Fall, 1985- Mark and Darius were known as the Wolf Brothers. Click here to see a pic of the Wolf Brothers. May 9, 1986- The band becomes Hootie & the Blowfish. 1990- In a small van, Hootie & the Blowfish stays on the road almost continuosly, playing a mix of originals and covers. 1991- Hootie & the Blowfish signed with JRS Records. 1992- Deal with JRS Records goes bad. 1994- Atlantic Records signs Hootie & the Blowfish. July 1994- Cracked Rear View released. October 1994- First David Letterman appearance. The band had previously scheduled a show in Columbia, SC at the Township Auditorium for the same night. But Letterman had heard Hootie on the radio and wanted them on his show. The band taped the Letterman Show during the afternoon, then jetted back to Columbia in time to make their Township show. 1995- Became title sponsor of Monday after the Masters golf tournament. May 1995- First time to Europe. During their tour of Europe, the band took time out to entertain the troops in Kaposvar, Hungary. 1995- 13th Annual Mtv Awards- Best New Artist in Video- Hold My Hand. May 22, 1995- First week Cracked Rear View topped #1 on Billboard 200 Charts. February 1996- 2 Grammy's- Best New Artist and Best Pop Performance by a duo or group with vocal. 1996- American Music Awards- Best Rock Group. March 1996- Breaking Records founded- Over the past few years, the Southeast has become a musical hotbed with developing young artists. Now, Hootie & the Blowfish have positioned a label right in the middle of all the action. April 22, 1996- Mtv Unplugged aired (from USC horseshoe) From "The Horseshoe" on the campus of The University of South Carolina, Hootie & the Blowfish celebrated the release of Fairweather Johnson with a special MTV Unplugged. Joining the band on stage were special guests Glen Phillips, Nanci Griffith, Peter Holsapple and Lili Haydn. April 23, 1996- Fairweather Johnson released. April 1996- Fairweather Johnson goes to #1 on Billboard Charts. July 1996- Hootie awarded Pop Writers of the year by ASCAP. August 1996- Scalpers Scholarship - a $10,000 donation was made to the State University at Stony Brook, Long Island for a musical scholarship by Hootie. August 1996- Sweet Relief II released. (Featured "Gravity of the Situation" performed by Hootie) October 12, 1996- Hootie participates in Farm Aid in Columbia, SC. Other acts included Jewel, John Mellancamp, and Willie Nelson. January 20, 1997- Band played at the Union Station Inauguaral Ball in Washington, DC for President Clinton and VP Gore. January 1997- Band played in the first ever Mtv Rock 'N Jock Football Game. March 1997- Band goes on their first tour of the Far East. Hitting 18 cities in just over 30 days, the band made the rounds throughout Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia. August 1997- Mark Bryan works on the "30 on the Rail" project. A collection of songs, mostly unfinished Hootie songs, recorded for publishing opportunities. Contributing musicians included Fred LeBlanc (Cowboy Mouth) Peter Holsapple (Continental Drifters, etc.) and Daniell Howle. October 1997- Writing begins for the band's third album. April 1998- Guerilla Tour '98 April 13, 1998 4th Annual M.A.M. Tournament Find out more about the tournament at the M.A.M. website May-June 1998 Third album recorded at Royal Tone Studios in Los Angeles, CA. After months of writing, rehearsing and touring small clubs, the band hit Royal Tone Studios in Los Angeles with producer Don Gehman to put down the tracks for Musical Chairs. September 15, 1998- Hootie's 3rd album, Musical Chairs, is released.