1990–1997: formation and Fush Yu Mang Smash Mouth's roots trace back to 1990 when
Steve Harwell and Kevin Coleman met. Smash Mouth was then formed in 1994 by Harwell, who had formerly played in a
rap group called F.O.S. (Freedom of Speech). Coleman, who was Harwell's manager, knew guitarist
Greg Camp and bassist
Paul De Lisle, who had both played in a local
punk band, and introduced the three musicians to each other. They began rehearsing together along with Coleman, who played as the drummer. They soon developed into a band, and named themselves
Smashmouth, an
American football term. During their early years, the band played largely
rock music. The band's first publicity came when a demo of the song "Nervous in the Alley" was played by a San Jose radio station,
KOME. Soon after,
Interscope Records signed the band, and the group's debut album,
Fush Yu Mang, was released in 1997, featuring another member: the keyboardist Michael Klooster. Also, upon signing to Interscope Records, the band changed their name from Smashmouth to Smash Mouth. The album saw commercial success peaking at number 19 on the
US Billboard 200 and number 23 in
Canada. It was led by the band's first major single "
Walkin' on the Sun" which peaked at number 1 on the US
Adult Top 40 and
Alternative Songs charts and at number 3 in Canada. The singles "The Fonz" and a cover of "
Why Can't We Be Friends" from the 1998
Kevin Bacon film
Wild Things were also subsequently released. The album has since gone
double platinum. During this time the band officially started touring regularly even opening for
U2 on their
PopMart Tour and got their first television appearance as the musical guest on episode 157 of
Oddville, MTV. 1998–2004: rise to fame, Astro Lounge, Smash Mouth, and Get the Picture? The band's second album,
Astro Lounge, was released in 1999 and marked a change in direction, as it had less of the previous
ska influence and more of a pop sound. It led to more publicity for the band, and ended up being one of the most critically acclaimed albums from the group. It peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard 200, the highest the band has ever charted in the states, and reached the top 20 in both Canada and
New Zealand. Supported by the hit single "
All Star" (which was featured in several film soundtracks, most notably in
Shrek (2001), although the official
music video references
Mystery Men) the song reached number 4 on both the
Billboard hot 100 and
Australia it then charted even higher in
Canada peaking at number 2. "
Then the Morning Comes" was also a hit for the band and peaked a number 11 on the Billboard hot 100. On September 9, 1999 they performed in pouring rain, as the opening act of the
1999 MTV Video Music Awards. They also made appearances on the
Late Show with David Letterman,
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien''. Also in 1999,
The East Bay Sessions was released as a collection of early songs. Shortly after the release of the album, drummer Kevin Coleman left the band due to back problems. He was initially replaced by
Michael Urbano, who was quickly replaced by Mitch Marine for the tour supporting
Astro Lounge, who was subsequently replaced by Urbano again after the tour. In 2000 the band was nominated for a
for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the
42nd Annual Grammy Awards for the song "All Star". In 2001, Smash Mouth covered
the Monkees' hit song "
I'm a Believer". It peaked at number 25 on the Billboard hot 100 and was featured on both the soundtrack for
Shrek (along with "All Star") and their
self-titled album which was released on November 21, 2001. The album sold fewer copies than the band's earlier works peaking at number 48 on the Billboard 200, but it since been certified
gold. Also in 2001, the group appeared as themselves in the climactic scene of the film
Rat Race. On September 26, 2001 the band appeared on
Drew Carey's Back-to-School Rock 'n' Roll Comedy Hour. In 2002 the band played select shows as the opener for
NSYNC on their
Celebrity Tour. In 2003,
Get the Picture? was released, It is their last studio album to chart in the US. Peaking at number 100 on the Billboard 200. It featured the singles "You Are My Number One", "Hang On" and "Always Gets Her Way". Smash Mouth was dropped from
Interscope shortly after the release of
Get the Picture?. The songs "Hang On" and their cover of "Getting Better" both appeared on the soundtrack for
The Cat in the Hat. That same year, the band performed a cover of the
Sherman Brothers song "
I Wanna Be Like You" for the animated film
The Jungle Book 2. Also in 2003 the band appeared in animated form in the Television show
Kim Possible, in the episode "
Queen Bee" where their animated counter parts played the song "Come On, Come On".
2005–2011: new label, fluctuating lineup and Summer Girl Smash Mouth released the greatest hits compilation
All Star Smash Hits in 2005. The album contains some more popular songs from previous Smash Mouth albums, as well as songs from soundtrack albums that were not on the band's releases. On certain networks and time slots, the album was advertised as having 18 tracks, including an edited version of "Flo". Smash Mouth played at
Gumby's Birthday Celebration in August 2005. That same year the group once again appeared in animated form in an episode of ''
What's New, Scooby-Doo'' titled "Reef Grief". In December 2005, the band released a Christmas album
Gift of Rock. It featured covers of Christmas songs by many artists, such as
the Kinks and
the Ramones, and one original song, "Baggage Claim". Smash Mouth's fifth studio album, originally to be titled
Old Habits, was recorded in 2005 and expected to be released in early 2006. The band had said that the album was much more like the ska punk featured on
Fush Yu Mang and
The East Bay Sessions. In September 2005, the band performed what was tentatively going to be the album's first single, "Getaway Car", on
Last Call with Carson Daly. The album was delayed many times, in the hope of gaining publicity with Harwell's appearance on the reality show
The Surreal Life. Smash Mouth returned to the studio intent on improving the record.
Old Habits was shelved, replaced by
Summer Girl, which included some remixed
Old Habits tracks as well as new songs. After being delayed in much the same way
Old Habits was for several months, the album was released on September 19, 2006. Smash Mouth let Sony Pictures use much of their music from
Summer Girl and other songs for the movie
Zoom, whose opening titles credit the film's music to the band. Before the release of
Summer Girl, drummer Michael Urbano left the band without warning on February 14, 2006 due to creative differences. He was initially replaced by former drummer Mitch Marine, and then by Jason Sutter, best known for his work with
American Hi-Fi and
the Rembrandts. The band released their new album,
Summer Girl, later that year. In early 2007, one year after joining the band, Sutter left Smash Mouth to play drums for former
Soundgarden and
Audioslave frontman
Chris Cornell; fill-in drummer Marine returned to Smash Mouth. Band members changed over the course of several years. Greg Camp left the band in the summer of 2008 which was a big loss as he had written many of the band's biggest hits such as
All Star and ''Walkin' on the Sun''. Smash Mouth recruited
Leroy Miller to play guitar. Leroy left in 2009 and Camp returned to the band, but in 2011 Camp left once again and this time the band recruited Sean Hurwitz. Hurwitz stayed until 2012, and was replaced by Mike Krompass. Later in 2012, Hurwitz returned. In 2009 Mitch Marine left once again and was replaced by Urbano, who left again after only one year in 2010, and was replaced by Marine once again. Marine left yet again after a brief spell in 2010 and was replaced by
Randy Cooke. Cooke was briefly replaced by Jason Sutter in 2011, then Charlie Paxson. In June 2011, a writer at
Something Awful offered $20 if the band's lead singer, Steve Harwell, would eat 24 eggs. Others on Twitter began offering additional sums, eventually targeted to various charities. The fundraising goal was reached in less than a week. A self-styled "reality TV fan", Harwell requested that his friend celebrity chef
Guy Fieri prepare the eggs. The event was held at Johnny Garlic's restaurant, in
Dublin, California, on October 11, 2011. With about 150 people attending, Harwell was able to finish the eggs with the help of audience members as well as the
San Jose Sharks mascot, Sharkie. $15,000 was raised for charity. On July 17th, 2011, Smash Mouth performed live at the Hard Rock Cafe on the Vegas Strip, airing a 60 minute concert simultaneously across the US & Canada on HDNet Television, CBS Radio, and CBS Digital.
2012–2019: Magic, live album and reunion with Camp After parting ways with
Universal Records and signing with 429 Records, Smash Mouth released their sixth studio album titled
Magic, on September 4, 2012. The album was primarily produced by new band member Mike Krompass. The first single, also entitled "Magic", debuted on the
Billboard Adult Contemporary chart at No. 22. The band spent the rest of 2012 touring behind the new project as well as promoting the release of their musical book of food recipes and things of the like —
Recipes from the Road. Cooke temporarily left again toward the end of 2012, replaced by Paxson. In 2013 the band took part in the "Under the Sun" tour with
Gin Blossoms and
Sugar Ray. Paxson left in July during the tour, and was initially going to be replaced by a returning Cooke; however, he was replaced by Sutter once again. Tod Burr, former drum tech of
Def Leppard and drummer of Merle Jagger, came on board in 2012 as drum and keyboard tech of Smash Mouth. On February 1, 2013, Smash Mouth headlined the
AutoNation Coast to Coast rebranding event (which combined all AutoNation dealerships into a single brand) at
Wayne Huizenga Park in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida with Michela Paige from Season 3 of
The Voice. The event also served as a final round in the AutoNation Culture of Caring Contest. They also took part in the first "Under the Sun" tour alongside Sugar Ray,
Gin Blossoms, and
Vertical Horizon. On October 6, 2014, Smash Mouth composed two songs for the English version of the South Korean animated film
Pororo, The Racing Adventure, including "Beside Myself", and "Everything Just Crazy" which plays at the end credits. In 2014, Smash Mouth was part of the second "Under the Sun" tour with
Uncle Kracker,
Blues Traveler, and Sugar Ray. On June 14, 2015, Smash Mouth performed at the Taste of Fort Collins food festival in
Fort Collins, Colorado. Before the encore, in an incident that lasted about three minutes, singer Steve Harwell became angry, yelled profanities at the audience, and left the stage after bread that had been distributed by the festival was thrown in the air and a few pieces were reportedly thrown onto the stage. Harwell later apologized for the incident in an interview with
The Herald-Mail. Event organizer Jason Ornstein explained that he asked Harwell if he wanted him to have the DJs make an announcement instructing the crowd not to throw bread but according to Ornstein, Harwell "stormed on [stage] and took matters into his own hands". He continued "It wasn't like anyone was going to be getting hurt by throwing bread up in the air ... We just had to laugh at it, because he just really made a fool of himself." Fort Collins Police Services stated laws prohibiting disorderly conduct, harassment, and "throwing of "missiles", i.e. objects, apply to event attendees. Smash Mouth performed at the
Urbana Sweetcorn Festival on August 28, 2016; Harwell passed out in the middle of the set and was taken to a nearby hospital, but the band continued their set and performed the song without him. Harwell made a full recovery and they continued touring. Greg Camp rejoined Smash Mouth in early 2018. An acoustic re-recording of Smash Mouth's first album,
Fush Yu Mang, funded through
PledgeMusic was released in 2018 for the album's 20th anniversary. On November 1, 2018, Smash Mouth released the single "Unity". It features hip-hop artists
Kool Keith and
Darryl McDaniels of
Run-DMC. They then toured Australia in the same year during November to sell-out crowds around the country, performing a mix of theater, festival, and pub shows. During the Arlie Beach Festival of Music in
Queensland, Steve Harwell became ill and had to leave the stage. However, Nicky Bomba, Frankie J Holden, Wilbur Wilde from
Melbourne Ska Orchestra, and the remainder of Smash Mouth continued the set without him. Harwell recovered the next day and the Australian tour continued without any further incidents. In 2019, the band released a cover of
the Hollies' song, "
Bus Stop".
2020–2023: Harwell's departure and death, arrival of Goode and Missile Toes On August 8, 2020, the band performed at the 2020
Sturgis Rally and vocalist Harwell said things such as "fuck that COVID shit" during the performance. A report from the
IZA Institute of Labor Economics later cited the event as being a
superspreading event. In October 2021, the band performed at The Big Sip beer and wine festival in
Bethel, New York. Harwell appeared to be intoxicated, threatening audience members and performing what looked like a
Nazi salute. Following the performance, Harwell announced his retirement due to ongoing health issues. Prior to Harwell's last show, the band was already performing with a substitute singer ostensibly filling in while Harwell dealt with his health issues. In March 2022, it was announced upon Steve Harwell's departure, that the band has recruited new lead singer
Zach Goode (formerly of Ghoulspoon, Divided By Zero and The Secret Seven). On March 2, 2022, the band released a cover of
Rick Astley's song "
Never Gonna Give You Up". Smash Mouth released a new single, "4th of July", on July 1, 2022. In July 28, 2023, the band released "Underground Sun" as a single. The music video was created using
AI. On September 3, 2023, it was announced that Harwell was receiving hospice care and was expected to have only days left to live. Harwell died the next day at his home in
Boise, Idaho, at the age of 56 from liver failure. The band put out an official statement in his tribute "Steve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle. Steve will be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom." On November 6, 2023, the band announced their second Christmas album,
Missile Toes, which released on November 17. The album consists of 10 songs, six of which are covers of classic Christmas songs, and four of which are originals. Featured artists
Susanna Hoffs and Sophie Grey make appearances.
2024–present: Mercury Comet On April 12, 2024, Smash Mouth released the single and video "Ride On", and on July 12, the band released a cover of the iconic Brady Bunch song, "Sunshine Day" featuring Greg Brady's actor,
Barry Williams. Throughout summer 2024, the band embarked on the Ride On Tour with close to 100 shows, touring everywhere from Alaska to Hawaii with major festival stops in Mexico, Chile, Peru, and Malaysia along the way. The band joined
Cleopatra Records in late 2024, and released a cover of
the Beatles' "
Love Me Do" in November. On December 4, 2024, the band confirmed a full length LP under the working title
Fush Yu Too was in the works and was to be due by the end of February. Prior to that in March, during the Ride On Tour, the band hinted going back to the studio to record an LP in the same
ska style as "
Fush Yu Mang". On January 21, 2025 the band released a cover of "
Blinding Lights" by
the Weeknd, with which the band had received backlash for using
AI for the cover art. It was later confirmed that the cover, as well as "Love Me Do", would be included on Cleopatra's compilation album,
Punk Rock Valentines, which released on February 7. On March 3, 2025, the band announced the Mercury Comet Tour. A day later, on March 4, they announced their new LP was titled
Mercury Comet and would release in June, before being delayed indefinitely. Much like "Blinding Lights", the cover art received backlash for its use of AI. ==Musical style==