Sugar Ray | |
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 Sugar Ray performing inLos Angeles in June 2009. From left to right: Rodney Sheppard, Mark McGrath, Craig Bullock, Stan Frazier, and Murphy Karges | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Shrinky Dinx (1986–1994) |
| Origin | Newport Beach, California, U.S.[1] |
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| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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| Website | www |
Sugar Ray is an Americanrock band formed inNewport Beach, California, in 1986. Originally playing heaviernu metal andfunk metal style music, the band achieved mainstream popularity in 1997 with their morepop-influenced single "Fly". The song's success led the band to shift its style dramatically to the more radio-friendly pop sound with their subsequent releases. Their best-selling album,14:59, was released in 1999, and featured popular singles "Every Morning", "Someday", followed by aself-titled album in 2001 featuring the single "When It's Over". The band would release two further albums,In the Pursuit of Leisure (2003) andMusic for Cougars (2009), though the albums and respective singles generally sold far less. The band continued to tour into the 2010s.
In 2019, ten years after the band's last album, they announced their seventh studio album,Little Yachty, in June 2019. The lead single, "Make It Easy", was released the same month.
The band members grew up inOrange County, California. Rodney Sheppard played in a number of reggae bands, including working with futureGood Charlotte drummer Dean Butterworth. In the late 1980s, prior to Sugar Ray, Sheppard andStan Frazier played together in a band under the name The Tories. Later additions Murphy Karges andMark McGrath changed the band's name to Shrinky Dinx (initially "Shrinky Dinks").[2] After signing withAtlantic Records, the name was changed to Sugar Ray upon threat of a lawsuit from theMilton Bradley Company, maker of theShrinky Dinks toy.[3]
The band's debut album,Lemonade and Brownies, was released in 1995 and though it failed to produce a major hit single it did earn them recognition in alternative circles.
Sugar Ray's first mainstream hit came in the summer of 1997 with their song "Fly", which was released from the albumFloored and featuredreggae musicianSuper Cat. "Fly" did not sound anything at all like the rest of the tracks on the album and received frequent radio play, resulting in a number one rank on the Billboard's Airplay List. As a result of the success of "Fly",Floored sold well and was certifieddouble platinum. By the end of 1997 critics were skeptical that Sugar Ray could put out another successful song and labeled them aone-hit wonder.[3] The same year, Sugar Ray was featured in the movieFathers' Day, starringBilly Crystal andRobin Williams.
Their 1999 album14:59 was the band's reply to suggestions that they were a one-hit wonder, with the title implying that their15 minutes of fame were not quite up — their "fame clock" read 14:59.[4] "Every Morning", which was widely compared to "Fly", had similar success during the spring of 1999, reaching number 3 on theU.S.Billboard Hot 100chart. When asked about the band's change of style to cash on their previous hit, bassist Murphy Karges said, "We never had any credibility. Nobody ever gave us any so how could we lose any?"[5]
Their follow-up single "Someday" also enjoyed extensive airplay later that year and reached number 7 in the U.S. The next follow-up single "Falls Apart" reached number 29 in early 2000.14:59 outsold its predecessor and was certified triple platinum. The band toured in support of the album, and were scheduled to perform atWoodstock '99 but McGrath fell ill and they had to cancel.[6] After14:59 in 2000, Sugar Ray teamed up withTha Alkaholiks to contribute the track "Make Room" on therap rock collaboration album,Loud Rocks, with other artists with a similar style such asCrazy Town andIncubus. In 2000, Sugar Ray did a cover version ofJohn Cale andBrian Eno's song "Spinning Away" for the soundtrack to the filmThe Beach.
Their 2001 self-titled albumSugar Ray produced another hit with "When It's Over", which, although it failed to achieve the same level of success as their previous singles, still reached number 13 in the U.S. Other singles such as "Answer the Phone", "Under the Sun" and "Words to Me" gained some popularity as well. Sugar Ray also made several movie appearances, includingScooby-Doo in 2002.[7]
Sugar Ray's 2003 effortIn the Pursuit of Leisure contains the band's cover ofJoe Jackson's famous "Is She Really Going Out With Him?". ProHoeZak guested live with the band in 2003 having appeared on "Mr. Bartender (It's So Easy)". In 2005, Sugar Ray releaseda greatest hits album, with three new songs, "Shot of Laughter", "Time After Time", and "Psychedelic Bee".
After releasing their greatest hits album –The Best of Sugar Ray, in 2005, the band went into a period of relative inactivity for a number of years, with Mark McGrath starting a new job as an anchor on the television showExtra. In January 2006, Sugar Ray was released from their recording contract withAtlantic Records. In mid-2007, their previously unreleased song "Into Yesterday" was used on theSurf's Up movie soundtrack, and the band made brief tour in Asia in August 2007 where they headlined SingFest, Singapore's first international music festival.
On May 19, 2008, the band announced they would be entering the studio to record their first album of new material since 2003. Jason Bernard, a friend of the band (who also happened to be a music producer) brought them a deal to sign with his label. It was announced that the band signed Pulse Recordings and that the new album should be released in the summer of 2009.[8] On March 6, 2009, Mark McGrath announced that the new album would be titledMusic for Cougars. It was released on July 21, 2009. The first single was "Boardwalk".[9]
Some critics noted that McGrath aimed to lower people's expectations for the album during its promotion by saying things like: "I know people aren't sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for a Sugar Ray album, but that wasn't the point."[10]
On August 22, 2010, Sugar Ray'sTwitter page announced that Craig "DJ Homicide" Bullock had left the band.[11] In 2011, the band had what McGrath described as not "the highest-grossing year for Sugar Ray". Murphy Karges and Stan Frazier also left, one not wanting to tour anymore, and the other taking a job withAaron Rodgers. This left Rodney Sheppard and McGrath as the remaining original members.[12] The band recruited replacements in percussionist Al Keith, bassist Justin Bivona and drummer Jesse Bivona, the latter two being touring support members in the past.[12][clarification needed]
In 2012, McGrath worked withArt Alexakis, frontman and vocalist of the bandEverclear, on starting up a 1990s nostalgia tour, something they had discussed in the past but had always felt was too soon to be successful.[13] The result was the "Summerland" tour, featuring a line-up of alternative rock bands that "at least had a big hit or two" in the 1990s, containing McGrath and Alexakis's own bands along withMarcy Playground,Gin Blossoms, andLit.[14][15] Percussionist Al Keith (Khalil Al-Rashad) injured his foot on July 2, 2012 at Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California, during the song "Fly". He was absent from shows until August 2012. The tour was deemed a success, and McGrath initially spoke of the possibility of it becoming a yearly event.[15] Initial plans to expand the nostalgia touring into 2013 faced issues. McGrath announced a "Mark McGrath & Friends" tour, in which the band would perform alongside other 1990s alternative rock bandsSmash Mouth,Spin Doctors, andVertical Horizon, on a cruise ship.[16] though the plans were cancelled, with the idea losing support after theCarnival Triumph cruise ship disaster.[17] Additionally, McGrath and Alexakis did not see eye to eye on the future direction for the "Summerland" tour, leading to Sugar Ray leaving its 2013 incarnation[18] in favor of starting their own rival nostalgia tour called "Under the Sun" instead.[14] The tour ran three separate years – 2013, 2014, and 2015.[19]
As early as 2013, McGrath spoke of recording and releasing an EP, though at the time, he was unsure if it would be released as a band release or a solo release.[15] On April 9, 2013, Mark McGrath announced via Twitter that he would be "heading to Pulse Recording Studios" to record the new material, he stated July to be a hopeful release date.[20] For the tour, drummer Jesse Bivona and bassist Justin Bivona were temporarily replaced by drummer Dean Butterworth and bassist Serg Dimitrijevic, as the Bivona brothers' band The Interrupters are opening forRancid. On September 9, 2013, former members Stan Frazier (drums, percussion, programming, backing vocals) and Murphy Karges (bass guitar, backing vocals) performed with Scott Foster (lead vocals, guitar), Lewis Richards (guitar, backing vocals), and Damon Tucker (guitar, backing vocals) during Keep Calm and Beat H.E.A.T. Rocking & Rally. They performed some of Foster's solo material, and some Sugar Ray classics. They performed from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Twila Reid Park, 3100 West Orange Avenue, Anaheim. On November 9, 2013, Sugar Ray was to play a benefit for the Greater Los Angeles Fisher Houseat West LA's Wadsworth Theater.[21][22]
The band continued its "Under the Sun" tour through 2014. However, in June 2014, McGrath revealed that the band had been struggling with legal wranglings with Karges and Frazier since their departure in 2012, and that because of it, he felt there would never be another Sugar Ray album.[23] McGrath would later release the EP as a solo EP entitledSummertime's Coming in 2015.[24][25] As of the fall of 2014, drummer Jesse Bivona and bassist Justin Bivona are no longer in Sugar Ray (leaving officially in 2016); drummer Dean Butterworth became a full member in fall 2014, while bassist Kristian Attard became a full member in 2016.
In August 2017, McGrath spoke of writing and recording another album, which he hoped he would be able to release within the next year.[25]
In June 2019, ten years after the band last released music, Sugar Ray signed withBMG Rights Management and announced a new album,Little Yachty; with the lead single "Make it Easy" debuting on June 7, 2019. The album title is a reference to both the rapperLil Yachty[26] and the fact that McGrath views Sugar Ray as a "yacht rock" band.[27][28] The album was released on July 26, 2019. The band continued playing shows into the following decade, incorporating a large number of cover songs into their setlists. In September 2025, it was announced they would be performing for a half-time show at anNFL game between theArizona Cardinals and theCarolina Panthers.[29]
Sugar Ray's sound originally fusedhair metal andhardcore punk with sampledelichip-hop,new wave,disco, anddub.[30] This sound has been predominantly categorized asnu metal[3][31][32][33][34][35] andfunk metal,[36][37][38] as well asalternative metal,[39]hard rock,[40]punk rock,[31]punk metal,[3] andrap metal.[41] Music criticStephen Thomas Erlewine described the band's early sound as a fusion ofmetal,funk,reggae, and rap.[42] He also stated that after the success of their hit "Fly" they "no longer tried to ape theRed Hot Chili Peppers."[43] Regarding the band's first two albums, singer Mark McGrath stated, "we were the Chili Peppers with zero talent. [...] Out of necessity we kind of became known as a metal band, a little pre nu-metal typerap rock thing before there was rap rock."[19]
Sugar Ray shifted to apop rock sound following the mainstream success of "Fly",[44] beginning with their third studio album,14:59 (1999).[citation needed] The band's later music has also been categorized asskate punk,[45]pop,[34] andalternative pop.[3] The band's overall sound, throughout its shifts in style, has been characterized asalternative rock.[46]
Current[edit]
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Originally a funk metal band (believe it or not), [Sugar Ray] released their first album, "Lemonade and Brownies," in 1995.
From [Floored], their success as an alternative metal band only went up...
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