- Rock band from San Jose California, formed in 1994. The original members were Steve Harwell (vocals), Kevin Coleman (drums), Greg Camp (guitar), and Paul De Lisle (bass).
- Harwell started the band. He formerly was in a rap group. His manager was Kevin Coleman, who was acquainted with the other two, who were in a punk rock band. They began to play together, and they developed into a band, which they called Smashmouth.
- They made a demo song, Nervous in the Alley, which got air time at a San Jose radio station, and led them to sign with a record label, who inserted the space between Smash and Mouth. In 1997, the released their debut album, Fush Yu Mang. The album sold over 2 million copies, off the strength of their single Walkin’ On the Sun, which hit #1 on the Alternative Songs charts.
- Their follow-up album from 1999, Astro Lounge, was their biggest seller, with over 3 million units sold. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard 100 album chart. It contains their signature song, All Star, as well as Then the Morning Comes.
- Their cover of the Monkees’ song I’m a Believer was used in the soundtrack of Shrek. It was part of their third album, titled Smash Mouth.
- Their later studio albums have only been modestly successful. They have released a total of 7 studio albums and 18 singles.
- They regularly perform covers of older retro music. In addition to I’m a Believer, they play songs from War, the Beatles, Simple Minds, as well as I Wan’na Be Like You from the 1967 Disney movie The Jungle Book – their version was played during the end credits of The Jungle Book 2 movie in 2003.
- Smash Mouth won’t ever be put into a category of monumental artists. But, they were a fun band that had a defining sound in the late 90s and early 00s. All Star is a snappy quasi-rap song that everyone sang along with in its day, and it still gets played at baseball stadiums today – I love it. Here is the hilarious, goofy video.