Based in the Bay Area of San Francisco, California, USA, contemporary rock band Third Eye Blind was formed in the early 90s by songwriter Stephan Jenkins (b. 27 September 1964, Oakland, California, USA; vocals/guitar, ex-Puck And Natty), with Adrian Burley (drums) and Jason Slater (bass). Personnel changes left Jenkins as the only original member, with Arion Salazar (b. 9 August 1970, Oakland, California, USA; bass, ex-Fungo Mungo), Kevin Cadogan (b. 14 August 1970, Oakland, California, USA; guitar) and Tony Fredianelli (b. 2 April 1969, Santa Monica, California, USA; guitar) completing another early line-up. Fredianelli left in 1994 and a stable line-up was eventually reached when Jenkins, Salazar and Cadogan were joined by Brad Hargreaves (b. 30 July 1971, Marin County, California, USA; drums) in 1995.
Said to be influenced equally by the Geto Boys and Joy Division, the quartet began to attract a following through a series of high-profile performances, including a support slot to Oasis in San Francisco, before they were signed. They also took over the headliners’ billing when Tim Booth of James was forced to cancel a series of concerts because of illness. Their first single, ‘Semi-Charmed Life’, duly reached number 1 on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart, and number 4 on the Hot 100 singles chart. It was a typical effort, in that, beneath the slick-surface pop sound, the lyrics portrayed ‘a storm brewing’. Their self-titled debut album, produced by Jenkins and Eric Valentine, reached the US Hot 100 following its release in April 1997, peaking at number 25 the following March.
The band enjoyed further mainstream success when ‘How’s It Going To Be’ reached US number 9 in February 1998, and ‘Jumper’ climbed to number 5 the following January. Blue failed to capture the imagination of the public, and after initial strong sales quickly faded from view. Cadogan was fired from the band in January 2000, and was replaced by touring guitarist and original member Tony Fredianelli. The now stable quartet of Fredianelli, Jenkins, Salazar and Hargreaves recorded Out Of The Vein in 2003.
