Some musical groups have very strange names. How about the Ozark Mountain Daredevils? Or perhaps Nine Inch Nails? The Red Hot Chili Peppers? There can be really interesting stories behind these names. Take Hootie and the Blowfish. Now that one is weird by anyone's standards. Per dailymail.co.uk, "Hootie and the Blowfish came up with their name during a drunken night at university back in the mid-Eighties, and fans are still only just learning the true meaning of the moniker four decades later."
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Turns out that there is an explanation for the wacky name. According to the outlet, the band, made up of Darius Rucker, Jim Sonefield, Dean Felber, and Mark Bryan, reportedly came up with the name during a boozy evening when they were in college in the 1980s.
The group's name was inspired by two of their classmates. One had puffy cheeks, hence "Blowfish." The other resembled an owl, so it was "Hootie." Aha, so that's where the name came from!
Fans Are A Little Bemused And Amused
People expressed themselves on Reddit about the playful name. They had all kinds of opinions. Many mentioned having fond memories of hearing the band back in the 1990s. Plus, some of them lauded Rucker's current country career.
"And all this time I thought Darius was Hootie, and the Blowfish were his band."
"1995 or so you couldn't go literally anywhere without hearing these guys being played full blast. Within the course of a year, they somehow became a big joke and I never could understand why, or how they could go from being the toast of the town to just plain old toast."
"And the sad reality is that Darius is regularly referred to as "Hootie."
"Darius has such a great voice...Well-deserved success in the mid '90s.'"
"He's a successful country artist these days."
"How old are you? Only Wanna Be with You, Let Her Cry and Hold My Hand were playing everywhere in the mid-late 90s. Worth a listen at least once."
The familiar quote "What's in a name?" from Shakespeare came to my mind while writing this. Names carry weight. And this particular group's name is, well, quite unforgettable and unique.
