A New York-based blues-rock quartet formed in 1988 by singer/harmonica player John Popper, guitarist Chan Kinchla, bassist Bobby Sheehan, and drummer Brendan Hill, Blues Traveler was part of a revival of the extended jamming style of 60s and 70s groups like the Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin. Signed to A&M, they released their first album, Blues Traveler, in May 1990 and followed it with Travelers & Thieves in September 1991. Popper was in a serious car accident in 1992, leaving him unable to perform for a number of months. Fortunately, he recovered, yet he still had to perform in a wheelchair for a period of time. In April 1993, Blues Traveler released its third album, Save His Soul, which became its first to make the Top 100. Blues Travelers aptly named fourth album, Four, released in September 1994, at first looked like a sales disappointment, but it rebounded in 1995 when Run-Around, a single taken from it, became the groups first chart hit. Run-Around became one of the biggest singles of 1995, spending nearly a full year on the charts and sending Four into quintuple platinum status.
