Hanson (band)

In the early to mid-1990s, Isaac, Taylor, and Zac sang a cappella and recorded such classic songs as "Rockin' Robin", "Splish Splash", and "Johnny B. Goode", as well as their own material. Their first performance as a professional group took place in 1992 at the Mayfest Arts Festival in Tulsa.[3] They were known as the Hanson Brothers, before shortening the name to Hanson in 1993.[4]

Hanson also appeared on Carman's Yo! Kidz: The Vidz, which cast Taylor as a young Biblical David facing Goliath, Isaac as an event announcer, and Zac and other members of the family in the stands cheering on this "sporting event".[5]

All three boys started their musical careers as pianists, but Isaac eventually started playing guitar and Zac started playing drums, while Taylor continued as the keyboard player. The band recorded two independent albums in their hometown of Tulsa, Boomerang (recorded in autumn 1994, released in 1995) and MMMBop (released in 1996). The latter featured the original version of the song "MMMBop", which later became the runaway single on their debut commercial record Middle of Nowhere. The band played in Austin during the South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, which led to them being signed by manager Christopher Sabec.[3] He shopped them to several record companies, most of which dismissed the band as a novelty before Steve Greenberg, an A&R representative for Mercury Records, heard them play a set at the Wisconsin State Fair. After this performance, they were signed almost immediately by Mercury. They soon became a worldwide sensation with the release of their first major-label album, Middle of Nowhere, which was produced by Stephen Lironi and the Dust Brothers.

Taylor in concert in Madrid, 2000

Middle of Nowhere was released in the US on May 6, 1997, selling 10 million copies worldwide. May 6 was declared 'Hanson Day' in Tulsa by Oklahoma's then-governor Frank Keating.[6] Although 'Hanson Day' was originally intended to be a one-time occurrence, many Hanson fans all over the world still recognize May 6 as Hanson Day every year. Hanson's popularity exploded during the summer of 1997, and Mercury Records released Hanson's first documentary Tulsa, Tokyo, and the Middle of Nowhere and their Christmas album Snowed In in the wake of their success. Hanson also launched MOE (which stood for Middle of Everywhere), a fan club magazine that ran for 12 issues.[7] After numerous unauthorized biographies of each of the brothers were published, Hanson turned to their close friend, Jarrod Gollihare of Admiral Twin, to write their authorized biography. Hanson: The Official Book reached number 9 on the New York Times Best Sellers List (nonfiction) on February 1, 1998.[8] The band was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 1998: Record of the Year, Best New Artist, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.[9] During the summer of 1998, Hanson began a highly successful concert tour, the Albertane Tour. They performed a string of shows throughout stadiums and arenas in the US, targeting young audiences with a playful and energetic style. A live album, titled Live From Albertane, was released the following fall, as well as their second documentary The Road to Albertane.[10]

In response to the demand for their earlier work, Hanson re-released MMMBop as 3 Car Garage, minus four tracks, in May 1998. Three tracks from Boomerang ("Boomerang", "More Than Anything", and "Rain (Falling Down)") and two of the remaining tracks from MMMBop ("Incredible" and "Baby (You're So Fine)") were released on the first MOE CD sent to fan club members.

During the Albertane Tour, Hanson wrote and demoed what became the songs for their second major studio album, This Time Around. During this time period, Mercury Records, the band's label, had been merged with Island Def Jam. Almost immediately following the changeover in May 2000, Hanson released their second album, This Time Around, but due to lack of promotional funding, sales were low and the label eventually pulled funding for their tour. The band toured through the summer and fall of 2000 on their own funds.[11]

After a three-year struggle, the brothers left Island Def Jam Records to seek more creative freedom. Label executives had refused over 80 songs from the band, believing new material lacked marketability.[11] The documentary film Strong Enough to Break follows these events.

Hanson now records for their own independent label, 3CG Records.[12] The label has distribution deals through Alternative Distribution Alliance in the United States, Cooking Vinyl in Europe, Sony Music in Asia and with various other distributors throughout the world.[13] During the dispute with their former label, Hanson signed with the management company, 10th Street Entertainment, which also manages artists such as Meat Loaf and Blondie.[14]

The band's Underneath Acoustic tour occurred during the Summer and Fall of 2003. Music included acoustic versions of songs from the then-forthcoming release, Underneath. The tour ended November 5, 2003 with a performance at Carnegie Hall.[15]

Released on April 20, 2004, Underneath sold 37,500 copies in the first week of release in the US alone. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart[16] and No. 25 on the Billboard 200 album chart,[17] making Underneath one of the most successful self-released albums of all time.[18]

In autumn 2005, Hanson toured in the US and Canada to support The Best of Hanson: Live & Electric. They also visited colleges to showcase Strong Enough to Break, the documentary chronicling difficulties with and departure from Island Def Jam. During college visits, the band held question-and-answer sessions about independent artists' role in the music industry.[19]

Hanson leading fans as part of their "Take the Walk" initiative in 2008.

On January 15, 2007, Hanson released on iTunes the first episode of their documentary podcast "Taking the Walk", detailing production of the studio album. The first episode of the band's documentary Strong Enough to Break was also released on iTunes. The program is edited into 13 episodes for release by podcast.[20]

In March 2007, Hanson began a "preview tour" to promote The Walk and give fans a taste of recent work. Over six days, Hanson performed at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, Toad's Place in New Haven, Connecticut, The Crocodile Rock in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and The Supper Club in New York City. On March 30, Taylor and Zac appeared in Dallas, TX to screen their documentary at the AFI Film Festival. Afterward, the brothers held a Q&A session along with director Ashley Greyson. Hanson performed in the UK during April 2007, playing songs from The Walk. They also promoted the release of the single "Go" and the UK release of the album.

The Walk, Hanson's second studio album with 3CG Records (Fourth overall), was released in the US, Mexico and Canada on July 24. It was released in Japan on February 21 and in the UK on April 30.[21] As part of this album, the band hosted "Take the Walk" events with fans encouraged to walk one mile to raise money and awareness of AIDS/HIV in Africa. The band partnered with Tom's Shoes to give shoes to children in Africa.[22]

On May 6, 2007, the 10th anniversary of Hanson Day, the band re-recorded their first major label album, Middle Of Nowhere, at The Blank Slate bar in their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The band invited fan club members, causing hundreds to fly to Oklahoma for the acoustic event. Hanson played concerts in the summer of 2007, supporting release of The Walk. The band appeared in Providence, Boston, New York City, Toronto, and Los Angeles. The record Middle of Nowhere Acoustic was released at the end of that year, exclusively on Hanson.net. The record included all but three songs of those originally in Middle of Nowhere ("Speechless", "Thinking of You" and "With You in Your Dreams") and featured the song Yearbook, never performed live before.

In June 2009, Hanson completed the album Shout It Out and planned to release it on June 8, 2010. The band also announced that they would be co-headlining a tour with Hellogoodbye. The tour started in Hanson's hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, on September 30, 2009 and finished November 11, 2009 in Anaheim, California.

Zac Hanson playing in Sydney, Australia during the Shout It Out tour.

Hanson also released a five-song EP titled Stand Up, Stand Up that was available at shows and on the band's official website. The tracks are acoustic versions of four new Hanson songs, plus the album version of "World's on Fire" which was originally going to be on their album Shout It Out but was ultimately left off the album.[23] It was released worldwide on iTunes on December 8, 2009.

In December 2009, Hanson announced they would play five consecutive concerts at New York's Gramercy Theater. Each concert featured one of the band's four previous albums in its entirety, and the premiere of their upcoming Spring 2010 release. Dubbed 'Five of Five', the engagement began with a performance of Hanson's debut, Middle of Nowhere, on April 26, 2010 and then moved onto 2000's This Time Around on April 27, 2004's Underneath followed on April 28 with 2007's The Walk on April 29. On April 30, the band unveiled their new album, Shout It Out. The concert series was also streamed live on band's official website, Hanson.net, and included an exclusive "Backstage Pass" stream for fan club members. On March 6, 2010, Hanson shot dance and other sequences for their upcoming music video of their new single, "Thinking 'Bout Somethin'", at Greenwood Avenue in Tulsa. Hanson recruited professional dancers for the shoot and also invited fans and local residents to take part in the video, which is an homage to the Blues Brothers.[24] The video was directed by Todd Edwards, co-founder of Blue Yonder Films.[25][26] It was released for public viewing on their MySpace channel on April 15, 2010. "Weird Al" Yankovic has a cameo appearance as the tambourine player. On June 8, 2010, Hanson's fifth studio record was released. Shout It Out debuted at number 30 on the Billboard 200, number 2 on the Indie chart, and No. 16 on the digital chart. On June 15, 2010, the band's free concert at the South Street Seaport in New York City rather incongruously ended in a riot after an estimated 20,000 fans showed up at a venue which could only accommodate half that many people. The rapper Drake was also on the bill.[27] Hanson offered a "platinum package" of their Shout it Out record which included artwork hand-painted by the band's members. In October 2010, Hanson released "The 113 Painting Book" which includes the paintings they created for these packages. To promote their new album, Shout It Out, Hanson toured from July 2010 through November 2010. The tour kicked off in Buffalo, NY on July 21, with the final show in Toronto, Ont., on November 23. Throughout the tour, the band broadcast live streams from their website. The footage included introducing the local musician winners of their opening band contest, a few full length concerts, and walks with fans to fight AIDS and poverty in Africa for their Take the Walk Campaign.[28] One of the most notable concerts included two days in November at Walt Disney World Resort's Food and Wine Festival for the Eat to the Beat concert series.

The band released a second single from Shout It Out in 2011. "Give a Little" reached Top 40 on the US Hot AC charts, making it the first top 40 hit for the band since their 2000 single "If Only".

The band resumed their touring activity in September 2011. The US Musical Ride Tour lasted from September 4 to November 1. Starting on November 6 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, they proceeded to tour Latin America and Europe in order to promote their Shout It Out album internationally. In early 2012, they toured Canada with Carly Rae Jepsen. Later in 2012, they took the Shout It Out world Tour to Philippines and Australia as well.

Hanson perform in Australia at the Melbourne Zoo Twilight Concert in March 2019

Their sixth album Anthem was released on June 18, 2013. The album charted at number 22 on the US Billboard 200, making it their eighth album to reach the top 40 of the Billboard 200; the album also peaked at number 5 on the US Independent Albums chart. The first single is titled "Get the Girl Back", which was released on April 9, 2013.[29] The single charted at number 39 on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs.

On October 23, 2013, Hanson served as guest judges on the popular show Cupcake Wars. Four cupcake bakers fought to the finish for the chance at having their cupcakes at a concert and an after party with the band, and a $10,000 prize.[30]

On March 16, 2017, Hanson announced their 25th anniversary tour called "Middle of Everywhere: 25th Anniversary Tour" to celebrate the band's first signed album release.

Hanson released their second Christmas album, Finally It's Christmas, on October 27, 2017. They also performed a Finally It's Christmas special, which can be found on YouTube.[31] In 2018, they performed backing vocals on the title song for Mike Love's solo album Reason for the Season.

In July 2018, Hanson announced a symphonic tour and accompanying album, titled String Theory, inspired by their bucket list desire to play with a symphony orchestra at iconic venues such as the Sydney Opera House and the Greek Theatre.[32] The tour began in August 2018 and saw them touring the world performing with the backing of local symphony orchestras.[33] The album was released on November 9, 2018 with the symphonic composition recorded in Prague, lead by Academy award winning arranger David Campbell.[34][35] Hanson performed their highlight shows at the Sydney Opera House in Australia over the two nights of March 4th and 5th 2019.[36][37] Their parents, Walker and Diana, flew to Australia to see their sons perform in the hallowed space.[38] Whilst in Australia, the band played some side gigs at The Melbourne Zoo without the orchestra backing.[39]

On September 13, 2019, Hanson announced their Wintry Mix tour in North America, featuring Paul McDonald and Joshua and the Holy Rollers, led by the youngest Hanson brother, Mac Hanson.[40][41]

During the Wintry Mix tour, Zac Hanson was injured in a motorcycle accident on October 2, 2019. Despite the incident, the tour continued, with Zac on percussions and former HAIM drummer Dash Hutton filling in for him.[42]

The seven-track album, Against the World was released officially in November 2021 after the band released a song a month with a corresponding video over the course of 2021.[43][44][45] The album was recorded at the legendary FAME studios in Muscle Shoals, AL.[43] The album's theme is about, facing adversity in its many forms, and seeking a way forward.[44]

Hanson performing on the RGB tour, August 3rd 2022. The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, Canada.

The album RGB (Red Green Blue) was released in 2022. Red Green Blue is a blend of a 5-song mini album crafted by each individual brother: RED for Taylor, GREEN for Isaac and BLUE for Zac.[46] Each brother wrote and produced their third of the album individually with the help of award-winning producers Jim Scott and David Garza.[47]

Each portion is unique to the individual brother, but doesn't stick to one genre.[47] Taylor Hanson’s Red portion tends to lean more toward a rootsy Americana sound.[46] For Isaac's Green portion, there’s more of an intimate and vintage sound. Zac’s Blue has a more contemporary sound, mixing in pop, rock and alt-country.[46] The three released singles from the album. Taylor's Child At Heart, depicts a series of inflicted wounds and tragedies as a metaphor for the pain of life and love. It sees Taylor getting punched and a glass of water thrown on him in the video clip.[48] Isaac's Write You A Song, was written for his daughter, Odette who requested he write a song for her.[47][49] She features in the clip that was premiered on CMT.[49] Zac's song, Don't Let Me Down, features Frankie Muniz and a cast of others in the beefcake fun video.[50]

Hanson set out on a world tour in June that will end in November 2022.[51]

The brothers were featured in the July 18th 2022 People Magazine edition discussing their career thus far, family commitments and being on the road.[52] The article also showcased photos of their individual family members.[52]

Lead guitarist and bassist Isaac Hanson

Clarke Isaac Hanson was born on (1980-11-17)November 17, 1980, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[76] He is the eldest of the three brothers in Hanson, and was eleven when the band started in 1992. He sings both backing and lead vocals and plays electric and acoustic guitar, as well as the piano, bass and the synthesizer. Isaac married Nikki Dufresne[77] on September 30, 2006, in Tulsa at the Philbrook Museum of Art. Isaac met Dufresne after spotting her in the fifth row of a crowd at their 2003 New Orleans concert.[78] They have three children.[79][80][81]

Lead singer and keyboardist Taylor Hanson

Jordan Taylor Hanson was born on (1983-03-14)March 14, 1983, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[82] Taylor was nine when Hanson started in 1992. In Hanson, he sings both lead and backup vocals, and plays keyboard, percussion (including drums, bongos and the tambourine), guitar, harmonica, and piano. He is also the lead singer of supergroup Tinted Windows. On June 8, 2002, Taylor married Natalie Anne Bryant, whom he had first met in 2000. They have seven children.[83][84][85][86][87][88][89]

Drummer Zac Hanson

Zachary Walker Hanson was born on (1985-10-22)October 22, 1985, in Arlington, Virginia, but raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[90] He is the youngest of the three brothers in Hanson, and was six when the band started in 1992. He plays drums, percussion, piano, guitar and also sings backup and lead vocals in the band. Zac, at age 12 years and 126 days, is the sixth-youngest Grammy nominee of all time. He holds the title of youngest songwriter nominated for a Grammy Award (same year).[91] Zac married Kate Tucker on June 3, 2006. They have five children.[92][93][94][95][96] On October 2, 2019, Zac was involved in a motorcycle accident in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which resulted in five broken bones: three broken ribs, a broken clavicle, and a cracked scapula.[97] Zac and his family are also gamers, and currently run a gaming channel on YouTube named "Zaccidental Gamer", where they play such games as Minecraft Dungeons, Halo Infinite, and more.[98]

• Dimitrius Collins – guitar (2007–present)
• Andrew Perusi – bass (2007–present)

• Dash Hutton – drums and percussion (2019; substituted on drums for Zac Hanson during the Wintry Mix tour after the latter's injury)