A
novelty rock band in the same vein as Presidents of
the United States of America, but with surf and garage
influences instead of the Presidents' punk/thrash
background, Smash Mouth found a hit in 1997 with the
'50s-influenced "Walkin' on the Sun." The
group was formed in 1994 in San Jose, CA, by vocalist
Steve Harwell, a former rapper with the group F.O.S.
After that group disintegrated, he began jamming with
an old friend, drummer Kevin Coleman. Harwell's former
manager introduced him to guitarist Greg Camp (fresh
from the local band Lackadaddy) and bassist Paul De
Lisle. The quartet recorded two demos, and got the
songs into rotation on a local radio station. After
playing a summer festival with No Doubt and Beck,
Smash Mouth decided to record an album. After finishing
Fush Yu Mang, the group were signed by Interscope,
which released "Walkin' on the Sun" as the
first single. It became a number one modern rock hit,
and pushed the album into the Top 40. The follow-up
album, Astro Lounge, was released in 1999, generating
the hit "All Star"; a collection of early
material, East Bay Sessions, also appeared that same
year.