Hootie & the Blowfish formed in South Carolina between four college friends in 1986. After landing on their permanent lineup of guitarist and vocalist Darius Rucker, guitarist Mark Bryan, bassist Dean Felber, and drummer Jim “Soni” Sonefeld, the group released their debut album Cracked Rear View in 1995. The album became a smash hit behind three Top 10 singles, “Hold My Hand,” "Let Her Cry" and "Only Wanna Be with You" and reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 on its way to becoming the highest selling album of 1995. Cracked Rear View, which has been certified platinum 21 times, remains one of the best-selling albums of all-time in the U.S. Hootie & the Blowfish won two Grammys, including Best New Artist, in 1996 and released their sophomore effort Fairweather Johnson later that year, marking their second No. 1 debut. Beginning in 2008, the band went on hiatus while Rucker pursued a solo career in country music, and reunited in 2019 for their sixth album, Imperfect Circle.