Sugar Ray Artistfacts

1986-
Mark McGrathVocals, guitar1986-
Rodney SheppardGuitar1986-
Stan FrazierDrums1986-2012
Murphy KargesBass1986-2012
Craig "DJ Homicide" BullockTurntables, keyboards1995-2010
Dean ButterworthDrums2013-
Kristian AttardBass2014-
Sugar Ray formed in Newport Beach, California, in 1986 as Shrinky Dinx. After they landed a contract with Atlantic Records, they were forced to change their name under the threat of a lawsuit from Milton Bradley, the company behind the Shrinky Dinks toys. They adopted the moniker Sugar Ray in honor of boxer Sugar Ray Leonard.
According to Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath, the band's success is built on a lie. Back when they were still playing covers as Shrinky Dinks at sporadic gigs around Orange County, they told Atlantic Records they had a huge following in Southern California and an extensive catalog of original songs. "We totally lied to Atlantic," he said. "There was no social media or way for them to check though. We told them we had 100 songs, and we only had two!"
Because a lot of record labels wouldn't accept unsolicited demos, the band had to get creative to get their music heard. They made a two-song video and sent out copies hidden in pizza boxes.
The band's debut album, Lemonade And Brownies (1995), showcased their early hip-hop/nu-metal-influenced sound but brought them little recognition. They mostly followed suit on Floored (1997), except for the breezy reggae-fusion single "Fly," a huge radio hit that made Sugar Ray a household name overnight. Thanks to its success, "Fly" became the blueprint for their future hits like "Every Morning" and "Someday."
Their producer David Kahne was an early user of Pro Tools and used the software to help McGrath find his voice, which was a big insecurity for the novice singer. Early on, he adopted a wild onstage demeanor to distract from his singing ability and wanted the band to stick with screaming metal to mask his voice.
Film and TV director Joseph McGinty Nichol aka McG (Charlie's Angels, Terminator Salvation) is a longtime friend of the band and is considered an honorary member of the group. He co-wrote some of their early tunes and directed most of their videos.
When Sugar Ray first became famous, there was a rumor that Mark McGrath was really "Ice Ice Baby" rapper Vanilla Ice trying to make a comeback.
McGrath and Reality Bites actor Ethan Hawke were often mistaken for each other in the late '90s/early '00s. They would even sign each other's names on autographs for fans who couldn't tell them apart.
McGrath is a three-time champion of Rock & Roll Jeopardy. He owes his vast knowledge of music trivia to regularly reading magazines like Rolling Stone, Spin, and NME as a teen.
Sugar Ray were slated to play at Woodstock '99 but had to bow out when McGrath got sick. It was likely a blessing in disguise considering the festival was a notorious disaster.
McGrath was named People magazine's sexiest rocker of 1998.
Sugar Ray guitarist Rodney Sheppard provided the band's mascot - his bulldog, Austin, appeared in nearly every one of the band's videos.

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