Hanson (band)

Hanson is a pop/rock band 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 Hanson (born October 22 1985). They are best known for their hit song "Mmmbop".

History

Early years

As young children, the Hansons lived in Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador and Venezuela due to their father's job. There, they grew up listening to Time/Life compilations of music from the 1950s and 1960s, along with the Latin American music that surrounded them, influencing their musical tastes.

Related Topics:
Trinidad and Tobago - Ecuador - Venezuela - Time - Life - 1950s - 1960s - Latin America

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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 as a piece of their very own material. Their first performance as a professional group took place in 1992 at the Mayfest arts festival in Tulsa.

Related Topics:
A capella - Oldies - Mayfest

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Devoted fans of Hanson are also aware of their early video appearance on Carmans "Yo Kidz The Vidz" which includes Taylor cast as a young biblical David facing Goliath, while Isaac is cast as an event announcer and other members of the family, including Zac, are seen in the stands cheering on this "sporting event."

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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 musical festival for unsigned music bands. There, they were promptly signed by manager Christopher Sabec, who took them to Mercury Records, where they became instant worldwide sensations with the release of their first major-label album, Middle of Nowhere.

Related Topics:
Garage band - South By Southwest - Christopher Sabec - Mercury Records - Middle of Nowhere

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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 US and the UK, #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 & the Middle of Nowhere, an 82-minute videotape with home-videos, interviews, videoclips and live perfomances.

Related Topics:
Mmmbop - United States - UK - Canada - Australia - Teen magazine - Tiger Beat

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Since then, follow up albums have failed to match the success of Middle of Nowhere. This was due to the fact that they were catagorized as a "boyband," despite writing and performing their own music.

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Hanson released a new album, This Time Around, in May 2000. They toured through the summer and fall of 2000.

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Taylor Hanson married Natalie Anne Bryant on June 8, 2002. Natalie gave birth to their son Jordan Ezra Hanson on October 31 of that year; and their daughter, Penelope Anne, was born on April 19 2005.

Related Topics:
June 8 - 2002 - October 31 - April 19 - 2005

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Independent releases

The brothers left their record label, Island Def Jam, and now work under their own label, 3CG Records. The band toured during the summer and fall of 2003 in support of an acoustic CD entitled Underneath Acoustic, which was comprised of acoustic versions of songs from their forthcoming release, Underneath. The tour culminated in a November 2003 performance at the prestigious Carnegie Hall.

Related Topics:
Island Def Jam - Label - 3CG Records - Underneath - Carnegie Hall

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Underneath was released on April 20 2004, and the following week debuted at #1 on Billboards 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 self-released album.

Related Topics:
April 20 - 2004 - Billboard 200 - Prince - Ani DiFranco

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The first single from Underneath was "Penny & Me", whose video featured The O.C.s Samaire Armstrong. Penny & Me reached number 2 on Billboard's Top 200 Singles Chart. "Lost Without Each Other" was the second single from the Underneath album. The video for this song was filmed in Boston and also includes live footage from concerts. P. R. Brown directed the video.

Related Topics:
The O.C. - Samaire Armstrong - Boston - P. R. Brown

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Hanson toured the US throughout the summer of 2004 and continued their tour through Europe and Asia that fall.

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Hanson will be releasing a documentary entitled Strong Enough to Break, directed by Ashley Greyson, that chronicles the struggles the brothers experienced while on the Island Def Jam label and the success of 3CG Records.

Related Topics:
Strong Enough to Break - Ashley Greyson

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In fall 2005, Hanson will be touring the US to support their forthcoming live cd, The Best of Hanson Live & Electric.

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