• 1987-1997

  Douglas HopkinsGuitar1987-1992

  Bill LeenBass1987-1997

  Jesse ValenzuelaGuitar, vocals1987-1997

  Phillip RhodesDrums1988-1997

  Robin WilsonVocals1988-1997

  Scott JohnsonGuitar1992-1997
• Frontman Robin Wilson grew up loving Kiss - he even had their lunch box. So he thought it would be great to offer a Gin Blossoms lunch box to fan club members. And they did.
• They played their first concert on Christmas Day 1987 in Tempe, Arizona. They made it a tradition to play a show there every Christmas.
• When their 1992 album, New Miserable Experience, hit Platinum, they were presented with the platinum album at a Phoenix Suns home basketball game.
• Doug Hopkins had battled with alcoholism and depression for years. Things went from bad to worse and he was fired from the band after the recording of New Miserable Experience. He tried forming another band, the Chimeras, but committed suicide in December 1993.
• Previous band names include The Moral Majority, the Psalms, Algebra Ranch, and Ten O'Clock Scholars.
• The Psalms' claim to fame was opening for Billy Idol in 1983 when R.E.M. couldn't make it.
• Wilson had performed with local Tempe bands, Guy Smiley and Bed Spurs.
• The group played a lot of gigs as the Del Montes. This was a Traveling Wilbury-esque fake group. Supposedly they all had the same mother, but different fathers. They invented this pseudonym to play gigs with Richard Taylor who had been a member of the group, but he was on probation. Playing under this name made it less likely the cops would see him breaking probation.
• In 1989, they were named the best unsigned band in the United States by College Music Journal.

Comments: 1

• Andy from Arlington, VaAn underrated band. New Miserable Experience is one of my favorite albums.

More Songfacts:

Dancing QueenABBA

ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson conceived "Dancing Queen" as a dance song with the working title "Boogaloo," drawing inspiration from the 1974 George McCrae disco hit "Rock Your Baby." Their manager Stig Anderson came up with the title "Dancing Queen."

Right RoundFlo Rida

An unknown Kesha (known then as Ke$ha) sang on Flo-Rida's #1 hit "Right Round," but refused to appear in the video because she wanted to make a name for herself.

Heat Of The NightBryan Adams

Bryan Adams' 1987 song "Heat Of The Night" has the distinction of being the first commercially released cassette single in the US.

Pretty VacantSex Pistols

The riff for The Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" was pinched from a very unpunk song, the ABBA ballad "S.O.S."

Scooby SnacksFun Lovin' Criminals

The Scooby Snacks in the Fun Lovin' Criminals song aren't dog treats, they're Valium pills.

My GenerationThe Who

Roger Daltrey stutters the vocal on "My Generation" by The Who. The idea was to sound like a British kid on speed.

Editor's Picks

Daniel LanoisSongwriter Interviews

Daniel Lanois on his album Heavy Sun, and the inside stories of songs he produced for U2, Peter Gabriel, and Bob Dylan.

Chrissie Hynde of The PretendersSongwriter Interviews

The rock revolutionist on songwriting, quitting smoking, and what she thinks of Rush Limbaugh using her song.

70s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

The '70s gave us Muppets, disco and Van Halen, all which show up in this groovy quiz.

Richie McDonald of LonestarSongwriter Interviews

Richie talks about the impact of "Amazed," and how his 4-year-old son inspired another Lonestar hit.

Chris Fehn of SlipknotSongwriter Interviews

A drummer for one of the most successful metal bands of the last decade, Chris talks about what it's like writing and performing with Slipknot. Metal-neck is a factor.

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.