Blues Traveler Biography

Blues Traveler was formed in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1987 by members John Popper, Bobby Sheehan, Chan Kinchla, Brendan Hill, and Ben Wilson. The high school friends moved to New York City after establishing the band and began performing around at city venues, igniting a new appreciation for jam music among the new generation.

Blues Traveler’s self-titled debut was released in 1990 to great success. Travelers & Thieves came in the following year, and Save His Soul arrived in 1992.  Blues Travelers released Four in 1994, which spawned the hit singles “Hook” and “Run-Around.” The album ultimately went multi-platinum, and Blues Traveler created a tour which would last for nearly a decade, playing alongside such greats at Neil Young, Phish, Ben Harper, and Dave Matthews.

But in 1999, tragedy struck Blues Traveler. Pivotal member Bobby Sheehan was lost to an accidental overdose. Despite the devastation, Blues Traveler forged forward and auditioned for a new bass player. Chad’s younger brother, Tad, was selected to fill Bobby’s shoes, and they resurfaced with the live album What You and I Have Been Through in 2002, and also released the compilation album Travelogue: Blues Traveler Classics. Additional albums followed: Bastardos! in 2005, Cover Yourself in 2007, and North Hollywood Shootout in 2008. Later that same year Blues Traveler appeared at Lollapalooza, and in 2012 they released the album Suzie Cracks the Whip.

Today, Blues Travelers continue to perform and record with the current lineup of Brendan Hill, Chan Kinchla, John Popper, Tad Kinchla, and Ben Wilson. The band recently released the albums 25 (2012) and Blow Up the Moon (2015.) Blue Traveler recently returned from an extensive 2017 tour, and is expected to return to the studio to prepare for their next studio album.