Personalities | Hootie & The Blowfish | Nineties | Rock

(Vocal/instrumental group, 1989–present)

Formed in South Carolina, Darius Rucker (vocals), Mark Bryan (guitar), Dean Felber (bass) and Jim ‘Soni’ Sonefeld (drums) played pleasing blues rock with a hint of folk and a pop edge. That Rucker, nicknamed Hootie, was an Afro-American also gave their material an unconscious soulful element. Constant touring built a dedicated following that helped sell an initial self-financed EP Kootchypop (1992).

Debut album Cracked Rear Mirror (1994) was a sleeper, building sales slowly. US chart success of compulsive ecological single ‘Hold My Hand’ (featuring former Byrd David Crosby) and ‘Let Her Cry’ turned the album into a multi-platinum success eventually selling 13 million copies in America alone. Fairweather Johnson (1996) was another pleasing set, although not as commercially successful at three million. The band continued to tour and showcased their feelgood style on albums like Musical Chairs (1998) and, after leaving Atlantic, Looking For Lucky (2005). A Best Of collection was issued in 2004.

Styles & Forms | Nineties | Rock
Personalities | Ice-T | Nineties | Rock

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley

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