Hootie & the Blowfish's mainstream pop variation of blues-rock brought the band to the top of the charts in 1995. Formed at the University of South Carolina, the group features lead vocalist/guitarist Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim "Soni" Sonefeld; the name refers to two friends of the band, not Rucker and the group itself.... [+] Read More

Yes No

The multi-instrumentalist group Rusted Root integrated the Grateful Dead's jam-heavy rock with percussion influences based on the music of Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. The six-piece formed in Pittsburgh in 1990 with Michael Glabicki (vocals, guitar), Liz Berlin (vocals, percussion), Patrick Norman (bass, vocals), and Jim Donovan... [+] Read More

Yes No

Formed in 1993, Sister Hazel is an acoustic jangle-pop band based in Gainesville, Florida, featuring vocalist/guitarist Ken Block, guitarist/vocalist Andrew Copeland, lead guitarist Ryan Newell, bassist Jeff Beres, and drummer Mark Trojanowski. The group released an eponymous debut in 1994 before moving to the majors for their second album,... [+] Read More

Yes No

Sonia Dada, an eclectic, exciting genre bending rock & roll group, was born in the spring of 1990. Like their labelmates the Freddy Jones Band, they are based in Chicago. The members take their songwriting inspiration from their experiences in that city as well as on the road. One day in 1990, songwriter-guitarist Dan Pritzker got off a subway... [+] Read More

Yes No

Guitarists and vocalists Kevin McKinney and Bill Cassis formed Soulhat in Texas with bassist Brian Walsh in 1990. They recruited former Funkadelic drummer Barry E. "Frosty" Smith to complement their psychedelic blues-based funk band, and independently-released Outdebox in 1993 (it was later re-released by Epic). Live at the Black Cat and their... [+] Read More

Yes No

Vocalist/guitarist Emerson Hart formed the alternative/roots band Tonic in 1993 with guitarist Jeff Russo (a childhood friend), bassist Dan Rothchild, and drummer Kevin Shepard. After gigging around Los Angeles, the foursome signed with A&M Records. For the recording of their debut album, producer Jack Joseph Puig (Jellyfish, the Black Crowes)... [+] Read More

Yes No

One of the many neo-hippie jam bands inheriting the road-warrior mantle left behind by the Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic established a devout grassroots following on the strength of constant touring and a loose, rootsy brand of Southern rock informed by jazz and blues textures. The group's origins dated to 1982, when vocalist John Bell and... [+] Read More

Yes No