Sugar Ray

Sugar Ray formed in Newport Beach, California, in 1986. The original lineup included Rodney Sheppard, Stan Frazier, Murphy Karges, and Mark McGrath. Initially known as Shrinky Dinx, the band changed its name to Sugar Ray upon signing with Atlantic Records to avoid a lawsuit from the Milton Bradley Company. Their debut album, “Lemonade and Brownies,” was released in 1995, establishing them in alternative music circles. The band gained significant mainstream attention in 1997 with the single “Fly” from their album “Floored,” which surprised critics by becoming a major hit and driving the album to double-platinum certification. This success marked a shift in their musical direction towards a more pop-influenced sound.

Following the unexpected success of “Fly,” Sugar Ray released “14:59” in 1999, directly addressing claims of being a one-hit wonder. This album produced additional successful singles such as “Every Morning” (reaching number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100) and “Someday” (reaching number 7). “14:59” surpassed its predecessor, achieving triple-platinum status. Their self-titled album “Sugar Ray” in 2001 continued this trend with the hit single “When It’s Over,” which peaked at number 13 in the U.S. The band also made appearances in films like “Scooby-Doo” in 2002.

The band released “In the Pursuit of Leisure” in 2003, featuring a cover of “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”. After a period of relative inactivity and line-up changes, Sugar Ray returned in 2009 with “Music for Cougars.” In 2012, Mark McGrath co-founded the “Summerland” tour, a 1990s nostalgia tour, which later evolved into their own “Under the Sun” tour from 2013-2015. Their seventh studio album, “Little Yachty,” was released in 2019, demonstrating their continued presence in the music industry.