Hootie & the Blowfish

For a short time, Hootie & the Blowfish was the most popular band in America. Grunge music ruled the airwaves during the mid-'90s, but Hootie played a mainstream pop variation of blues-rock, and their easygoing sound netted them a string of Top 40 hits. Formed at the University of South Carolina, the group featured lead vocalist/guitarist Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim "Soni" Sonefeld, and the band's name referred to two mutual friends (not Rucker and the group itself). Cracked Rear View, the quartet's first album, was released in the fall of 1994 and became e...