Sister Hazel formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1993 and was named for Sister Hazel Williams, a local missionary who ran a homeless shelter.[7] The group released its self-titled debut album in 1994, through its independent record label Croakin' Poets. Shortly after its release, singer/guitarist Ryan Newell and drummer Mark Trojanowski joined the band. Newell played on the album before officially joining the group.
The band's second album ...Somewhere More Familiar was released in 1997 and sold approximately 30,000 copies through its initial pressing, prompting Universal Records to sign the band. Universal re-released ...Somewhere More Familiar in late 1997.[8] A single from the album All For You hit No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains the band's most successful single.
The band's third album Fortress was released in 2000 by Universal. The band worked with producers Mike Clink (Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Heart), Richie Zito (Cheap Trick), and Paul Ebersold (3 Doors Down).[8] The album featured minor pop hits "Champagne High" and "Change Your Mind." The album's title track was featured as the outro of Valparaiso University radio station WVUR's weekly Saturday night program during the 2000–01 academic year.
In 2003, after the band split from Universal, they released their fourth studio album, Chasing Daylight, on the Sixthman label and toured throughout the year to promote the album. The band's internet presence emerged during this time period, and hardcore fans dubbing themselves "Hazelnuts" studied setlists, shared bootleg concert recordings, and initiated a promotion scheme with the band through their official website. 2003 also saw the simultaneous release of Live*LIVE, a two-disc live album, and A Life in the Day, a live DVD.
In 2004, Sister Hazel released their next studio album, Lift. Songs from Lift were re-recorded for 2005's Lift: Acoustic Renditions, an EP of studio acoustic takes on five of the songs, offered exclusively through Apple's iTunes Store. In July 2005, the Sister Hazel album was re-issued again by Sixthman, in response to claims that the album had become difficult to find in stores.
Sister Hazel then promoted their album, Absolutely, which was released on October 10, 2006. The band also continued to tour and hold annual fan gathering events, The Rock Boat and The Rock Slope. Absolutely is the band's highest-charting album on the Billboard charts following Fortress and it received 4 out of a possible 5 stars from Allmusic, a tie with Fortress's score.
On June 5, 2007, Sister Hazel released a "hybrid" album, BAM! Volume 1. It contains B-sides from the Absolutely recording sessions and some from previous albums. Sister Hazel also released a holiday album called Santa's Playlist on September 25, 2007.
On February 9, 2008, the band performed a live concert at Daytona International Speedway for the Budweiser Shootout. They released a live acoustic album on June 17, 2008, Before the Amplifiers, Live Acoustic on Croakin' Poets/Rock Ridge Music. The record features 16 tracks, including the band's hits, fan favorites, and live concert staples, all in a stripped-down, acoustic format. The album was recorded on January 12 at Nickel & Dime Studios in Atlanta (other bands who have recorded there in the past include Indigo Girls, The B-52's, Shawn Mullins) in front of a hundred fans who were chosen at random from more than five thousand entries.
On July 9, 2009 Ford Motor Company announced a collaboration with Sister Hazel to promote the company's new Sync technology, available on many Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles. The band was featured on a Ford website, syncmyride.com.[9]
The band released their seventh studio album of original songs (tenth album overall) on August 18, 2009. The album, entitled Release, contains 12 tracks and is on the Rock Ridge Music label.[10] On the day of release, Release was the number one album on iTunes.[11]
Less than six months after releasing Release, the band returned to the studio to work on their new album, Heartland Highway, was released on October 12, 2010. Its first radio single was "Stay a While".
The band's ninth studio album, Lighter in the Dark, was announced in the later part of 2015. It is their first country album, and was released on February 19, 2016.[12] The lead single from the album is "We Got It All Tonight". Two songs, "We Got It All Tonight" and "Karaoke Song", which features country artist Darius Rucker, were made available for instant download for those who pre-ordered the album.[13]
The band's namesake Dr. Hazel Kirkland Williams died on July 16, 2016, at age 91 in Gainesville.[14]
The band released an EP Water on February 9, 2018, which featured the lead single "Roll On Bye". Less than a week after the release of Water, the band announced they had begun recording a follow-up EP in Nashville, Tennessee. The EP Wind was released on September 7, 2018. The next EP in the "Elements" series, Fire, was released on February 8, 2019. The final installment in the "Elements" series, Earth, was released on September 6, 2019. Each of the EPs in the series included a portion of a song at the end, intended to be linked together in a future release. On November 26, 2019, all the EPs were combined into a single release, Elements. The 25-song, double-disc set includes the final "Elements" song pieced together.
Lyrics for Life is a non-profit organization for the benefit of pediatric cancer.[18] Sister Hazel had a benefit concert to support the Sarah Jones Scholarship Fund.[19]
Band members
Ken Block – lead vocals, acoustic guitar (1993–present)
Jett Beres – bass, harmony vocals (1993–present)
Andrew Copeland – rhythm guitar, vocals, keyboards (1993–present)
Ryan Newell – lead and slide guitar, harmony vocals (1993–present)
20 In '10 Collection – Compilation Album – February 8, 2010 (Amazon.com downloadable exclusive)
Threeve – EP – June 1, 2010 (iTunes downloadable exclusive)
11411 – Compilation/Sampler – January 3, 2011 (Amazon.com downloadable exclusive)
This Is Gator Country – 2011 (featured on a special compilation CD titled "You're in Gator Country," sold exclusively by the University of Florida Athletic Association)
20 Stages – Live Double Album [CD or Limited Edition Vinyl LP] – October 7, 2014
20 Stages – Live DVD – October 7, 2014
Live From Daryl's House Club – Live CD – December 9, 2016
Live From Daryl's House Club – Live DVD – December 9, 2016
Before the Amplifiers 2 – Live Album – December 10, 2021
^Durchholz, David (March 26, 2003). "Critics' Picks: Sister Hazel with the Wil Seabrook Band". The Riverfront Times. Retrieved July 25, 2016. The very definition of a mainstream jangle-pop band, Sister Hazel belongs in the company of Counting Crows, Third Eye Blind, Edwin McCain, Hootie and the Blowfish and matchbox twenty.
^Denton, Lisa; Courter, Barry (May 30, 2016). "Off the Couch: Nightfall goes big with before and after parties". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved July 25, 2016. They've had hits with "All for You" and "Change Your Mind," and their music blends Southern rock, classic rock and folk rock, but my favorite description of Sister Hazel called them a jangle pop band. "Jangle" — that's a good word.
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