Hanson (band)
Hanson | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Years active | 1992-Present |
| Members | Isaac Hanson Taylor Hanson Zac Hanson |
| Website | http://www.hanson.net/ |
Not to be confused with The Hanson Brothers, another band.
Hanson is a pop/rock band that formed in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the 1990s by brothers Clarke Isaac Hanson (born November 17, 1980), Jordan Taylor Hanson (born March 14, 1983) and Zachary Walker "Zac" Hanson (born October 22, 1985). They are best known for their hit song, "MMMBop".
History
Early years
The boys were the first three children of parents Clarke Walker ("Walker") (June 1, 1954) and Diana Frances Lawyer Hanson (April 30, 1954). The Hanson family also includes sisters and brother, Jessica Grace (July 31, 1988), Avery Laurel (November 4, 1990), Joshua Mackenzie ("Mac") (January 7, 1994), and Zoë Genevieve (January 14, 1998).
The band, which was originally called "The Hanson Brothers," started out as three kids who sang a capella and recorded tapes with oldies like "Rockin' Robin," "Splish Splash," and "Johnny B. Goode," as well pieces of their very own material. Their first performance as a professional group took place in 1992 at the Mayfest arts festival in Tulsa.
Devoted fans of Hanson are also aware of their early video appearance on Carman's "Yo Kidz The Vidz," which includes Taylor cast as a young biblical David facing Goliath, Isaac cast as an event announcer, and other members of the family, including Zac, in the stands cheering on this "sporting event."
Later on, Isaac picked up a secondhand guitar, Zac borrowed an old set of drums, and Taylor became the keyboard player of what turned into a garage band. Two independent albums later, they found themselves at the South By Southwest music festival for unsigned music bands. There, they were promptly signed by manager Christopher Sabec. He shopped them to several record companies, most of which dismissed the band as either a novelty or fraud before Steve Greenberg, an A&R representative for Mercury Records, heard them play a set at the Kansas State Fair. This break resulted in the band being signed almost immediately by Mercury. They soon became worldwide sensations with the release of their first major-label album, Middle of Nowhere.
Commercial success
Middle of Nowhere was released in 1997. The album's first single, "MMMBop", debuted at #16 in the United States, reaching #1 in both the U.S. and the UK, reaching #2 in Canada, and staying over two months in the top spot in Australia. The group was heavily featured in teen magazines such as Tiger Beat and found a wide following among teen and pre-teen girls. The album's second single, "Where's the Love," followed "MMMBop" to the top of the charts. Their first album's worldwide success was registered in Tulsa, Tokyo and The Middle of Nowhere, an 82-minute videotape with home videos, interviews, video clips, and live performances.
Since then, follow up albums have failed to match the success of Middle of Nowhere and Hanson has struggled against the label of 'one hit wonder.' Hanson released their second album, This Time Around, in May 2000 but due to lack of sales the label pulled funding on their tour. They toured through the summer and fall of 2000 on their own funds.[citation needed]
Independent releases
The brothers left their record label, Island Def Jam, due to conflict with the producers who felt their material was lacking quality and had refused over 80 songs from the band. The band now works under their own independent label, 3CG Records ("3 Car Garage Records"), named for the three-car garage in which the band started out. The label has distribution deals through ADA (Alternative Distribution Alliance) in the United States, Sony BMG in Asia, and various other distributors throughout the world.
The band toured during the summer and fall of 2003 in support of Underneath Acoustic, which was composed of acoustic versions of songs from their then-forthcoming release, Underneath. The tour culminated on November 5, 2003 with a performance at the prestigious Carnegie Hall.
Underneath was released on April 20, 2004, and the following week debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Independent Album Chart and #25 on the Billboard 200 album chart, making Underneath one of the most successful independent albums of all time (only a few artists, such as Prince and Ani DiFranco, have released a top 25 independent album).
The first single from Underneath was "Penny & Me;" its music video featured The O.C.’s Samaire Armstrong and was directed by Chris Applebaum ("Stacey's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne). "Penny & Me" reached #2 on Billboard’s Top 200 Singles Chart. The video for the album's second single, "Lost Without Each Other," was directed by P.R. Brown and filmed in Boston, and includes live footage from the concert played in the city that coincided with the filming.
In fall 2005, Hanson toured the US and played at certain Canadian venues to support their recently released live album, The Best of Hanson: Live & Electric. They also visited various colleges in order to showcase Strong Enough to Break, their documentary chronicling their struggles with Island Def Jam during the making of Underneath, as well as their subsequent departure from the label. During the college visits, the band also held question-and-answer sessions about the problems that independent artists face in music industry today. Hanson is currently recording their fourth major studio album, and no tentative release date has been set.[citation needed]
Other events
Hanson toured the United States throughout the summer of 2004 and continued their tour through Europe and Asia that fall.
During the spring of 2005, Hanson toured many countries in South America and Europe, and performed their first ever electric shows in Australia during their highly successful Live and Electric tour.
Hanson plans to release Strong Enough to Break on DVD in late 2006 and are currently working on their fourth studio album set for release early 2007.[citation needed]
Personal life
On June 8, 2002, middle brother Taylor Hanson married long-time girlfriend, Natalie Anne Bryant (born December 28, 1983). The ceremony was held at the Ida Cason Memorial Chapel of Callaway Gardens, located in Pine Mountain, Georgia. The couple have had two children, Jordan Ezra Hanson (born October 31, 2002) and Penelope Anne Hanson (born April 19, 2005).
Youngest brother Zac's announcement of his engagement to girlfriend Kathryn Rebecca Tucker (born November 29, 1983) was the topic of much discussion within the Hanson fan community after he revealed it on a Mexican television show appearance in the spring of 2005. The two married on June 3, 2006 at a private ceremony held in Atlanta, Georgia.[citation needed]
Eldest brother Isaac Hanson is single
Discography
Albums and singles
- Boomerang (1995)
- MMMBop (1996)
- Middle of Nowhere (May 6, 1997) #2; 4x Platinum
- Snowed In (November 18, 1997) #7; Platinum
- 3 Car Garage (May 12, 1998) #6; Platinum
- Live From Albertane (November 3, 1998) #32; Gold
- This Time Around (May 9, 2000) #19; Gold
- Underneath Acoustic (2003) Available only through the Official Store. [1]
- Underneath (April 20, 2004) #25; Gold
- The Best of Hanson: Live & Electric (October 11, 2005) #182
Promotional
- Pepsi Music Live: Hanson (1998)
- MOE Enhanced CD (January 1, 1998)
- Teen Mag Music 2000 Volume 1 (July 1, 2000)
- HANSON.NET Enhanced CD (May 2, 2003)
- Live & Electric Indie Sampler (2005)
Filmography
- Yo Kidz! The Vidz! (1994)
- Tulsa, Tokyo and The Middle of Nowhere (November 18, 1997)
- The Road to Albertane (November 3, 1998)
- At the Fillmore (April 24, 2000)
- Underneath Acoustic Live (July 27, 2004)
- Strong Enough To Break (2006)
Hanson Trivia
- During the first season of Family Guy, there is a scene featured where the Hanson tour bus breaks down in front of the Griffins' home, and Peter declares them the Children Of The Corn and shoots them.
- A Family Guy episode features the following dialogue in which Glen Quagmire erroneously thinks Taylor Hanson is a girl.
- Peter Griffin - If you could be stranded on a desert island with any woman in the world, who would it be?
- Quagmire - Taylor Hanson.
- Joe Swanson - Taylor Hanson is a guy.
- Quagmire - [Laughs] You guys are yankin' me. "Hey, let's put one over on Quagmire."
- Peter - No, he's actually a guy, Quagmire.
- Quagmire - What? That's insane. That's impossible.
- [Pause]
- Quagmire - Oh god. Oh my god. I've got all these magazines. Oh god.
- The Cheap Suits released a song entitled 'Lead Singer' that pokes fun at the adrognyous aspect of Taylor Hanson. Lyrics include "I fell in love with the lead singer of Hanson, I'm so happy now that I'm dancing" and also "I have sold all of my records and I'm no longer a fan because I found out that Taylor Hanson was a man."