Hootie & the Blowfish
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. |
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| Website | hootie |
Hootie & the Blowfish is an American rock band formed in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1986. The band's lineup for most of its existence has been the quartet of Darius 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 2026[update], Hootie & the Blowfish have won two Grammy Awards, landed 16 singles on various Billboard singles charts, and released six studio albums. The band's debut album, Cracked Rear View (1994), became one of the best-selling albums in the United States and was certified 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 the country.[1]
History
[edit]Early years
[edit]Darius Rucker and Mark Bryan met in Columbia, South Carolina, in the mid-1980s when they were both freshmen at the University 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 playing cover 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 their MTV Unplugged performance in 1996 and played drums at Gruene Hall in Gruene, 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 demo