Darius Rucker first gained fame as the lead singer and guitarist of the Grammy Award-winning rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he formed in 1986 at the University of South Carolina. After selling many platinum albums, the band broke up and Darius took on the challenge of becoming a country singer. It had been twenty-five years since the last African American artist had reached the number-one spot on the country charts and Darius Rucker got the job done with his single Don t Think I Don t Think About It.
Hootie & the Blowfish’s drummer chronicles the band’s rise, fall, and rebirth, as well as his path from addiction to recovery and a more fruitful life. For a time, there was no bigger band in the world than Hootie & the Blowfish—rock & roll’s unexpected foil to the grunge music that dominated the early ’90s airwaves.?In Swimming with the Blowfish, Jim?Sonefeld, drummer and one of the band’s principal songwriters, reveals the inside story of the band’s humble beginnings, meteoric rise, sudden fall, and ultimate rebirth—and in the telling he opens his heart to readers about addiction, recovery, and faith. Hootie became ubiquitous in the ‘90s—their debut album Cracked Rear View was one of the best-selling in the history of rock music; they won two Grammy Awards; their live performances were played alongside the Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M., and even Willie Nelson and Neil Young; and they appeared at the biggest venues in the world. Though Jim enjoyed the perks that came with fame—the parties, the relationships, the money, the drugs and alcohol—eventually it all became a camouflage that hid a deeper spiritual malady. As his life was careening toward disaster, he reached out his hands to seek relief in twelve-step recovery, eventually settling into a loving, but by no means uncomplicated, homelife. A book that encapsulates a band still beloved by legions of fans, Swimming with the Blowfish is much more—an unpretentious, emotional story of one man’s spiritual path to a more fruitful life. Jim’s journey is shattering, redeeming, and ultimately as comforting as your favorite flannel shirt. Praise for Swimming with the Blowfish “I’ve truly relished hanging out with the fun-loving, mischievous ‘Soni’ through the years, but this book exposes a more deeply-rooted, impassioned side he didn’t always show. He captures the spirit of the surreal and sometimes unsettling life behind the scenes of one of my favorite bands, sincerely revealing that he is as fragile as the rest of us. It’s an eloquent yet humbling example of a lesson we can all learn from—that no degree of fame or fortune leaves us immune to experiencing pain, powerlessness, and regret.” —Dan Patrick, sports broadcaster and host of?The Dan Patrick Show? “Jim Sonefeld details his rollercoaster ride through rock and roll, addiction and sobriety with searing honesty and grace.” —Radney Foster, singer-songwriter of Foster & Lloyd and author of?For You?to?See?the?Stars
Experience the exclusive, behind-the-scenes story of one of the biggest bands of the nineties In 1985, Mark Bryan heard Darius Rucker singing in a dorm shower at the University of South Carolina and asked him to form a band. For the next eight years, Hootie & the Blowfish—completed by bassist Dean Felber and drummer Soni Sonefeld—played every frat house, roadhouse, and rock club in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast, becoming one of the biggest independent acts in the region. Thirty years after the band's major label debut, cracked rear view, author Tim Sommer pulls back the curtain on the band that defied record-industry odds to break into the mainstream by playing hacky sack music in the age of grunge. Only Wanna Be with You includes extensive new interviews with the band members and some of their most famous fans, as well as stories from the recording studio, tour bus, and golf course. Only Wanna Be with You is essential reading for Hootie lovers and music buffs.
Modern life tells us that it's up to us to forge our own identities and to make our lives significant. But the Christian gospel offers a strikingly different vision—one that reframes the way we understand ourselves, our families, our society, and God. Contrasting these two visions of life, Alan Noble invites us into a better understanding of who we are and to whom we belong.
Ernest Hummingbird is the heartwarming story of a young hummingbird who wants to sing and not just hum. Written and illustrated by David Feiss, award-winning animator for Sony Animation, previously at Hanna-Barbera. This is his first book.
From the award-winning radio and TV personality and beloved two-time New York Times bestselling author Bobby Bones, Stanley the Dog: The First Day of School is a hilarious and heartfelt new picture book about a bulldog pup named Stanley and his adventures on the first day of school. Today is Stanley’s first day of school—and he really doesn’t want to go. Stanley would rather dawdle in bed and dither over which collar to wear than get on the school bus. With his stomach turning into tighter knots by the minute, Stanley’s worried whether a bulldog like him will ever fit in with the other pups at school. For one thing, Stanley doesn’t know any of the school rules. He rolls when he’s supposed to sit. Barks when he’s supposed to stay. And worst of all, he doesn’t know how to make friends. But when disaster strikes, maybe all Stanley needs to do is be himself in order save the day? Illustrated with hilariously loving detail by Stephanie Laberis and inspired by Bobby Bones’s own real-life bulldog puppy, Stanley the Dog: The First Day of School will remind every reader about the challenges of trying new things and the value of staying true to yourself.
What if practical inspiration could be as simple as an eye-opening, heartfelt song? From Grammy-winning star performer, husband, and father, Tim McGraw, comes a beautiful keepsake book, inspired by his uplifting hit, "Humble and Kind." Humble and Kind is the keepsake hardcover volume that combines the emotional power of Tim McGraw's uplifting #1 single and video "Humble and Kind" to elegant line illustrations in a gift book for all seasons. Inspired by McGraw's own life experience as his eldest child embarked on her college career, every parent and graduate can relate to Humble and Kind; with tender clarity, the words reinforce lessons for mindful, compassionate living. The song's pure poetry not only propelled the single up the charts, but its accompanying video-gorgeously produced with images courtesy of Oprah Winfrey's documentary "Belief" -has been viewed by tens of millions since its release, and inspired a community movement at stayhumbleandkind.com. Featuring an introduction from McGraw and an epilogue by the songwriter Lori McKenna, Humble and Kind is a deeply affecting call to action, and the perfect memento for millions of graduates, parents, and children across the continent.
A thoughtfully curated and gloriously illustrated retrospective of the band’s studio releases, Queen, comes just in time for the 45th anniversary of their debut LP and biopic. Formed in 1970, Queen went on to become one of the most popular—and most successful—rock bands of all time. Even following the untimely death of beloved and magnetic frontman Freddie Mercury, and nearly 50 years after their formation, interest in the band has continued, evidenced by scores of reissues, arena tours with surviving members, and a feature-film biopic. In this new installment in Voyageur Press’s Album by Album series, rock journo Martin Popoff convenes a cast of 19 Queen experts and superfans to discuss all 15 of the band’s studio albums (including their soundtrack for the 1980 film Flash Gordon). Panelists include Queen experts, rock journalists, musicians, and record industry figures. The results are freewheeling discussions delving into the individual songs, the circumstances that surrounded the recording of each album, the band and contemporary rock contexts into which they were released, and more. The engaging text of this beautifully designed book is illustrated throughout with rare live performance and candid offstage photography, as well as scads of rare Queen ephemera. The Album by Album series is a unique approach to the rock bio, injecting the varied voices of several contributors. The results have even the most diehard fans rushing back to their MP3 players (or turntables) to confirm the details and opinions expressed!
“A thoughtful, entertaining history of obsessed music collectors and their quest for rare early 78 rpm records” (Los Angeles Times), Do Not Sell at Any Price is a fascinating, complex story of preservation, loss, obsession, and art. Before MP3s, CDs, and cassette tapes, even before LPs or 45s, the world listened to music on fragile, 10-inch shellac discs that spun at 78 revolutions per minute. While vinyl has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, rare and noteworthy 78rpm records are exponentially harder to come by. The most sought-after sides now command tens of thousands of dollars, when they’re found at all. Do Not Sell at Any Price is the untold story of a fixated coterie of record collectors working to ensure those songs aren’t lost forever. Music critic and author Amanda Petrusich considers the particular world of the 78—from its heyday to its near extinction—and examines how a cabal of competitive, quirky individuals have been frantically lining their shelves with some of the rarest records in the world. Besides the mania of collecting, Petrusich also explores the history of the lost backwoods blues artists from the 1920s and 30s whose work has barely survived and introduces the oddball fraternity of men—including Joe Bussard, Chris King, John Tefteller, and others—who are helping to save and digitize the blues, country, jazz, and gospel records that ultimately gave seed to the rock, pop, and hip-hop we hear today. From Thomas Edison to Jack White, Do Not Sell at Any Price is an untold, intriguing story of the evolution of the recording formats that have changed the ways we listen to (and create) music. “Whether you’re already a 78 aficionado, a casual record collector, a crate-digger, or just someone…who enjoys listening to music, you’re going to love this book” (Slate).
