Blues Traveler: More Than Just Music

Blues Traveler is more than just a band- they’re a lifestyle. Check out our blog to learn more about the band, their music, and their devoted fans.

Who is Blues Traveler?

Blues Traveler is a rock band, formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. The band’s music covers a range of genres, including blues rock, psychedelic rock, soul, and Southern rock. They are known for their live performances and their hits “Run-Around” and “Hook”.

The band has released thirteen studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, and one EP. Their first album, Blues Traveler (1990), was a commercial success; it was followed by four more studio albums – four (1992), Save His Soul (1993), Straight on till Morning (1997), and Bridge (2001) – before the release of the live album Live from the Fall (2002). In 2004, they released the album Truth Be Told. After a hiatus for several years, they released North Hollywood Shootout (2007) and Suite420 (2010). In 2013, they released their twelfth studio album Hurry Up & Hang Around.

Blues Traveler’s musical style has varied greatly over the years. Their earlier work is characterized by John Popper’s harmonica playing and Chan Kinchla’s guitar work; their sound was later augmented by Brendan Hill’s percussion and Tad Kinchla’s bass guitar. With the addition of Ben Wilson on keyboards in 1992, the band began to experiment with different sounds and styles of music; this continued with the additions of bassist Bobby Sheehan in 1992 and drummer Brendan Hill in 1994.

The music of Blues Traveler

Blues Traveler is an American rock band that was formed in 1987. The band’s music is a blend of blues, psychedelic rock, and folk rock. They have released thirteen studio albums, four of which have gone platinum. The band is known for their live performances, which often include improvisation and extended jam sessions.

The early years

John Popper formed Blues Traveler in 1987 with high school friends Chan Kinchla and Brendan Hill. They began playing gigs in clubs and coffeehouses around New York and soon added bassist Bobby Sheehan to their lineup. The band’s name came from John’s love of golf and Chan’s love of traveling; the two combined their interests to come up with “Blues Traveler.”

In 1989, the band released their first album, Blues Traveler, which was followed by two more albums: 1990’s Travelers and Rhythm Devils and 1991’s Save His Soul. These early albums were mostly self-produced, but the band began to attract attention from record labels after their 1992 appearance at the H.O.R.D.E. (Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere) Festival. They eventually signed with A&M Records and released their fourth album, four, in 1994.

Four was a breakout success for the band, thanks in part to the popularity of the single “Run-Around.” The song reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1995. The album also earned Blues Traveler a second Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album.

The breakout years

The mid-1990s were a breakout period for Blues Traveler. The band’s fourth album, four, became a commercial success, selling more than three million copies in the United States and reaching the top ten of the Billboard 200 album chart. The album’s first single, “Run-Around,” became a top forty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The band’s follow-up album, Straight on till Morning, was also commercially successful, reaching the top twenty of the Billboard 200.

The present

Although the band has evolved over the years, they are still touring and making music today. They have released thirteen studio albums, with their most recent being “Hurry Up & Hang Around” in 2018. In addition to their work in the studio, Blues Traveler has toured extensively, both in the US and internationally. They continue to be a popular live act, and their concerts are known for their improvisational nature.

The members of Blues Traveler

Blues Traveler is an American rock band that was formed in 1987. The band members are John Popper (lead vocals and harmonica), Chan Kinchla (guitar), Brendan Hill (drums), Tad Kinchla (bass guitar), and Ben Wilson (keyboards). The band is known for their live performances and improvisational jams.

John Popper

Blues Traveler is an American rock band formed in 1987. The band’s music covers a variety of genres, including blues rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, soul, and Southern rock. They are known for their improvisational live shows and their fourth studio album, four, released in 1994. The band has sold over 12 million records worldwide.

John Popper is the lead singer and harmonica player for Blues Traveler. He was born on March 29, 1967, in New York City. Popper has been a part of Blues Traveler since the beginning and is one of the main songwriters for the band. He has also released several solo albums.

Chan Kinchla

Chan Kinchla was born in New York City on October 11, 1966. He is the guitarist and co-founder of the American rock band Blues Traveler. Chan’s father, Bert Kinchla, was also a musician and had a great influence on Chan’s early interest in music. Chan started playing guitar at the age of eleven and by thirteen he was already performing with his father’s band. Chan attended the High School of Music & Art in New York City, where he met John Popper. The two became friends and began jamming together. In 1987, they formed Blues Traveler and the band has been touring and recording ever since.

Chan is a self-taught musician and is known for his unique style of play. He often uses an open tuning on his guitar, which allows him to create interesting sound textures. In addition to guitar, Chan also plays harmonica, trumpet, and keyboards. He has co-written many of Blues Traveler’s hits, including “Run-Around” and “Hook.” Chan is married to his wife Nicole and has two sons, Miles and Jasper.

Brendan Hill

Brendan Hill (born November 15, 1965) is an American drummer, harmonica player, and occasional vocalist, best known for his work with the rock band Blues Traveler. He co-founded the group in 1987 with John Popper and Chan Kinchla.

Born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey, Hill started playing drums at an early age. When he was eleven years old, he began studying at the renowned McCarter Theatre Center for the Performing Arts. He later attended The Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut before eventually enrolling in New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. It was during his time at NYU that he met John Popper and Chan Kinchla, with whom he would go on to form Blues Traveler.

Blues Traveler enjoyed success in the 1990s with hit singles like “Run-Around” and “Hook”. The band’s fourth studio album, Four (1994), went platinum and earned them a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Hill continued to touring and recording with Blues Traveler throughout the 2000s and 2010s. To date, the band has released thirteen studio albums and have sold over 10 million records worldwide.

In addition to his work with Blues Traveler, Hill has also been involved in other musical projects over the years. In 2001, he co-founded the short-lived side project Bantam Rooster with Tommy Stinson of The Replacements. He has also collaborated with a number of other artists including Phish bassist Mike Gordon, jam band guitarist Steve Kimock, and country singer Willie Nelson.

Tad Kinchla

Tad Kinchla (bass guitar, backing vocals) is the younger brother of Blues Traveler guitarist Chan Kinchla. He joined the band in 1990 as its bassist, while still a student at the Lawrenceville School. Tad’s Gibson ES-335 was stolen in 2000 and subsequently replaced with a Fender Custom Shop ’59 reissue Stratocaster. Along with being an accomplished bassist, Tad also plays rhythm guitar and sings backing vocals.

Ben Wilson

Ben Wilson (born August 20, 1967) is an American musician and composer, and has been the keyboardist and harmonica player for the rock band Blues Traveler since 1987. Wilson also plays guitar, bass, and percussion instruments, and sings backup vocals. He has composed several of Blues Traveler’s songs, including “But Anyway”, “Girl Inside My Head”, “Mulling It Over”, and “The Mountains Win Again”.

The legacy of Blues Traveler

Blues Traveler is an American rock band formed in 1987. The band’s music combines elements of blues, rock, jam band, and psychedelic rock. They are known for their improvisational live shows and their hit singles “Run-Around” and “Hook”. The band has sold more than 10 million records worldwide and has won two Grammy Awards.

The H.O.R.D.E. tours

The H.O.R.D.E. (Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere) tours were a series of concert tours founded by Blues Traveler in 1992. The tour was created in an effort to bring alternative rock and jam bands to a larger audience, and it was successful in doing so, helping to launch the careers of many famous bands such as Phish and Widespread Panic. H.O.R.D.E. tours continued until 1998, when they were replaced by the Jam Band circuit.

The Allman Brothers Band

The Allman Brothers Band was one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century. They were pioneers in the development of the genre of southern rock, which combined elements of blues, country, and rock ‘n’ roll. The band was formed in 1969 by brothers Duane and Gregg Allman, and they achieved their greatest success in the 1970s with hits like “Ramblin’ Man” and “Whipping Post.” Tragically, Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident in 1971, but the band continued to record and tour until their break-up in 1976. They reunited in 1989 and have been touring and recording ever since. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

The Grateful Dead

In the world of rock and roll, there are a handful of musical groups that have transcended time, genre, and generations. The Grateful Dead is certainly one of those bands. Formed in the mid-1960s, the Dead was originally comprised of Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Bill Kreutzmann, and Phil Lesh. Over the years, the lineup would change somewhat (with the addition and departure of keyboardists, drummers, and other musicians), but Garcia remained the undisputed leader of the group until his untimely death in 1995.