Hootie and The Blowfish at Blossom Music Center

They came together in the mid-1980s while they were all students at USC. Mark Bryan, Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, and Jim "Soni" Sonefeld make up the members of the band. With six studio albums under their belt, the trio has amassed 16 hits that have reached the Billboard singles charts and won two Grammy Awards. The band took a break in 2008 before announcing a full reunion tour for 2019 and releasing Imperfect Circle, their first studio album in fourteen years.

“We’d started adding original material to our repertoire,” Bryan recalled, about the band's time just after leaving USC. “Our songs went over well, so we decided to see if we could make a career out of it. Even if we hadn’t had a hit, I know we’d still be making music today because it’s exactly what we want to be doing.”

Cracked Rear View, Hootie's debut album, will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2024. Hits like "Let Her Cry," "Hold My Hand," and "I Only Wanna Be With You" catapulted the collegiate band from South Carolina to musical stardom. With sales of over 20 million copies, the album became one of the best-selling albums of all time in the US and earned the prestigious Double Diamond certification.

“Basically overnight, our lives changed when Cracked Rear View did what it did – and yet as we quickly moved from vans and college bars to tour buses and arenas, not much else changed with how we approached making music and sharing it with our fans,” reflects Bryan. “Edwin McCain told someone at the time that touring with us felt like summer camp with trucks… and that’s exactly how we want next year to feel, too. We can’t wait for you to join us!”

In November 2019, Hootie & the Blowfish released their sixth studio album, Imperfect Circle. The album was published via Capitol Records Nashville. It is their first new studio album in fourteen years, and it has been met with a variety of reviews while receiving a moderate level of economic success. In its first week of release, Imperfect Circle sold 17,000 copies, placing it at #3 on Billboard's Top Country Albums and #26 on the Billboard 200. Their highest Billboard 200 entry since 1998, and their first-ever appearance on the Country chart. The album was named one of the “biggest albums to hear this season” by Entertainment Weekly and featured the radio single “Hold On.”