Sublime, the punk reggae rock band sprouted from the sand and surf of Long Beach California in the late '80s. Band members Brad Nowell (vocals, guitars), Eric Wilson (bass) and Bud Gaugh (drums) began playing music just for fun in 1988, beginning their start to musical fame. In 1992, the band founded their own label, Skunk Records, and released their debut album, 40 Oz. to Freedom, for less than $1,000. The low-budget album sold thousands of copies and spent over 50 weeks on the Billboard Alternative New Artist album chart. Two years grueling years later, Sublime released 1994's Robbin' the Hood, a new, experimental sound, which was again released on Skunk. The band's amazing originality and self-survival attitude earned tours with Firehose, the Melvins, the Ramones, No Doubt, the Butthole Surfers and the Ziggens.
After eight years underground, Sublime struck the mainstream with their third album in 1996. This self-titled album contained the smash-hit "What I Got," a popular fusion of hip-hop and reggae . Just before the albums release, Nowell died of a heroin overdose. He was just 28. In 1997 Second-Hand Smoke came out on MCA, containing demos and unreleased tracks.
