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Thirty years after Hootie and the Blowfish won Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist at the 1996 American Music Awards, the band returned to the AMA stage Monday night to perform a medley of “Hold My Hand” and “Only Wanna Be With You.” On stage was the same line-up that recorded the breakthrough album “Cracked Rear View” in 1994: frontman Darius Rucker, guitarist Mark Bryan, bassist Dean Felber and drummer Jim Sonefeld.
With “Hold My Hand” as the opener Rucker immediately brought the hall to its feet – his characteristic baritone and acoustic guitar did the rest. The band moved seamlessly into “Only Wanna Be With You,” whose jangly guitar riffs and tambourine kept the audience going. John Legend and Chrissy Teigen were all smiles, as were the girl group Katseye and country singer Riley Green.
At today’s ceremony, Rucker will be honored with the Veterans Voice Award, a USAA-sponsored honor for musicians who support veterans and their families. Zac Brown received the same award last year.
Reunion after a long break
After years of hiatus – during which Rucker found success as a country solo artist – the band reunited for a tour and an album in 2019 and went on tour again in 2024. They also performed at this year’s Stagecoach Festival. Rucker, who released a single last year with his supergroup Howl Owl Howl (together with REM’s Mike Mills and former Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman), explained in the “Rolling Stone Music Now” podcast that the band is not the focus for him at the moment.
“Every time I played with Hootie, in ’19 and two years ago, it was because I thought the fans wanted it,” Rucker said. “Not because I wanted to. I wasn’t crazy about playing with the Blowfish. I wasn’t crazy about taking a huge pay cut – but that’s what the fans wanted.” Rucker had also stated that the Stagecoach appearance would be the band’s last show for a long time – but put that into perspective when the AMA evening and other festival dates were added.
At the 1996 AMAs, Hootie beat Alanis Morissette and Blues Traveler – and also won the Grammy for Best New Artist that year.
