G. Love & Special Sauce
Encyclopedia
G. Love & Special Sauce is an alternative hip-hop
band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. They are known for their unique, "sloppy", and "laid back" blues sound that encompasses classic R&B. The band features Garrett Dutton
, better known as G. Love, Jeffrey Clemens on drums, Mark Boyce on keyboards, and Timo Shanko on bass.
bar, The Tam O'Shanter. Here he met drummer Jeffrey Clemens. Dutton and Clemens began working as a duo, and were joined a few months later by bassist Jim Prescott and became the house band at The Plough and Stars in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. In 1994, they released their self titled debut album on Okeh Records
. On the strength of the single "Cold Beverage", due in part to the song's rotation on MTV
, 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 disagreements about the group's 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 was 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
, psychedelica
, blues
, and soul
in equal and ambitious measure. Ever the road band, Mile was followed by extensive touring. During this time they performed as the house band
for Comedy Central
's show Turn Ben Stein On, which ran from 1999-2001.
In 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
". On June 24, 2008, Superhero Brother
was released. On January 15, 2009, G. Love announced on the band's website that bassist
Jimi "Jazz" Prescott is no longer a member of the band.
's Brushfire Records
banner. Johnson had been a guest on the Special Sauce album Philadelphonic. G. Love did a series of shows in 2004 with Jack Johnson and fellow Brushfire Records
artist Donavon Frankenreiter
, and the trio also found time to issue a brief live EP. His solo albums include:
Alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music. Allmusic defines it as follows: -Origin:...
band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. They are known for their unique, "sloppy", and "laid back" blues sound that encompasses classic R&B. The band features Garrett Dutton
G. Love
Garrett Dutton , better known as G. Love, is the frontman for the band G. Love & Special Sauce.-Biography:Dutton, the son of a banking lawyer, was born in the Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, and began playing guitar at age eight. He wrote his first song by the time he was in the ninth...
, better known as G. Love, Jeffrey Clemens on drums, Mark Boyce on keyboards, and Timo Shanko on bass.
History
The band formed in January 1993 when Dutton was performing at a BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
bar, The Tam O'Shanter. Here he met drummer Jeffrey Clemens. Dutton and Clemens began working as a duo, and were joined a few months later by bassist Jim Prescott and became the house band at The Plough and Stars in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. In 1994, they released their self titled debut album on Okeh Records
Okeh Records
Okeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
. On the strength of the single "Cold Beverage", due in part to the song's rotation on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, the album nearly went gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. 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.
H.O.R.D.E.
Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere or H.O.R.D.E. Festival was a touring summer rock music festival originated by the musical group Blues Traveler in 1992. In addition to travelling headliners, the festival gave exposure to bands, charities, and organizations from the local area of the...
tour.
In 1995, they released their follow-up album Coast to Coast Motel
Coast to Coast Motel
Coast to Coast Motel is the second album by G. Love & Special Sauce, released in 1995.-Track listing:All songs by G. Love, except as noted#"Sweet Sugar Mama" – 4:05#"Leaving the City" – 3:40...
. 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 disagreements about the group's 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
Yeah, It's That Easy
Yeah, It's That Easy is the third album by G. Love & Special Sauce, released in 1997.-Track listing:All tracks written by G. Love except as noted.#"Stepping Stones" – 4:24#"I-76" – 3:46#"Lay Down the Law" – 5:37...
, 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
Dr. John
Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
. This soul-influenced album was 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
Philadelphonic was the fourth album by G. Love & Special Sauce, released in 1999.-Track listing:#"No Turning Back" – 3:03#"Dreamin'" – 3:54...
. Philadelphonic was followed up with Electric Mile
Electric Mile
Electric Mile is the fifth album by G. Love & Special Sauce, released in 2001.-Track listing:All tracks by G. Love except were noted#"Unified" – 3:07#"Praise Up" – 3:43#"Night of the Living Dead" – 4:36...
in 2001, an album that shows the wide-ranging influences of the trio, incorporating hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, psychedelica
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
in equal and ambitious measure. Ever the road band, Mile was followed by extensive touring. During this time they performed as the house band
House band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
for Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
's show Turn Ben Stein On, which ran from 1999-2001.
In summer 2005, the band featured in an advertisement for the launch of Coca-Cola Zero
Coca-Cola Zero
Coca-Cola Zero or Coke Zero is a product of the Coca-Cola Company. It is a low-calorie variation of Coca-Cola specifically marketed to males, who were shown to associate 'diet' drinks with women....
, featuring the group's own unique version of the noted Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
advertising song "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing
I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing
"I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing " is a popular song which originated as a jingle in the groundbreaking 1971 "Hilltop" television commercial for Coca-Cola. The song, produced by Billy Davis and performed by The New Seekers, portrayed a positive message of hope and love sung by a multicultural...
". On June 24, 2008, Superhero Brother
Superhero Brother
Superhero Brother is a studio album released by American alternative hip-hop trio G. Love and Special Sauce.-Track listing:# Communication # City Livin' # Wiggle Worm # Peace, Love, and Happiness...
was released. On January 15, 2009, G. Love announced on the band's website that bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Jimi "Jazz" Prescott is no longer a member of the band.
Solo albums
G. Love has released three solo albums. His first, The Hustle, was the first G. Love release under Jack JohnsonJack Johnson (musician)
Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...
's Brushfire Records
Brushfire Records
Brushfire Records is a Haleiwa, Hawaii based record label owned by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson. The label, formerly known as The Moonshine Conspiracy Records, was originally made to release soundtracks for Woodshed Films, a surfing movie production owned by Jack Johnson, Emmett Malloy, and...
banner. Johnson had been a guest on the Special Sauce album Philadelphonic. G. Love did a series of shows in 2004 with Jack Johnson and fellow Brushfire Records
Brushfire Records
Brushfire Records is a Haleiwa, Hawaii based record label owned by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson. The label, formerly known as The Moonshine Conspiracy Records, was originally made to release soundtracks for Woodshed Films, a surfing movie production owned by Jack Johnson, Emmett Malloy, and...
artist Donavon Frankenreiter
Donavon Frankenreiter
Donavon Frankenreiter is an American musician and surfer. He is a long-time friend of Jack Johnson and his debut self-titled album was released in 2004 on Johnson's Brushfire Records through Universal Music and made the Australian ARIA Top-40 charts in April 2004.-Surfing career:He took up surfing...
, and the trio also found time to issue a brief live EP. His solo albums include:
- Fixin' to DieFixin' to DieFixin' to Die was released on February 22, 2011 on Brushfire Records. This is the ninth studio album released by G. Love...
- The Hustle
- Lemonade
- Oh Yeah
Current
- Garrett Dutton as G. LoveG. LoveGarrett Dutton , better known as G. Love, is the frontman for the band G. Love & Special Sauce.-Biography:Dutton, the son of a banking lawyer, was born in the Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, and began playing guitar at age eight. He wrote his first song by the time he was in the ninth...
(vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
) - Jeffrey Clemens as Houseman (drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, vocals) - Mark Boyce (keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
) - Timo Shanko (string bass)
Albums
The first five albums are demos or early versions of songs released on later albums.- In the Kings Court
- Oh Yeah
- Back in the Day (1993)
- G. Love Has Gone Country (1998)
- Front Porch Loungin (2000)
- G. Love and Special SauceG. Love and Special Sauce (album)G. Love and Special Sauce is the début album by G. Love & Special Sauce released on May 10, 1994 via Epic Records. The album has gone Gold....
(OkehOkeh RecordsOkeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
- 1994) #32 Heatseekers - Coast to Coast MotelCoast to Coast MotelCoast to Coast Motel is the second album by G. Love & Special Sauce, released in 1995.-Track listing:All songs by G. Love, except as noted#"Sweet Sugar Mama" – 4:05#"Leaving the City" – 3:40...
(Okeh - 1995) #122 US #3 Heatseekers - Yeah, It's That EasyYeah, It's That EasyYeah, It's That Easy is the third album by G. Love & Special Sauce, released in 1997.-Track listing:All tracks written by G. Love except as noted.#"Stepping Stones" – 4:24#"I-76" – 3:46#"Lay Down the Law" – 5:37...
(Okeh - 1997) #120 US #3 Heatseekers - PhiladelphonicPhiladelphonicPhiladelphonic was the fourth album by G. Love & Special Sauce, released in 1999.-Track listing:#"No Turning Back" – 3:03#"Dreamin'" – 3:54...
(550 Music - 1999) #113 US #1 Heatseekers - Electric MileElectric MileElectric Mile is the fifth album by G. Love & Special Sauce, released in 2001.-Track listing:All tracks by G. Love except were noted#"Unified" – 3:07#"Praise Up" – 3:43#"Night of the Living Dead" – 4:36...
(550 Music - 2001) #138 US #4 Heatseekers - The Best of G. Love and Special Sauce (Sony - 2002)
- The Hustle (Brushfire RecordsBrushfire RecordsBrushfire Records is a Haleiwa, Hawaii based record label owned by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson. The label, formerly known as The Moonshine Conspiracy Records, was originally made to release soundtracks for Woodshed Films, a surfing movie production owned by Jack Johnson, Emmett Malloy, and...
- 2004) - A Year and a Night with G. Love and Special Sauce CD/DVD (2007)
- Superhero BrotherSuperhero BrotherSuperhero Brother is a studio album released by American alternative hip-hop trio G. Love and Special Sauce.-Track listing:# Communication # City Livin' # Wiggle Worm # Peace, Love, and Happiness...
(Brushfire Records - 2008) #63 US - Long Way DownLong Way Down (album)Long Way Down is a studio album released by American blues hip-hop band G. Love and Special Sauce. The album, released in Australia and New Zealand only, is the first release on the band's own label, Philadelphonic Records.-Track listing:...
(Philadelphonic Records) (2009)
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Modern Rock | |||
| 1994 | "Cold Beverage" | - | G. Love & Special Sauce |
| "Baby's Got Sauce" | - | ||
| 1995 | "Kiss and Tell" | - | Coast to Coast Motel |
| "Sweet Sugar Mama" | - | ||
| 1997 | "Stepping Stone" | 30 | Yeah, It's That Easy |
| "I-76" | - | ||
| 1999 | "Rodeo Clowns" | 39 | Philadelphonic |
| "Dreamin'" | - | ||
| 2001 | "Free at Last" | - | Electric Mile |
| "Unified" | - | ||
| 2004 | "Astronaut" | 37 | The Hustle |
| 2005 | "Booty Call" | - | |
| "Love" | - | ||
| 2006 | "Hot Cookin'" | - | Lemonade |
| 2007 | "Beautiful" | - | |
| 2008 | "Peace, Love, and Happiness" | - | Superhero Brother |
External links
- Philadelphonic.com
- G. Love & Special Sauce collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive