The Hooters biography
The Hooters (frequently listed simply as "Hooters", without the definite article) is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By combining a mix of rock and roll, reggae, ska and folk music, The Hooters first gained major commercial success in the United States in the mid 1980s due to heavy radio and MTV airplay of several songs including "All You Zombies", "Day by Day", "And We Danced" and "Where Do the Children Go". Their popularity resulted in the band opening the Philadelphia portion of the Live Aid benefit concert in 1985.
During the late 1980s and 1990s, The Hooters found significant commercial success internationally, especially in Europe, where they played at The Wall Concert in Berlin in 1990, before they went on hiatus in 1995.
Since reuniting in 2001, The Hooters have staged successful tours in Europe and 2007 saw the release of their first album of new material since 1993, Time Stand Still.
Career
Early years (1980-1984)
The Hooters were formed in 1980 and played their first show on July 4 of that year. They took their name from a nickname for the melodica, a type of keyboard harmonica which is German in origin and made by Hohner. Two of the members, Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman, had originally met in 1971 at the University of Pennsylvania and had played in a band in the late 1970s, based in Philadelphia, called Baby Grand, which also featured local singer, David Kagan. Baby Grand released two albums on Arista Records. In addition, producer/friend of the band Rick Chertoff also had a significant role during these album sessions, and he would later produce several Hooters albums as well.
During the 1980s, The Hooters played on the Philadelphia club scene, boosted by airplay on WMMR, the major rock radio station in Philadelphia at the time. They soon became a huge success along their native East Coast, playing everything from clubs to high schools, while appearing on local television shows. The original versions of "Man in the Street", "Fightin' on the Same Side", "Rescue Me", and "All You Zombies" were released as singles in this time period.
On September 25, 1982, The Hooters opened for one of The Who's farewell tour concert shows at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia on a bill that also included The Clash and Santana. After this, the group separated after two exhausting years of playing practically every club and high school on the East Coast. Hyman and his girlfriend, Betsy Berlin (of the Plastic Fantastic record shops), had been managing and booking the band during this period, which had begun to cut too deeply into Hyman's writing and rehearsal time.
In 1983 Bazilian and Hyman got together to write once again and decided to give the band one more try. Steve Mountain, owner of several of the clubs in Philly where they played, was approached to manage the band and he agreed. And the band's booking was taken over by others, leaving Hyman and Bazilian to concentrate solely on the music.
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