G. Love & Special Sauce
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| G. Love & Special Sauce | |
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| Country | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Genres | Alternative hip-hop |
| Labels | Brushfire Records |
| Members | Garrett Dutton Jimi Prescott Jeffrey Clemens |
G. Love & Special Sauce is an alternative hip-hop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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[edit] History
Formed in 1992, the trio are known for their unique, "sloppy", and "laid back" blues sound that encompasses the sound/production of classic R&B and rap artists, like the Beastie Boys.
Originally a duo, they released their self titled debut album in 1994 on Okeh/Epic, a subsidiary of Sony Music. On the strength of the single "Cold Beverage", in part due to MTV rotation, the album nearly went gold. After which, trying to capitalize on the success of the album, the group toured heavily, eventually landing a spot on the H.O.R.D.E. tour.
In 1995 they released their follow up album Coast to Coast Motel. Although it did not sell as well as the first album, it is considered by many critics as the stronger of the two.
On tour following the release of the second album, the group nearly broke up, due to bickering about finances. Deciding on a hiatus the three members went their separate ways, working on various side projects.
By October 1997 the group had reconciled their differences and released their third album, Yeah, It's That Easy, which along with their own work, showcased their collaboration with several other bands and musicians, including All Fellas Band, Philly Cartel, King's Court, and Dr. John. This soul-influenced album showed to be more similar to their debut album than their previous release.
Soon after G. Love & Special Sauce set out on another world tour, returning to Philadelphia in 1999 for the release of their fourth album, Philadelphonic. Philadelphonic was followed up with Electric Mile in 2001, an album that shows the wide-ranging influences of the trio, incorporating hip-hop, funk, psychedlica, blues, and soul in equal and ambitious measure. Ever the road band, "Mile" was followed by extensive touring.
They also performed as the house band for Comedy Central's show "Turn Ben Stein On," which ran from 1999-2001.
By 2004 and The Hustle, G. Love had eased up a little on the kitchen sink approach, offering instead a cohesive, dry groove reminiscent of his earliest efforts. The Hustle was also the first G. Love release under Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records banner; the two had been pals at least since Philadelphonic, which Johnson had been a guest on.
Special Sauce did a series of shows in 2004 with Jack Johnson and fellow Brushfire artist Donavon Frankenreiter, and the trio also found time to issue a brief live EP.
In the summer 2005, the band featured in an advertisement for the launch of Coca-Cola Zero, featuring the group's own unique version of the noted Coca-Cola advertising song I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing.
The group's seventh studio album, entitled "Lemonade," was released August 1, 2006. The disc features a variety of collaborations with artists including Marc Broussard, Jack Johnson, Tristan Prettyman, Donavon Frankenreiter, Blackalicious, Ben Harper, and others. The first single is "Hot Cookin'."
[edit] Line-Up
- Garret Dutton as G. Love (vocals, guitar, harmonica)
- Jimmie Prescott as Jimi Jazz (string bass)
- Jeffrey Clemens as Houseman (drums)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- G. Love and Special Sauce (Okeh - 1994) #32 Heatseekers
- Coast to Coast Motel (Okeh - 1995) #122 US #3 Heatseekers
- Yeah, It's That Easy (Okeh - 1997) #120 US #3 Heatseekers
- Philadelphonic (550 Music - 1999) #113 US #1 Heatseekers
- Electric Mile (550 Music - 2001) #138 US #4 Heatseekers
- The Best of G. Love and Special Sauce (Sony - 2002)
- The Hustle (Brushfire Records - 2004) #100 US
- Lemonade (Brushfire Records - 2006) #39 US
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
| U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. Modern Rock | Mainstream Rock | |||
| 1994 | "Cold Beverage" | - | - | - | G. Love & Special Sauce |
| 1994 | "Baby's Got Sauce" | - | - | - | G. Love & Special Sauce |
| 1995 | "Kiss and Tell" | - | - | - | Coast to Coast Motel |
| 1995 | "Sweet Sugar Mama" | - | - | - | Coast to Coast Motel |
| 1997 | "Stepping Stone" | - | 30 | - | Yeah, It's That Easy |
| 1997 | "I-76" | - | - | - | Yeah It's That Easy |
| 1999 | "Rodeo Clowns" | - | 39 | - | Philadelphonic |
| 1999 | "Dreamin'" | - | - | - | Philadelphonic |
| 2001 | "Free at Last" | - | - | - | Electric Mile |
| 2001 | "Unified" | - | - | - | Electric Mile |
| 2004 | "Astronaut" | - | 37 | - | The Hustle |
| 2005 | "Booty Call" | - | - | - | The Hustle |
| 2005 | "Love" | - | - | - | The Hustle |
| 2006 | "Hot Cookin'" | - | - | - | Lemonade |
[edit] Trivia
- Milk and Cereal, an unreleased song by G. Love & Special Sauce, has become a popular Internet meme.
[edit] External links
- PHILADELPHONIC.com
- G Love Song Lyrics
- G. Love & Special Sauce collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
- G. Love and Special Sauce Fan Site
