Hootie & the Blowfish
Encyclopedia
Hootie & the Blowfish is an American
rock
band
that enjoyed popularity in the second half of the 1990s. They were originally formed in 1986 at the University of South Carolina
by Darius Rucker
, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld
, and Mark Bryan
. The band has recorded five studio albums to date, and has charted sixteen singles on various Billboard
singles charts. Their 1994 debut album, Cracked Rear View
, is currently the 15th best-selling album of all time in the US, going platinum 16 times.
in Columbia
. Bryan heard Rucker singing in the showers of the dorm they shared and was impressed by his vocal ability. They began playing cover
tunes as The Wolf Brothers; eventually they collaborated with Felber, a former high school bandmate of Bryan's, and Jim "Soni" Sonefeld as Hootie & the Blowfish.
Brantley Smith was the original drummer for the band. He left the group to pursue music ministry, but he has made scattered guest appearances with the band (he played cello on their MTV Unplugged
performance in 1996, and played drums at Gruene Hall in Gruene, Texas
, on June 27, 2008).
The group independently released two cassette demo EP
s in 1991 and 1992. In 1993, they pressed 50,000 copies of a self-released EP, Kootchypop, which was named after a reference to female genitalia in a stand-up comedy act by What's Happening co-star Shirley Hemphill
. Their mainstream debut album was Cracked Rear View
(1994). It was an instant success, ultimately going platinum
16 times in the U.S. and becoming the best-selling album of 1995. The album was propelled by four hits, "Hold My Hand
" (U.S. #10), "Let Her Cry
" (U.S. #9), "Only Wanna Be with You
" (U.S. #6), and "Time" (U.S. #14). In 1995, Hootie and the Blowfish and Bob 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." Miami Dolphins
' Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino
appeared in the band's video
for the song "Only Wanna Be with You", along with several other athletes.
The band won the "Best New Artist" award at the 1996 Grammy Awards. Hootie & the Blowfish appeared on MTV Unplugged on the eve of the release of their second album, 1996's Fairweather Johnson
. Though sales began promisingly, and it contained the hit single "Old Man and Me" (U.S. #13), the album sold four million copies in the U.S. Hootie & the Blowfish has since released three more studio albums: Musical Chairs, Hootie & the Blowfish
, and Looking for Lucky
. They also released a B-side
s and rarities compilation
in 2000 entitled Scattered, Smothered and Covered
. This album is named in tribute of Waffle House
, a popular Southern chain of all-night diners. Specifically, the title refers to an order of hash browns scattered on the grill, smothered with diced onion
s and covered with melted cheese.
In 1995, Hootie & the Blowfish contributed the song "Hey Hey What Can I Do
" to the Encomium
tribute album to Led Zeppelin
. Their cover
of Canadian group 54-40
's "I Go Blind
", originally released on the soundtrack to the TV series Friends
in 1995, did not appear on Cracked Rear View or Fairweather Johnson, but nevertheless became a hit at radio in 1996 after three singles from Fairweather Johnson had been released. Both "Hey Hey What Can I Do" and "I Go Blind" were later released on the collection Scattered, Smothered and Covered.
Hootie and the Blowfish started their own record label, Breaking Records, in 1996 as a subsidiary of Atlantic
. They had planned to focus on signing local Carolina acts. Edwin McCain
and Cravin' Melon
were both associated with the label at one point, but did not release any material on it. The Meat Puppets, Jump, Little Children
, Treadmill Trackstar and Treehouse released one album each on Breaking Records. The label folded in 2000.
In 1998, they performed on Frank Wildhorn's
concept album of the musical The Civil War
.
Hootie covered the 1968 Orpheus hit "Can't Find the Time" in 2001 for the soundtrack
of the Jim Carrey
movie
, Me, Myself and Irene
. Orpheus creator and the song's writer Bruce Arnold traded verses with Darius on several occasions, when the band played live on the West Coast.
The band had an extensive touring schedule, including an annual New Year's Eve show at the Silverton Hotel and Casino
in Las Vegas
. In 2008, the band started releasing their concerts as downloads through trueAnthem.
In 2009, Hootie and the Blowfish performed live in a ballet which chronicled their rise and success in the 1990s.
performer. Although the band will no longer be recording or touring, Rucker confirmed that they will still perform their scheduled charity concerts, stating, "We have four charity gigs every year and we will still do them, but we will not do a record or tour." Rucker also said that the split will last "for five or six years, or until I record three or four country albums". He later amended his statement, saying, "To be honest with you, we're not even split up right now, and we're not really thinking about splitting up."
Rucker has recorded a solo album, Learn to Live
, for Capitol Records
. It includes the singles "Don't Think I Don't Think About It
", "It Won't Be Like This for Long
", "Alright
", all three of which have reached #1 on the U.S. Hot Country Songs
chart, and "History in the Making
" which peaked at #3 on the U. S. Hot Country Songs
chart. Rucker's second solo album Charleston, SC 1966
was released October 8, 2010.
-like appearance. The Blowfish, a college friend of Rucker's, got his nickname from his facial appearance, in his case, chubby cheeks. Rucker is often referred to as Hootie while his band is referred to as The Blowfish.
, on October 16–20, 2006. The band's members are avid golf
ers, and have sponsored the annual spring Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament, benefiting local charities, since 1995.
Hootie and the Blowfish toured through the Middle East and Europe supporting American troops during a USO Tour. One highlight of the tour was on December 5, 1998, when Darius Rucker broke into an a cappella solo of the National Anthem during the lowering of colors on board , which was docked in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates. The band then played an extended concert for crew members of the aircraft carrier
Each year from 2005 through 2009, Hootie and the Blowfish performed at The Animal Mission’s 'Party Animals' silent auction and concert to benefit the shelter animals in Columbia, 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. Hootie and the Blowfish reunited to do a show at Incirlik Air base in Turkey on 18 October 2008, to show their support for the troops.
"Grammy award winning artists Hootie and The Blowfish are taking their
charity work to a new level by donating the rights to their best-selling song "Hold My Hand" to aid the working poor. Leading the effort for the band is songwriter and drummer Jim Sonefeld
who teamed with the nationally-ranked Benedict College
Gospel Choir to produce a new recording of the song.
Taking its cue from the song's lyrics, organizers are calling the project, With A Little Love. The idea came about last year as non-profits across the country struggled to raise money during the recession.The message behind "Hold My Hand", first recorded in 1994, was a perfect fit for the current day struggles of many working poor."
Touring members:
Former members:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
that enjoyed popularity in the second half of the 1990s. They were originally formed in 1986 at the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
by Darius Rucker
Darius Rucker
Darius Rucker is an American musician. He first gained fame as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Carolina along with Mark Bryan, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld and Dean Felber...
, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld
Jim Sonefeld
Jim "Soni" Sonefeld, full name James Sonefeld , is an American musician and one of the founding members of Hootie & the Blowfish. In September 2008 he went solo with his solo debut album Snowman Melting on Aquarian Nation Records / The Orchard record label...
, and Mark Bryan
Mark Bryan
Mark Bryan is the lead guitarist for the band Hootie & the Blowfish. He also plays the mandolin, among numerous other instruments, and helps with background vocals....
. The band has recorded five studio albums to date, and has charted sixteen singles on various Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
singles charts. Their 1994 debut album, Cracked Rear View
Cracked Rear View
Cracked Rear View is the major-label debut album by Hootie & the Blowfish, released on July 5, 1994 by Atlantic Records. It was the highest-selling album of 1995, with 10.5 million shipments that year alone, eventually shipping 16 million copies to retailers by March 31, 1999...
, is currently the 15th best-selling album of all time in the US, going platinum 16 times.
History
Hootie & the Blowfish formed in 1986. The quartet met when they were freshmen at the University of South CarolinaUniversity of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
in Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
. Bryan heard Rucker singing in the showers of the dorm they shared and was impressed by his vocal ability. They began playing cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
tunes as The Wolf Brothers; eventually they collaborated with Felber, a former high school bandmate of Bryan's, and Jim "Soni" Sonefeld as Hootie & the Blowfish.
Brantley Smith was the original drummer for the band. He left the group to pursue music ministry, but he has made scattered guest appearances with the band (he played cello on their MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
performance in 1996, and played drums at Gruene Hall in Gruene, Texas
Gruene, Texas
Gruene is a former town in Comal County, Texas. Once a significant cotton-producing community along the Guadalupe River, the economy is now supported primarily by tourism...
, on June 27, 2008).
The group independently released two cassette demo EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s in 1991 and 1992. In 1993, they pressed 50,000 copies of a self-released EP, Kootchypop, which was named after a reference to female genitalia in a stand-up comedy act by What's Happening co-star Shirley Hemphill
Shirley Hemphill
Shirley Ann Hemphill was an American stand-up comedian and actress. She was best known for her role on the television situation comedy What's Happening!!, which ran from 1976 to 1979.-Career:...
. Their mainstream debut album was Cracked Rear View
Cracked Rear View
Cracked Rear View is the major-label debut album by Hootie & the Blowfish, released on July 5, 1994 by Atlantic Records. It was the highest-selling album of 1995, with 10.5 million shipments that year alone, eventually shipping 16 million copies to retailers by March 31, 1999...
(1994). It was an instant success, ultimately going platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
16 times in the U.S. and becoming the best-selling album of 1995. The album was propelled by four hits, "Hold My Hand
Cracked Rear View
Cracked Rear View is the major-label debut album by Hootie & the Blowfish, released on July 5, 1994 by Atlantic Records. It was the highest-selling album of 1995, with 10.5 million shipments that year alone, eventually shipping 16 million copies to retailers by March 31, 1999...
" (U.S. #10), "Let Her Cry
Let Her Cry
"Let Her Cry" is a song by Hootie & the Blowfish. It was the second single from their successful 1994 album, Cracked Rear View.The single, released in December 1994 along with a music video , went on to reach the #2 position on the American Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart and #9 on the Billboard...
" (U.S. #9), "Only Wanna Be with You
Only Wanna Be With You
"Only Wanna Be with You" is a rock song released in July 1995 by Hootie & the Blowfish, the third single from their breakthrough album, Cracked Rear View. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, #3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and #2 on the Billboard...
" (U.S. #6), and "Time" (U.S. #14). In 1995, Hootie and the Blowfish and Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
reached an out-of-court settlement for the group's unauthorized use of Dylan's lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
in their song "Only Wanna Be with You." Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
' Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
appeared in the band's video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song "Only Wanna Be with You", along with several other athletes.
The band won the "Best New Artist" award at the 1996 Grammy Awards. Hootie & the Blowfish appeared on MTV Unplugged on the eve of the release of their second album, 1996's Fairweather Johnson
Fairweather Johnson
Fairweather Johnson is the second studio album by the band Hootie & the Blowfish, released on April 23, 1996. Three songs from the album were released as singles: "Old Man & Me", "Tucker's Town", and "Sad Caper"...
. Though sales began promisingly, and it contained the hit single "Old Man and Me" (U.S. #13), the album sold four million copies in the U.S. Hootie & the Blowfish has since released three more studio albums: Musical Chairs, Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish (album)
Hootie & the Blowfish is the fourth studio album by the band Hootie & the Blowfish, released on March 4, 2003.-Track listing:#"Deeper Side"#"Little Brother"#"Innocence"#"Space"#"I'll Come Runnin'"#"Tears Fall Down"#"The Rain Song"...
, and Looking for Lucky
Looking for Lucky
Looking for Lucky is the fifth studio album by Hootie & the Blowfish, released on August 9, 2005. The album sold 128,000 copies in the U.S...
. They also released a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
s and rarities compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
in 2000 entitled Scattered, Smothered and Covered
Scattered, Smothered and Covered
Scattered, Smothered and Covered is the name of a 2000 album by Hootie and the Blowfish, featuring all covers. The album was named in honor of Waffle House, a southern restaurant chain. One of Waffle House's advertising campaigns used the phrase "scattered, smothered and covered," a reference to...
. This album is named in tribute of Waffle House
Waffle House
Waffle House is a restaurant chain with over 1600 locations found in 25 states in the United States. Most of the locations are in the Southern United States, where the chain remains a regional cultural icon...
, a popular Southern chain of all-night diners. Specifically, the title refers to an order of hash browns scattered on the grill, smothered with diced onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s and covered with melted cheese.
In 1995, Hootie & the Blowfish contributed the song "Hey Hey What Can I Do
Hey Hey What Can I Do
"Hey Hey What Can I Do" is a song by the English rock group Led Zeppelin released in 1970 as the B-side of "Immigrant Song" outside the United Kingdom. It is Led Zeppelin's only non-album track released during the band's existence. It did however appear on the Atlantic Records UK various artists...
" to the Encomium
Encomium (album)
Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin is a tribute album by various artists dedicated to Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on March 14, 1995...
tribute album to Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
. Their cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Canadian group 54-40
54-40
54•40 is a Canadian alternative rock group from Tsawwassen, British Columbia.The band takes their name from the slogan "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!", coined to express the expansionist agenda of James K...
's "I Go Blind
I Go Blind
"I Go Blind" is a song by Canadian alternative rock group 54-40. The song was released as a single from the band's 1986 self-titled album, 54-40. It has since become one of the band's most popular songs.-Hootie & the Blowfish cover:...
", originally released on the soundtrack to the TV series Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
in 1995, did not appear on Cracked Rear View or Fairweather Johnson, but nevertheless became a hit at radio in 1996 after three singles from Fairweather Johnson had been released. Both "Hey Hey What Can I Do" and "I Go Blind" were later released on the collection Scattered, Smothered and Covered.
Hootie and the Blowfish started their own record label, Breaking Records, in 1996 as a subsidiary of Atlantic
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. They had planned to focus on signing local Carolina acts. Edwin McCain
Edwin McCain
Edwin McCain is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Career:While his albums are released under his name, he does have a permanent band, referred to as the Edwin McCain Band...
and Cravin' Melon
Cravin' Melon
-History:Cravin' Melon was formed at Clemson University in 1994 after the dissolution of two other local South Carolina bands, Doghouse and The Next Move. The band gained popularity on the regional live scene, and after a self-pressed EP and full-length, they signed to Mercury Records and released...
were both associated with the label at one point, but did not release any material on it. The Meat Puppets, Jump, Little Children
Jump, Little Children
Jump, Little Children, later known as Jump, was a band formed in 1991 in the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Known for their unique sound, energetic live performances, and willingness to interact with fans, the band built a strong following over their fourteen years together...
, Treadmill Trackstar and Treehouse released one album each on Breaking Records. The label folded in 2000.
In 1998, they performed on Frank Wildhorn's
Frank Wildhorn
Frank Wildhorn is an American composer known for both his musicals and popular songs. He is most known for his musical Jekyll & Hyde, which ran four years on Broadway, and for writing the #1 International Hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" for Whitney Houston.-Early years:Wildhorn was born in...
concept album of the musical The Civil War
The Civil War (musical)
The Civil War is a musical written by Gregory Boyd and Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics by Jack Murphy and music by Wildhorn. The musical centers on the American Civil War, with the musical numbers portraying the war through Union, Confederate, and slave viewpoints. The musical was nominated for a Tony...
.
Hootie covered the 1968 Orpheus hit "Can't Find the Time" in 2001 for the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey
James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Me, Myself and Irene
Me, Myself and Irene
Me, Myself & Irene is a 2000 American comedy film directed by the Farrelly Brothers, and starring Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger. Chris Cooper, Robert Forster, Richard Jenkins, Daniel Greene, Anthony Anderson, Jerod Mixon, and Mongo Brownlee co-star...
. Orpheus creator and the song's writer Bruce Arnold traded verses with Darius on several occasions, when the band played live on the West Coast.
The band had an extensive touring schedule, including an annual New Year's Eve show at the Silverton Hotel and Casino
Silverton Hotel and Casino
The Silverton Casino Lodge is a 300 room and suite hotel casino located near the southern end of the Las Vegas Valley, at 3333 Blue Diamond Road in Enterprise, Nevada. Located on an site, the hotel's market is California tourists and locals...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. In 2008, the band started releasing their concerts as downloads through trueAnthem.
In 2009, Hootie and the Blowfish performed live in a ballet which chronicled their rise and success in the 1990s.
Hiatus
In 2008, Rucker announced in an AOL Sessions interview that Hootie and the Blowfish would be going on hiatus so Rucker could pursue his solo career as a country musicCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
performer. Although the band will no longer be recording or touring, Rucker confirmed that they will still perform their scheduled charity concerts, stating, "We have four charity gigs every year and we will still do them, but we will not do a record or tour." Rucker also said that the split will last "for five or six years, or until I record three or four country albums". He later amended his statement, saying, "To be honest with you, we're not even split up right now, and we're not really thinking about splitting up."
Rucker has recorded a solo album, Learn to Live
Learn to Live
Learn to Live is the second solo studio album by American country artist, Darius Rucker. The album was released September 16, 2008 on Capitol Nashville Records and was produced by Frank Rogers...
, for Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. It includes the singles "Don't Think I Don't Think About It
Don't Think I Don't Think About It
"Don't Think I Don't Think About It" is the title of a song recorded by American singer Darius Rucker. The song, co-written by Rucker and Clay Mills, was released to country radio in mid-2008 as Rucker's first single off his studio album Learn to Live...
", "It Won't Be Like This for Long
It Won't Be Like This for Long
"It Won't Be Like This for Long" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American singer Darius Rucker, lead vocalist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. It is the second single released from his first country music album, Learn to Live...
", "Alright
Alright (Darius Rucker song)
"Alright" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American singer Darius Rucker, lead vocalist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. It was released in April 2009 as the third single from his first country music album, 2008's Learn to Live...
", all three of which have reached #1 on the U.S. Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart, and "History in the Making
History in the Making
"History in the Making" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Darius Rucker. Written along with Clay Mills and Frank Rogers, it was released in September 2009 as the fourth single from Rucker's 2008 album Learn to Live...
" which peaked at #3 on the U. S. Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart. Rucker's second solo album Charleston, SC 1966
Charleston, SC 1966
Upon its release, Charleston, SC 1966 received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 68, based on 9 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable...
was released October 8, 2010.
The name
The band's name comes from one of Rucker's college choir friends, who was never a band member. Rucker, with a round face and glasses, was nicknamed Hootie because of his perceived owlOwl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
-like appearance. The Blowfish, a college friend of Rucker's, got his nickname from his facial appearance, in his case, chubby cheeks. Rucker is often referred to as Hootie while his band is referred to as The Blowfish.
Charity work
Hootie & The Blowfish have become known not only for their music, but also for their charity work. The entire band and crew traveled to New Orleans for five days of building houses in Musicians' VillageMusicians' Village
Musicians' Village is a new neighborhood built around a music center where musicians can teach and perform. Musicians Harry Connick, Jr...
, on October 16–20, 2006. The band's members are avid golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
ers, and have sponsored the annual spring Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament, benefiting local charities, since 1995.
Hootie and the Blowfish toured through the Middle East and Europe supporting American troops during a USO Tour. One highlight of the tour was on December 5, 1998, when Darius Rucker broke into an a cappella solo of the National Anthem during the lowering of colors on board , which was docked in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates. The band then played an extended concert for crew members of the aircraft carrier
Each year from 2005 through 2009, Hootie and the Blowfish performed at The Animal Mission’s 'Party Animals' silent auction and concert to benefit the shelter animals in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
. 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. Hootie and the Blowfish reunited to do a show at Incirlik Air base in Turkey on 18 October 2008, to show their support for the troops.
"Grammy award winning artists Hootie and The Blowfish are taking their
charity work to a new level by donating the rights to their best-selling song "Hold My Hand" to aid the working poor. Leading the effort for the band is songwriter and drummer Jim Sonefeld
Jim Sonefeld
Jim "Soni" Sonefeld, full name James Sonefeld , is an American musician and one of the founding members of Hootie & the Blowfish. In September 2008 he went solo with his solo debut album Snowman Melting on Aquarian Nation Records / The Orchard record label...
who teamed with the nationally-ranked Benedict College
Benedict College
Benedict College is a historically black, liberal arts college located in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1870 by northern Baptists, it was originally a teachers' college. It has since expanded into a four-year college.-History:...
Gospel Choir to produce a new recording of the song.
Taking its cue from the song's lyrics, organizers are calling the project, With A Little Love. The idea came about last year as non-profits across the country struggled to raise money during the recession.The message behind "Hold My Hand", first recorded in 1994, was a perfect fit for the current day struggles of many working poor."
Personnel
- Darius RuckerDarius RuckerDarius Rucker is an American musician. He first gained fame as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Carolina along with Mark Bryan, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld and Dean Felber...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
(1986-present) - Mark BryanMark BryanMark Bryan is the lead guitarist for the band Hootie & the Blowfish. He also plays the mandolin, among numerous other instruments, and helps with background vocals....
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocals, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
(1986-present) - Dean Felber – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
(1986-present) - Jim SonefeldJim SonefeldJim "Soni" Sonefeld, full name James Sonefeld , is an American musician and one of the founding members of Hootie & the Blowfish. In September 2008 he went solo with his solo debut album Snowman Melting on Aquarian Nation Records / The Orchard record label...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion, vocals (1989-present)
Touring members:
- Peter HolsapplePeter HolsapplePeter Holsapple formed, along with Chris Stamey, the singing, songwriting, and guitar-playing core of the dB's, a jangle-pop band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He became the band's principal songwriter and singer after Stamey's departure. The dB's were at the forefront of the guitar bands...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, lap steel (1995-1999; 2003-present) - Gary Greene – percussion, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
(1995-1999; 2001-present)
Former members:
- Brantley Smith -drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1986-1989) - John Nau -keyboards, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
(1999-2003) (Touring member) - Philip "Fish" Fisher - percussion, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2000-2001) (Touring member)
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales threshold) |
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| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Indie Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
NL MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
NZ |
SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
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| 1994 | Cracked Rear View Cracked Rear View Cracked Rear View is the major-label debut album by Hootie & the Blowfish, released on July 5, 1994 by Atlantic Records. It was the highest-selling album of 1995, with 10.5 million shipments that year alone, eventually shipping 16 million copies to retailers by March 31, 1999...
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1 | — | 7 | 45 | — | 1 | — | — | 12 |
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... : 16× Multi-Platinum British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... : Gold Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... : Diamond |
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| 1996 | Fairweather Johnson Fairweather Johnson Fairweather Johnson is the second studio album by the band Hootie & the Blowfish, released on April 23, 1996. Three songs from the album were released as singles: "Old Man & Me", "Tucker's Town", and "Sad Caper"... |
1 | — | 12 | 41 | 37 | 6 | 36 | 37 | 9 |
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| 1998 | Musical Chairs
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4 | — | — | 72 | — | 20 | — | — | 15 |
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| 2003 | Hootie & the Blowfish Hootie & the Blowfish (album) Hootie & the Blowfish is the fourth studio album by the band Hootie & the Blowfish, released on March 4, 2003.-Track listing:#"Deeper Side"#"Little Brother"#"Innocence"#"Space"#"I'll Come Runnin'"#"Tears Fall Down"#"The Rain Song"... |
46 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 161 | |||||||||
| 2005 | Looking for Lucky Looking for Lucky Looking for Lucky is the fifth studio album by Hootie & the Blowfish, released on August 9, 2005. The album sold 128,000 copies in the U.S... Vanguard Records Vanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary... |
47 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US Indie |
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| 2000 | Scattered, Smothered and Covered Scattered, Smothered and Covered Scattered, Smothered and Covered is the name of a 2000 album by Hootie and the Blowfish, featuring all covers. The album was named in honor of Waffle House, a southern restaurant chain. One of Waffle House's advertising campaigns used the phrase "scattered, smothered and covered," a reference to...
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71 | — | ||||||
| 2004 | The Best of Hootie & the Blowfish: 1993-2003 The Best of Hootie & the Blowfish: 1993-2003 The Best of Hootie & the Blowfish: 1993–2003 is a compilation album by Hootie & the Blowfish, released in 2004.-Track listing:#"Hold My Hand"#"Only Wanna Be With You"#"Time"#"Let Her Cry"#"Not Even the Trees"#"Old Man & Me "... |
62 | — | ||||||
| 2006 | Live in Charleston Live in Charleston Live in Charleston is a live DVD/CD released by Hootie & the Blowfish on August 8, 2006. The concert features such hits as "Hold My Hand", "Only Wanna Be with You", "Old Man & Me", and "One Love" filmed in Charleston, South Carolina's Family Circle Magazine Stadium on August 12, 2005."Only Wanna Be... |
— | 47 | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Main |
US AC |
US Adult Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
CAN RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
NZ |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
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| 1994 | "Hold My Hand Hold My Hand (Hootie & the Blowfish song) "Hold My Hand" is the debut single of the American rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. All four of the band members wrote the song. Released in July 1994, "Hold My Hand" charted at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100... " |
10 | 4 | 6 | — | 70 | 36 | — | 37 | 50 | Cracked Rear View | ||||||||
| "Let Her Cry Let Her Cry "Let Her Cry" is a song by Hootie & the Blowfish. It was the second single from their successful 1994 album, Cracked Rear View.The single, released in December 1994 along with a music video , went on to reach the #2 position on the American Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart and #9 on the Billboard... " |
9 | 9 | 7 | — | 4 | 2 | 78 | 19 | 75 | ||||||||||
| 1995 | "Only Wanna Be with You Only Wanna Be With You "Only Wanna Be with You" is a rock song released in July 1995 by Hootie & the Blowfish, the third single from their breakthrough album, Cracked Rear View. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, #3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and #2 on the Billboard... " |
6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 40 | 1 | 65 | 17 | 87 | |||||||||
| "Time" | 14 | 26 | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 35 | — | ||||||||||
| "Drowning" | — | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "I Go Blind I Go Blind "I Go Blind" is a song by Canadian alternative rock group 54-40. The song was released as a single from the band's 1986 self-titled album, 54-40. It has since become one of the band's most popular songs.-Hootie & the Blowfish cover:... " |
— | — | 22 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | Friends Original TV Soundtrack | |||||||||
| "Hey Hey What Can I Do Hey Hey What Can I Do "Hey Hey What Can I Do" is a song by the English rock group Led Zeppelin released in 1970 as the B-side of "Immigrant Song" outside the United Kingdom. It is Led Zeppelin's only non-album track released during the band's existence. It did however appear on the Atlantic Records UK various artists... " |
— | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Encomium: a Tribute to Led Zeppelin Encomium (album) Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin is a tribute album by various artists dedicated to Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on March 14, 1995... |
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| 1996 | "Old Man & Me (When I Get To Heaven)" | 13 | 6 | 18 | 4 | 60 | 1 | 75 | 41 | 57 | Fairweather Johnson | ||||||||
| "Tucker's Town" | 38 | 29 | 24 | 12 | — | 2 | — | — | 79 | ||||||||||
| "Sad Caper" | — | — | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1998 | "I Will Wait" | — | — | 28 | 3 | — | 7 | — | — | 57 | Musical Chairs | ||||||||
| 1999 | "Only Lonely" | — | — | 29 | 25 | — | — | — | — | 169 | |||||||||
| 2003 | "Innocence" | — | — | 25 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | Hootie & the Blowfish | ||||||||
| "Goodbye Girl" | — | — | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Best of Hootie & the Blowfish | |||||||||
| 2005 | "One Love" | — | — | 5 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | Looking for Lucky | ||||||||
| 2006 | "Get Out of My Mind" | — | — | 17 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||||||||||||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Let Her Cry" | Adolfo Doring |
See also
- Live in the X Lounge IILive in the X LoungeLive in the X Lounge is a series of albums released by Birmingham, Alabama's former alternative rock radio station, WRAX.Though the station can no longer be found on the air, this series of live performances was produced while the station was known as 107.7 The X...
- Hootie & the Blowfish released live performances of their songs "Hold My Hand" and "Desert Mountain Showdown" in 1999 to this charity album which was released to benefit UCP of Greater BirminghamBirmingham, AlabamaBirmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. - List of best-selling music artists
External links
- Hootie and Blowfish-related websites
- Band member sites