| Hootie and the Blowfish, the South Carolina based quartet formed in the early 90s, have recently come out of hiding.
After being heralded by David Letterman as his "favorite new band" Hootie and the Blowfish's 1994 debut album, Cracked Rear View, became a commercial success. By February 1997 Cracked Rear View had sold 15 million copies. In 1996 the band picked up two Grammy awards, Best Pop Performance By a Group and Best New Artist for their work.
But, what has the band been up to since then?
Their debut album was said to be one of the hardest albums to ever follow up. Nonetheless, 'Fairweather Johnson' debuted at number one its first week on the charts in 1996. Many bands would have seen this as a great success, but compared to 'Cracked Rear View' it was seen as a flop. But, the band continued to charge ahead and in October 1998 they released 'Musical Chairs,' which debuted at number four on the charts.
The year 2000 brought Scattered, Covered and Smothered, featuring both live and studio recordings. In 2002 leads vocalist Darius Rucker released his own album titled 'Back To Then.'
The band's 2003 self-titled album helped reestablish Hootie and the Blowfish as a band to remember.
Besides working on the albums the band has also participated in USO tours, specifically Bosnia and the first USA Homeland tour.
- Kristi Eaton, Music Associate Editor
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