Swimming with the Blowfish

Hootie & the Blowfish's drummer chronicles the band's rise, fall, and rebirth, as well as his path from addiction to recovery and a more fruitful life. For a time, there was no bigger band in the world than Hootie & the Blowfish-rock & roll's unexpected foil to the grunge music that dominated the early '90s airwaves.?In Swimming with the Blowfish, Jim?Sonefeld, drummer and one of the band's principal songwriters, reveals the inside story of the band's humble beginnings, meteoric rise, sudden fall, and ultimate rebirth-and in the telling he opens his heart to readers about addiction, recovery, and faith. Hootie became ubiquitous in the '90s-their debut album Cracked Rear View was one of the best-selling in the history of rock music; they won two Grammy Awards; their live performances were played alongside the Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M., and even Willie Nelson and Neil Young; and they appeared at the biggest venues in the world. Though Jim enjoyed the perks that came with fame-the parties, the relationships, the money, the drugs and alcohol-eventually it all became a camouflage that hid a deeper spiritual malady. As his life was careening toward disaster, he reached out his hands to seek relief in twelve-step recovery, eventually settling into a loving, but by no means uncomplicated, homelife. A book that encapsulates a band still beloved by legions of fans, Swimming with the Blowfish is much more-an unpretentious, emotional story of one man's spiritual path to a more fruitful life. Jim's journey is shattering, redeeming, and ultimately as comforting as your favorite flannel shirt. Praise for Swimming with the Blowfish "I've truly relished hanging out with the fun-loving, mischievous 'Soni' through the years, but this book exposes a more deeply-rooted, impassioned side he didn't always show. He captures the spirit of the surreal and sometimes unsettling life behind the scenes of one of my favorite bands, sincerely revealing that he is as fragile as the rest of us. It's an eloquent yet humbling example of a lesson we can all learn from-that no degree of fame or fortune leaves us immune to experiencing pain, powerlessness, and regret." -Dan Patrick, sports broadcaster and host of?The Dan Patrick Show? "Jim Sonefeld details his rollercoaster ride through rock and roll, addiction and sobriety with searing honesty and grace." -Radney Foster, singer-songwriter of Foster & Lloyd and author of?For You?to?See?the?Stars

Auteur

Hootie & the Blowfish drummer Jim "Soni" Sonefeld dreamt more of being a professional soccer player than a successful musician. But with the unsuspected success of the band's 1994 debut release, Cracked Rear View, he and his bandmates found themselves traveling the world to support what would become the 16th best-selling album of all time in the United States. The band would record four more studio albums and receive numerous awards, among them, two Grammys. During this era, Sonefeld's lines of truth became blurred and his addictions began to take over his life as he relied heavily on drugs and alcohol to cope with the emptiness growing inside of him. He struggled to find peace and to hold his personal life together, and in 2004 Sonefeld finally accepted that he was powerless over drugs and alcohol and that his life had become entirely unmanageable. In sobriety Sonefeld discovered there were parts of his life that had incurred damages beyond repair, but that God would heal him if he turned his life over to His care. Since then, a full spiritual awakening led to a complete lifestyle change and inspired Sonefeld to follow a new path of clarity, and nothing was clearer to him than God's calling to recreate himself as a Contemporary Christian artist. He also helps others in recovery by sharing his story and his music with Celebrate Recovery groups around the United States.