfish | |
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 The band in 1998, pictured left to right: Sonefeld (behind drum kit), Felber, Rucker, and Bryan. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Works | Discography |
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| Members |
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| Past members |
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| Website | hootie |
Hootie & the Blowfish is an American rock band formed inColumbia, South Carolina, in 1986. The band's lineup for most of its existence has been the quartet ofDarius Rucker,Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld. The band went on hiatus in 2008 until they announced plans for a full reunion tour in 2019 and released their first new studio album in fourteen years,Imperfect Circle.
As of 2025[update], Hootie & the Blowfish have won two Grammy Awards, landed 16 singles on variousBillboard singles charts, and released six studio albums. The band's debut album,Cracked Rear View (1994), becameone of the best-selling albums in the United States and wascertified platinum 22 times. The band is known for its three Top 10 singles: "Hold My Hand" (1994), "Let Her Cry" (1994), and "Only Wanna Be with You" (1995). The band is also popular in Canada, having three number-one singles in that country.[1]
Darius Rucker andMark Bryan met inColumbia, South Carolina, in the mid-1980s when they were both freshmen at theUniversity of South Carolina.[2] Bryan, a guitar player, heard Rucker singing in the showers of the dormitory they shared and was impressed by his vocal ability. The pair began playingcover tunes as the Wolf Brothers.
Eventually, they collaborated with bassist Dean Felber, a former high school bandmate of Bryan, and Brantley Smith, a drummer. In 1986, they adopted the name Hootie & the Blowfish, a conjunction of the nicknames of two of their college friends -[3] one who wore huge, round glasses that made him look like an owl, the other with big, puffy cheeks that made him look like a blowfish.[4] The band is routinely featured in articles and polls about badly-named bands.[5][6] Rucker is often mistakenly labeled as being the "Hootie" in the band's name.[7] Smith left the group after finishing college to pursue music ministry, but he has made scattered guest appearances with the band (he played cello on theirMTV Unplugged performance in 1996 and played drums at Gruene Hall inGruene, Texas, on June 27, 2008). Smith was replaced full time in 1989 by Jim "Soni" Sonefeld. The band's lineup has remained the same ever since.
The band independently released two cassette demoEPs in 1991 and 1992.[citation needed] In 1993, they pressed 50,000 copies of a self-released EP,Kootchypop. They were signed toAtlantic Records in August 1993 after being discovered by AtlanticA&R representativeTim Sommer, a former music journalist and member of the art rock bandHugo Largo.[8] Sommer recalled that other record labels were uninterested in signing Hootie & The Blowfish because their sound was radically different from thegrunge music that was popular at the time.[8]
Their mainstream debut album wasCracked Rear View , released in July 1994, the album was certifiedplatinum in the United States in January 1995 and featured four hits, "Hold My Hand" (U.S. No. 10), "Let Her Cry" (U.S. No. 9), "Only Wanna Be with You" (U.S. No. 6), and "Time" (U.S. No. 14).[9] The album's last single, "Drowning", was not as successful as its predecessors, peaking only on theMainstream Rock chart. In 1995, Hootie & the Blowfish andBob Dylan reached an out-of-court settlement for the group's unauthorized use of Dylan's lyrics in their song "Only Wanna Be with You".[10]Miami Dolphins' Hall of Fame quarterbackDan Marino appeared along with several other athletes in the band'svideo for the song "Only Wanna Be with You".[11]
In 1995, Hootie & the Blowfish contributed the song "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" to theEncomium tribute album toLed Zeppelin. Theircover of Canadian group54-40's "I Go Blind", released on the soundtrack to the television seriesFriends in 1995, did not appear onCracked Rear View orFairweather Johnson, but it became a hit on radio in 1996 after three singles fromFairweather Johnson had been released. Both "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" and "I Go Blind" were later released on the compilationScattered, Smothered and Covered.
On February 28, 1996, at the38th Annual Grammy Awards, Hootie & the Blowfish won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (for the single "Let Her Cry") and the Grammy for "Best New Artist".[12][13][14] The band appeared onMTV Unplugged on the eve of the release of their second album,Fairweather Johnson (1996). The album contained the hit single "Old Man and Me" (U.S. No. 13), and sold four million copies in the United States.
In 1998, the band performed onFrank Wildhorn's concept album of the musicalThe Civil War. Hootie & the Blowfish released their third studio album,Musical Chairs, on September 15, 1998. It spawned the singles "I Will Wait" and "Only Lonely".[15]
The group covered the 1968 Orpheus hit "Can't Find the Time" for thesoundtrack of theJim Carrey movieMe, Myself & Irene (2000). The song's writer, Bruce Arnold, traded verses with Darius on several occasions when the band played live on the West Coast. The band kept to an extensive touring schedule, including an annual New Year's Eve show atSilverton Las Vegas (formerly known as Boomtown Las Vegas) inEnterprise, Nevada.
The band released aB-sides and raritiescompilation titledScattered, Smothered and Covered (2000). This album is named in tribute ofWaffle House, a popular Southern chain of all-night diners. Specifically, the title refers to an order ofhash browns—shredded potatoes scattered on the grill, smothered with diced onions, and covered with melted cheese.[16]
In 2003, the band releaseda self-titled album.
In 2005, the band releasedLooking for Lucky.
In 2008, Rucker announced in anAOL Sessions interview that the band would go on hiatus for several years so that Rucker could pursue a solo career as acountry music performer. Rucker confirmed the band would still perform their scheduled charity concerts but added they would not record or tour.[17] Rucker later clarified the band was not splitting up.[18]
In 2009, Hootie & the Blowfish performed live in a ballet that chronicled their rise and success in the 1990s.[19]
Rucker went on to record the solo albumsLearn to Live,Charleston, SC 1966,True Believers,Home for the Holidays, andSouthern Style.
The band reunited for a one-time performance on theLate Show with David Letterman in the run-up to Letterman's retirement from the show in May 2015. In August 2015, Darius Rucker said onThe Today Show that the band members were working on new songs and would record a new album when they had enough material.[20]
In 2015, the Irish bandMusic for Dead Birds released a song titled 'Hooty and the Blowfish', a slight misspelling of the group's name.[21][clarification needed]
On December 3, 2018, the band announced the 44-cityGroup Therapy Tour withBarenaked Ladies in 2019 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the release ofCracked Rear View. The tour began on May 30, 2019, inVirginia Beach and concluded on September 13 in their hometown ofColumbia, South Carolina. They also signed a new record deal withUMG Nashville."[22][23]
The band's sixth studio album,Imperfect Circle, was released on November 1, 2019.[24]
In April 2020, the band released acover version of R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion".[25]
In 2022, Sonefeld released a memoir entitledSwimming with a Blowfish: Hootie, Healing, and the Ride of a Lifetime (ISBN 978-1-63576-767-4). In 2024, Rucker releasedLife's Too Short: A Memoir (ISBN 978-0-06323-874-9).
In 2024, the band continued touring with the 43-city Summer Camp With Trucks Tour, featuringCollective Soul andEdwin McCain.
In 1996, Hootie & the Blowfish started their own record label, Breaking Records, as a subsidiary ofAtlantic. They had planned to focus on signing local Carolina acts.Edwin McCain andCravin' Melon were associated with the label at one point but did not release any material on it.The Meat Puppets,Jump, Little Children, Virginwool, Treadmill Trackstar, and Treehouse released one album each on Breaking Records. The label folded in 2000.
Tim Sommer, the band's A&R representative at Atlantic Records, said Hootie & The Blowfish donated all the proceeds from a Seattle concert in the 1990s to a rape crisis group that had been set up in memory ofMia Zapata, the lead singer of the punk bandThe Gits, who had been murdered in 1993. Sommer had originally intended to sign The Gits to Atlantic before Zapata's death and prior to him signing Hootie & The Blowfish.[8]
Hootie & the Blowfish have become known for their charity work. The entire band and crew traveled to New Orleans for five days of building houses inMusicians' Village on October 16–20, 2006.[26] The band's members are avid golfers and have sponsored the annual spring Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament, benefiting local charities, since 1995.[27]
Hootie & the Blowfish toured through the Middle East and Europe, supporting American troops during a USO tour. On December 5, 1998, Darius Rucker broke into a cappella solo ofthe US National Anthem during the lowering of colors on boardUSS Enterprise (CVN-65), which was docked inJebel Ali, United Arab Emirates. The band then played an extended concert for crew members of the aircraft carrier.[28]
From 2005 to 2009, Hootie & the Blowfish performed at the Animal Mission's 'Party Animals' silent auction and concert to benefit the shelter animals inColumbia, South Carolina. Each year, the event raised over $100,000 and allowed the organization to provide a free spay/neuter program for the Southern community's pets. On October 18, 2008, Hootie & the Blowfish reunited to do a show atIncirlik Air Base in Turkey.
The band is a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism and has worked with them on awareness campaigns like TV PSAs.[29]
Contrasting with the sound of theirgrunge contemporaries, the band's music was described as "a mainstreampop variation ofblues rock" with "equal parts ofjam band grooves andMOR pop."[30][31] The band's sound was also described asalternative rock,[32][33][34][35]soft rock,[36]roots rock,[37]heartland rock,[38]country rock,[39]blues rock,[40] andcollege rock.[41]
TheAmerican Music Award is an annual American music awards show.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Hootie & the Blowfish | Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group | Nominated | ||
| Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist | Won | ||
| Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist | Nominated | ||
| Cracked Rear View | Favorite Pop/Rock Album | Nominated | |
| 1997 | Hootie & the Blowfish | Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group | Won |
TheGrammy Award is an award presented byThe Recording Academy to recognize achievement in the mainly English-language music industry.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Hootie & the Blowfish | Best New Artist | Won |
| "Let Her Cry" | Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | Won |
TheMTV Video Music Award is an award presented by the cable channelMTV to honor the best in the music video medium.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | "Hold My Hand" | Best New Artist | Won |
| Viewer's Choice Award | Nominated | ||
| 1996 | "Only Wanna Be with You" | Best Group Video | Nominated |
The unlikely moniker was borrowed from the nicknames of two college friends
Lead singer Darius Rucker was inspired by the nicknames of two college buddies: One wore huge, round glasses that made him look like an owl; the other had big, puffy cheeks that made him look like a blowfish (a tiny fish that swallows air and water to puff itself up). One night these two guys walked into a campus party where the band was playing. Rucker saw them and yelled, 'Look, Hootie and the Blowfish.'.
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