BoDeans

A heartland rock band from the Milwaukee suburbs, BoDeans spent a dozen years sharpening their critically-acclaimed sound before "Closer to Free," the band's breakthrough hit, became a Top 20 single in 1996. The group was formed in 1984 by songwriters Kurt Neumann and Sam Llanas, who had previously attended the same high school in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Joined by drummer Guy Hoffman and bassist Bob Griffin, they signed with Slash/Warner Records in 1985 and headed to Los Angeles to record their debut album, Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams, with producer T-Bone Burnett. Although the record stalled at Number 115 on the Billboard 200, reviews were overwhelmingly positive, with a January 1987 poll in Rolling Stone deeming BoDeans the best new band in America. 1987 turned out to be a pivotal year for the four bandmates, who modernized their sound with Outside Looking In — a popular record produced by Talking Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison, featuring the Top 20 mainstream rock single "Only Love" — and toured heavily as U2's opening act. 1989's Home featured another Top 20 rock hit, "You Don't Get Much," while 1991's Black and White included the enduring radio single "Good Things." Even so, it wasn't until BoDeans reunited with T-Bone Burnett for 1993's Go Slow Down that the band successfully transformed their critical success into a bonafide pop hit. "Closer to Free," the album's first track, became the theme song to the TV show Party of Five in 1994, introducing BoDeans' music to a broader audience. As a result, the gold-certified track climbed to Number 3 on the American Top 40, Number 11 in Australia, and Number 1 in Canada. BoDeans' lineup shifted dramatically throughout the following years, with Llanas leaving the group in 2011 and legendary drummer Kenny Aronoff climbing aboard one year later. Meanwhile, Neumann continued to display his songwriting sensibilities on albums like 2015's I Can't Stop and 2017's Thirteen.

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